Women's Basketball

Syracuse continues success from deep against Colgate, hits 9 3s in 79-57 win

Anya Wijeweera | Photo Editor

Najé Murray and Christianna Carr each hit three 3-pointers on Sunday.

Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Syracuse opened its matchup against Colgate trailing by as much as six points in the first quarter, still settling in offensively following three straight losses in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. But a jumper from Chrislyn Carr gave the Orange their first lead of the afternoon, and on their next possession, Chrislyn looked to score again.

Instead of attempting to drive inside, Chrislyn set up in the left corner, allowing Teisha Hyman to facilitate the offense. Hyman cut hard to the basket looking for a layup, but she heaved the ball to Chrislyn as Colgate’s defense collapsed on her.

With no defender in sight, Chrislyn took her time and shot with ease, finding the bottom of the net to give the Orange a 20-16 lead — one they wouldn’t relinquish.

“If you make the extra pass, it’s usually going to go in,” Syracuse guard Najé Murray said. “If you see the shots we have after every extra pass, they go in.”



After shooting 10-for-20 in its 88-79 loss against Buffalo, Syracuse continued its success from deep with nine 3-pointers in its 79-57 win over Colgate. Murray and Christianna Carr led the Orange from deep, hitting three 3s each, while Chrislyn had two from beyond the arc. SU finished the afternoon with a 39.1 3-point percentage on 23 attempts, improving on its 32.5% success rate from deep so far this season.

Murray was the first to strike for the Orange, something she has done all season for SU. Syracuse acting head coach Vonn Read said Murray’s job in its offense is to get open looks early, which she did successfully against the Raiders.

“(Murray) knows what she’s supposed to be doing,” Read said. “She’s really focused at the beginning of games and that’s why she’s ready to perform right away.”

Though she was wide-open from the left wing, Murray was unable to connect with her first attempt. But she was able to hit her next two attempts from the same spot — both connected off assists from Hyman where she was able to pull defenders off Murray.

After defeating Morgan State, Murray said she’s gotten to the point in her career where she’s meticulous about her shot selection, using her five years of college experience to her advantage. She said that she knows what a good, timely and right shot is in any scenario.

“I’m only taking the good shot,” Murray said.

In Syracuse’s first six games, Murray has averaged 4.5 shots from beyond the arc. She shot eight times against the Raiders, though she wasn’t able to find success later in the game as she did in the first half.

When her shots weren’t falling, Murray started to try and find open players for 3-pointers like Hyman did for her in the first and second quarters. Murray, Hyman and Chrislyn were able to find open players, specifically at the wing, by cutting hard inside and kicking the ball out when defenders collapsed on them.

In the third quarter, Murray saw Christianna wide-open at the right wing, hitting her to give the Orange a 55-29 lead. Chrislyn found Christianna twice more at the same spot in the period, sending Syracuse into the last quarter with a 64-37 lead.

“It starts with ball movement and taking better shots,” Hyman said. “When we get the ball moving, then our decision-making about when to shoot is increasing.”

Although the Orange were able to create shot opportunities through kickouts, they were also able to find success in transition after key defensive plays. Murray, Hyman and Chrislyn anchored the top of Syracuse’s full-court press, creating 13 steals.

membership_button_new-10

Murray said the zone’s domination had to do with the chemistry the trio had created in practice, using a certain “system” that directly translates into the game: Hyman anchors the middle part of the zone, while Murray and Chrislyn set up on either side. Hyman said that the success comes from the multitude of guards on Syracuse’s lineup, allowing it to have more than two players force turnovers in its zone.

After a steal, the player who wasn’t near the ball would either go directly to the basket for a transition layup or set up at the wing, ready for another attempt. When Alaina Rice made a steal in the fourth quarter, Murray sprinted to her spot at the right wing for her last 3-point attempt of the outing. She was able to connect, extending the Orange’s lead to 28.

“Any time they turn the ball over, you usually don’t want to play defense after,” Murray said. “That’s when we capitalize.”

In the final quarter, Syracuse started to put most of its backups in, allowing the starters to rest as the game was all but decided. Hyman still stayed in longer than Murray and Chrislyn, facilitating the Orange’s offense at the top of the key, knowing that the Raiders would expect another deep heave by SU.

Instead of passing out to the wing like she had done to Murray and Chrislyn on numerous occasions earlier in the game, Hyman faked the ball toward Julianna Walker, sending a Colgate defender out of her way. Hyman drove hard to the basket using the space she had just created, embracing contact to hit her shot and go to the line. She didn’t shoot from beyond the arc, but Hyman was still able to get a 3-point play.

“We’re … taking the right shots,” Chrislyn said.





Top Stories