Cornelia Fondren pursed her lips, scrunched her eyebrows and threw her hands down to her side.

She started jogging back on defense after committing a charge and one possession after shooting an air ball.

Fondren scored 11 points in the first half of Syracuse’s last game, but only scored five and committed two turnovers after the break as Wake Forest took the lead for good.

“In the first half we kind of let Fondren go too much left,” WFU head coach Jen Hoover said after beating SU on March 5, “and so we talked about that a little bit at halftime, that we really had to force her to her right and take away that left side a little bit.”

While the Orange’s loss in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament likely affected its seed in the NCAA tournament, it showed Fondren’s transformation. Wake Forest created a plan to stop the junior, and when it did, the Demon Deacons stopped the entire SU team.

Fondren is Syracuse’s (21-9, 11-5 ACC) most versatile player and her emergence throughout the year has provided head coach Quentin Hillsman with lineup flexibility. With depleted guard depth due to torn ACLs for Brittney Sykes and Diamond Henderson, Fondren’s role may be more important than ever.

Eighth-seeded SU will face ninth-seeded Nebraska on Friday in the first round of the NCAA tournament and Hillsman said he expects Fondren to continue to be a player that SU counts on.

“She’s playing good for us,” Hillsman said. “Obviously playing all those minutes and playing multiple roles and positions, that’s been big for us. I think she’s really been effective in whatever role we’ve put her in.”

Last year, Fondren was a player that came off the bench and averaged three points and 12 minutes a game. This year, she is third on the team in minutes per game (28.7), second in assists per game (2.7), second in steals per game (2.1) and second in rebounds per game (5.5). In 18 of 30 games, Fondren has led SU in assists, steals or rebounds.

Fondren’s combination of quickness, athleticism and aggressiveness has allowed the 5-foot-8 junior to play at every position on the floor this season except for center. But despite being so reliable, Fondren said she doesn’t feel any added responsibility.

“I just have to do my job,” Fondren said. “Keep doing what Coach keeps asking of me.”

Against Wake Forest and for much of the season, Syracuse was at its best when forcing turnovers in the full-court press. Backcourt-mate Alexis Peterson leads the ACC with 2.4 steals per game and the duo sparks the Orange in transition.

As the two guards SU counts on the most, Hillsman looks for more of the same from Fondren and Peterson against Nebraska.

“There are a lot of things we need to do to take care of our own business,” Hillsman said. “I think it does start with Cornelia and Alexis up front (in the press).”

In 14 of the first 15 conference games Fondren failed to score double digits. Now though, in the past two games she’s scored 13 and 16 points, respectively.

With limited depth and only do-or-die games left, Fondren’s contributions are needed.

Said center Briana Day: “I think once she gets going, everyone will get going.”

Published on March 18, 2015 at 12:11 am

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