It took nearly five years, but opponents are finally noticing Maggie Morrison.

“She’s doing her job. She’s making her name known,” Syracuse guard Brittney Sykes said. “People know on scout, OK, Maggie Morrison. She’s a shooter. You got to guard her.”

With a breakout 25-point game against then-No. 12 Duke on Jan. 3, Morrison put four and half years of irrelevancy behind her. She’s playing the best she ever has, leading SU in scoring off the bench and averaging more points per minute in conference games than anyone on the team.

For the first time in her career, she’s playing big minutes in big games, and will look to continue her hot streak when Syracuse (14-4, 4-1 Atlantic Coast) takes on No. 3 Notre Dame (17-1, 5-0) at 7 p.m. in South Bend, Indiana on Thursday.

“I’ve kind of established myself as another threat on this team,” Morrison said. “… It’s kind of like finally, you know? It took long enough, but I’m happy about it.”

As a child, Morrison dreamed of being an impact player at the college level. As her career unwound, the results weren’t materializing.

Morrison’s freshman season at Vanderbilt ended just 10 games after it began due to a knee injury. When she came back the following year, she saw limited action and totaled two points the whole season.

The next year was lost as Morrison sat out because of her transfer to Syracuse.

Sykes saw flashes of potential during Morrison’s redshirt junior year. She saw a player that could hit shots and make the hustle plays. All Morrison had to do was put the pieces together.

Her production was limited again, though, as she averaged less than three points a game. And the first 10 games of the 2015-16 season were spent the same way — in the background.

But then Morrison erupted with seven 3-pointers against Duke to lead her team in scoring for the first time in her career and jumpstart her own season.

“I wasn’t surprised because that’s what Maggie does,” Sykes said.

Since then, Morrison’s minutes have nearly doubled, her points have nearly tripled and she’s scored in double figures in each of the last two games.

Her four games scoring double-digit points in the last seven contests are more than she’s had in the rest of her career.

“Who would’ve known that I would come in and be playing all these minutes — granted my last four years?” Morrison said.

Head coach Quentin Hillsman has let her play more freely and shoot the ball more, he said. A player that used to be forgotten about is now being chased off the line.

Morrison stepping into a bigger role has taken the pressure off the Orange’s playmakers, Hillsman said. As teams key in on Morrison more, it leaves SU’s most notable shooters like Brianna Butler open more often.

“She’s a spacer,” Hillsman said. “Anytime you can get floor spacers that can get out there and make shots and shoot the ball your offense is going to flow a little better.”

Morrison has finally put the pieces together, Sykes said, and the results are in the stats. Though Morrison is playing the best basketball of her career, Sykes thinks she can still do more.

“Is she playing her best?” Sykes said, “ah, not yet … But she’s playing really well for us right now and that’s what we need.”

Published on January 20, 2016 at 11:06 pm

Contact Jon: [email protected] | @jmettus