Syracuse capitalizes offensively on Binghamton turnovers in 92-59 win
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All Syracuse needed was a tip from Dariauna Lewis. The Orange’s closest player to a true center monitored Binghamton’s offense as she guarded Genevieve Coleman down low. Once the ball flew into Lewis’ direction, she got a hand on it, and it fell right to Nyah Wilson.
Wilson rushed down the left side of the court with her eyes set on sending a long pass to Dyaisha Fair. Wilson sent a high ball down to Fair, who used her speed to make a one-handed catch with the ball and send home an easy layup. The Orange had now expanded their lead to 14 points with just under eight minutes left in the second quarter. Wilson stated that this aspect of her game, which starts on the defensive end, was crucial.
“One of my roles is being a communicator and getting my team involved on the defensive end,” Wilson said.
Fair’s layup was the 10th turnover from Binghamton (2-1, 0-0 America East) in only 12 minutes of game time. The Bearcats finished the night with 23 of them, their highest mark so far this year. Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) capitalized on these mistakes, scoring 25 points off of turnovers in their eventual 92-59 win. Through star guard Teisha Hyman’s team-best three steals and increased pressure from Wilson, SU had success turning defense into offense.
“We did a good job of forcing a lot of turnovers that just translated to offensive opportunities,” Hyman said.
With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Bearcat Denai Bowman brought the ball up the floor, only for it to get stolen by Fair. On the way back down, Fair drew a foul. Three minutes later, Ella Wanzer lost control of the ball. As the Orange set up for their next play, Lewis scored on a layup to increase their lead to 10 points. In the first quarter alone, Binghamton recorded nine turnovers.
Binghamton’s Camryn Fauria had a pass go right through her hands with 1:10 left in the first quarter. On the ensuing possession, Fair spun and took a jumper, but her shot went over the hoop. However, Kyra Wood got the rebound, scored on the layup and drew the foul. This continued the Orange’s 15-0 run to end the opening frame.
In the second half, the Orange showed signs of playing a tighter full-court press defense. SU started pushing up more on inbound passes from Binghamton. This forced the Bearcats to start throwing the ball at SU players to save possessions. The tighter defense helped players like Wilson get involved.
Wilson said she knows her game starts on the defensive end. After a turnover, her first thought is always finding a way to distribute the ball. On her only steal of the game, Wilson got the ball to Fair for a 3-point attempt. But Fair would miss that shot.
While Wilson’s defense didn’t lead to a score, it helped herself get to the bucket and to the foul line in the fourth quarter. Wilson had just scored on a layup as she rushed back to Syracuse’s half to defend. She and Kennedi Perkins immediately pressured the Bearcats’ starting guard Shannon O’Connor at the wings.
As O’Connor attempted to enter the paint, Wilson and Perkins got hands on the ball, causing it to pop free. Perkins scooped up the loose ball and threw a pass down to Wilson, who scored on the layup, drew a foul and sank the extra shot from the charity stripe.
Wilson and Perkins consistently communicated on the play. While Wilson was happy with how she executed her role as a communicator, SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack expects more. Legette-Jack said Wilson needs to realize that talking creates scoring and extra possessions. The communication will be a lot better when more players like Wilson go out on the court and understand the team’s language, Legette-Jack said.
“I think she is one of the best defenders on our team,” Legette-Jack said. “Right now, her voice isn’t as much as it needs to be. She needs to talk on every possession.”
Still, the Orange’s defense played aggressive and talked to each on every possession into the fourth quarter even as they had a 31-point lead with two and a half minutes left. Fauria drove from the top of the key and sent a right-handed pass under the hoop to her teammate, Ella Okubasu.
But as SU formed into its 2-3 zone and chatted through each Binghamton pass, Wood got in front of Okubasu and poked the ball. Okubasu tried to reach for the ball, though, initiating a Syracuse possession as the ball bounced out of bounds.
Lexi McNabb carried the ball up the court and dumped a pass to Perkins, who nailed a jumper on a bank shot to make the score 88-55. Legette-Jack said the Orange’s defense will get even faster once Cheyenne McEvans and Georgia Woolley return, as they’re currently out with injuries. But to Legette-Jack, the team’s defensive philosophy will remain the same.
“I tell our kids this all the time that there’s a lot more coaches smarter than me,” Legette-Jack said. “But not all of them are going to let you play free.”