No. 17 Syracuse (3-1) trailed No. 1 Oregon (4-0) by only one point at halftime. But the Ducks pulled away in the third quarter behind a barrage of 3-pointers in the third quarter. Oregon outscored the Orange 31-16 in the third quarter, going 5-for-10 from deep, while the Orange’s press was ineffective, and often resulted in easy layups or open shots for Oregon in transition. 

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s 81-64 loss to Oregon. 

Ionescu takes over

Before Sunday’s game, Emily Engstler called Oregon senior Sabrina Ionescu a “special player,” and Kiara Lewis said she “can do everything.” The point guard entered Sunday’s game averaging a triple double and is one of the best players in the nation.

On Sunday, it took the reigning Wooden Award winner nearly 15 minutes to record her first points. She only had five points going into halftime. Still, Ionescu heated up in the second half, sparking an offensive clinic. Oregon used the all-time NCAA leader in triple doubles both on the wing and in the middle of SU’s 2-3 zone. When she was in the middle, Syracuse often denied her from getting an entry pass. 

When Syracuse switched to man-to-man late in the fourth quarter, Ionescu recognized that she had a mismatch. With Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi switched onto her on the perimeter, she drove into a midrange jumper. A catch-and-shoot 3 later in the fourth put the Ducks up 20. Two minutes later, she did the same, catching Digna Strautmane off-guard before pulling up for a contested long ball. 

In the end, Ionescu recorded a season-high five turnovers, but still flirted with a triple double. She finished with 19 points, nine of which came in the fourth. 

Glass cleaner

For Syracuse’s first three games, the Orange enjoyed a significant size advantage. Against Ohio, for instance, SU had the three tallest players on the court for almost the entire game. 

But against the Ducks, that flipped. Oregon has four players above 6-foot-4, while SU has none. Oregon punished the Orange on the offensive boards, hauling in 16, leading to 18 second chance points. Late in the third quarter, Satou Sabally rebounded her own free throw miss and kicked it out to Ionescu, who nailed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. 

Overall, Oregon out-rebounded SU 47-36, with Ruthy Hebard leading the way with 13. 

Letting it fly

Syracuse made this game a 3-point contest. At one point in the first half, Syracuse had attempted 20 3-pointers and just six shots from inside the arc. Overall, the Orange launched 35 treys, slightly above their average of 29.7 attempts per game. 

When Syracuse fell behind to start the second half, 3-pointers from Lewis and Strautmane brought them back, tying the game at 38. Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, who attempted two 3-pointers in the first three games of the year, jacked three in the first half alone. She finished 2-for-5 from behind the arc. Engstler also went 2-for-5, and Lewis finished 4-for-11. 

As for the Ducks, they were up to the challenge. Oregon went 11-for-30 from deep and forward Erin Boley nailed five on her own. 

Published on November 24, 2019 at 6:09 pm

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