Basketball

Cold shooting sinks Syracuse as NC State storms back in comeback win

Cold shooting sinks Syracuse as NC State storms back in comeback win

Despite a stellar defensive effort and a promising start, Syracuse’s cold second-half shooting allowed NC State to escape with a comeback victory at the JMA Wireless Dome.

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Ike Wood
Dominique Camp yelled to her teammates to start the play in the first quarter on December 8th at the JMA Wireless Dome.

What was a terrific defensive effort from the Orange couldn’t compensate for the many cold shooting streaks throughout the second half, and they fell short 74-66 against No. 20-ranked NC State.

The Orange welcomed the Wolfpack at JMA Wireless dome this evening coming off a devastating 41-point loss this past Sunday versus Boston College. After losing two in a row, this was SU’s chance to turn the direction of their season around as conference play ramps up. 

After Sophia Burrows’ strong nine-point and six rebounds in the first quarter performance, Syracuse looked confident in pulling off the upset. 

“Sophie stepped up. We ran our sets and our game plan and that opened up for Sophie,” Georgia Woodly said about Burrows’s influence on their hot start to the game.

SU’s zone defense caused the Wolfpack problems in the half-court offense, leading to many one-shot possessions and fast-break opportunities for the Orange. This was Syracuse’s best shooting quarter of the game, as it went 55% from the field.

The momentum quickly shifted as the Pack went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter, cutting the lead down to just four. The Orange started the half 2-3 from the field and then went on a cold streak, scoring one of their last nine. Kyra Woods certainly had an answer for that streak, scoring in back-to-back possessions in the post after giving SU breathing room.

Wolfpack went cold just before the half, scoring just one basket in the last four minutes. A rare three-point field goal by Izabel Varejão, her second three of the season, helped Syracuse secure a double-digit lead into halftime.  

The Pack’s full-court press intensity coming out of halftime lit a spark in the team on both ends. NC State went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to three. During this run, the Orange went scoreless for three minutes allowing the Wolfpack to climb back into the game. 

NC State played its best quarter yet, shooting 9-18 and 3 for 3 from three. Syracuse shot only 29% and 1-6 from beyond the arc in the third. The struggles of SU shooting didn’t stop there; instead, they continued into the fourth.

SU Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack believed she could win this game, and her enthusiasm on the sidelines showed it. She stayed in the referee’s ear all quarter. Each side’s defensive efforts picked up, as both teams combined for only eight field goals in the fourth quarter.

After seven minutes of play, an amazing in-and-out crossover by NC State Zoe Brooks gave her team their first lead since 3-2, with only three minutes left.

After back-and-forth lead changes in the final few minutes, it came down to one possession for Syracuse coming out of a review timeout and four seconds on the shot clock. Down three, a missed jumper by Wood bounces into the hands of Dominique Camp who shoots a step-back three-pointer and falls short leading to an NC state rebound by Saniya Rivers. She would go 1-2 free throws to give State a 70-66 lead with 27.6 left to play.

Another missed opportunity at the basket leading to a foul left Coach Jack furious and assessed an administrative technical foul down four. The wolfpack would knock down 3-4 from the line and another free throw after being falled again, completing the comeback. 

“The second half, we started thinking about them too much and what they do next. We lost the focus on us, which cost us a little bit,” Legette-Jack said postgame in the press conference.

Syracuse shot 8-34 in the second half, a whopping 24% from the field.