Observations from Syracuse’s loss to Clemson: Aggressive play doesn’t last

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Syracuse hadn’t played a game this close since Feb. 15 against Florida State. It had gotten used to competitive play in the first half, a dismal third quarter and an eventual emptying out of the bench in the fourth quarter. In the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, potentially the final game in the collegiate careers of four starters, SU hung close with a team it beat earlier in the season by 40 points.

That was until a 12-1 run in the middle of the fourth quarter buried the Orange one last time in their worst season since 2006-07. Acting head coach Vonn Read said before the season that Syracuse had a small lineup, and once again it allowed more than 40 points in the paint. He said the depth wasn’t where it had been for Syracuse, and toward the end of the game, its starters who averaged over 30 minutes per game ran out of gas. The Orange played aggressively for as long as they could, and tried to lean on their “shooters” who players and Read said the team could rely on.

But it wasn’t enough. Syracuse saw its season slip away in the second half, eventually losing 88-69 to Clemson in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Here are five observations from the loss.

Aggressive play comes and goes

Syracuse seemed to finally be able to flex its muscles of speed in the early minutes against Clemson. Early in the first quarter with the game tied at six apiece, Chrislyn Carr and Teisha Hyman pressed up on Delicia Washington as she crossed the half-court line. The two-man pressure threw off Washington, setting her out of rhythm and leading to a charge call at the top of the key on Hyman.

The aggressive play didn’t necessarily translate to a hot start like Syracuse had the last time it played Clemson — a game that ultimately ended with a 40-point win for the Orange — nor did it last very long. In a matter of a few minutes, Syracuse’s one-point lead turned into a double-digit deficit to Clemson. The Orange quickly went from the team pressing to being pressed upon, turning the Tigers over to Hyman rifling a long pass right into the stands.

Players began to tire, as they have been throughout the later portions of games since entering ACC play. Hyman was visibly fading, often lifting her head up and dropping her shoulders as she slowly jogged back in transition.

Finally stopping (some) zone shots early

Throughout the season, the Orange allowed an excessive amount of points in the paint. But they especially did so in February. Forty-plus performances inside the paint from opponents became commonplace against Syracuse. Clemson still penetrated down low early on, but SU locked down enough to keep the game close. Trailing by five points seven minutes into the first quarter, Amari Robinson collected a pass inside the paint right in front of the basket. Robinson tried to spin around Hyman, but, while past opponents would have finished the play off, Hyman stood tall and forced the ball to rattle off the rim for a miss.

With 90 seconds left in the first half, Kionna Gaines tried to drive inside, but she was blocked by Alaysia Styles. On the next possession, Washington tried to drive inside, hoping for a better result. Instead, Alaina Rice forced a missed shot and drew a foul underneath the basket on the ensuing scramble for the rebound. Clemson still had 20 points in the paint after the first half, continuing a trend of Syracuse’s opponents scoring the majority of their points inside, and finished the night with over 50 points in the paint.

Cold from deep

Syracuse’s inconsistent 3-point shooting, especially against better ACC opponents, has been prevalent throughout conference play. Even when there were good looks, the Orange heard the clank of the rim many more times than the swoosh of the basket. They finished the first half making just 1-of-10 3-pointers, and Hyman, Chrislyn, Najé Murray and Christianna Carr combined to go 0-for-8 through two quarters.

Even Hyman, Syracuse’s most consistent player and an All-ACC honorable mention, struggled from beyond the arc. On the Orange’s first possession, she slid to her right, pulled up with the hand of a Clemson defender in her face and missed from deep. When Murray grabbed a cross-court pass later on in the first quarter, she was wide-open but still put a little too much behind her shot and watched as it bounced off the far side of the rim. In the third quarter, Christianna faked a 3, opening up Murray on her left. But once again, Murray pulled up with no defender near her and missed the shot, promptly putting her hands on her hips as she stared toward the basket.

Pick and roll

While it didn’t prove successful every time, Syracuse clearly had a goal of operating its offense through Styles down low. When 3s weren’t working, the Orange opted for a pick-and-roll beginning with Hyman or Chrislyn at the top of the paint. Styles wouldn’t even settle in underneath the basket. She would instead sit near the top of the key before moving over to set a pick. She would then quickly burst down the lane, typically on the left side, looking back up the court for a feed.

The Orange stopped using the pick and roll during the third quarter, one that saw Syracuse fall 13 points behind but also storm back to cut the Clemson lead to seven. Styles started to leak outside more as exhaustion for her  — and the rest of Syracuse — began to set in toward the middle minutes of the third quarter. After the loss to Boston College, Hyman and Chrislyn said they weren’t necessarily tired, just that their knees and ankles hurt. Styles has hit the floor hard while playing aggressively down low throughout the season.

Delicia Washington dominates

Clemson’s coaches call Washington “WIP,” standing for Work in Progress, though she led the team in points per game and assists last season. This year, she’s averaging 17.2 and 6.5 rebounds per game. In a historically deep ACC, Washington finished as the only player in the conference to score 40 points in a game. And against the Orange, she surpassed the 20-point mark before the third quarter ended.

Washington took advantage of every opportunity SU gave her. In the third quarter when she collected a long pass at the top of the key, Christianna had her back turned to the basket down low. Her position allowed Washington to drive with ease to the basket and finish with an uncontested layup. She pulled up from deep with ease once the Orange gave her enough space to shoot one time, but mostly operated inside the arc, dueling around Chrislyn and Hyman before beating out Styles underneath. Washington finished with 33 points in the first-round win over Syracuse.