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Najé Murray had a difficult time finding her footing at the beginning of Syracuse’s win over Clemson. She missed a wide-open 3-pointer to begin the game, clanked one of her two free throws later on in the quarter, then air balled another 3. It was an unconventional start for someone who is known for being a sharpshooter, and who said prior to the season that in this stage of her career, she is only taking “the smart shots.”

During a timeout in the first half, she put her head down and slowly returned to the team’s huddle. Her teammates asked why she’d dropped her head, and Murray couldn’t find an answer. So she lifted it back up, corrected her posture and headed back onto the court to help Syracuse blow out the Tigers by 40 points.

“It’s really, really cool to have teammates that keep telling you … you’re going to shoot this when I pass you the ball,” Murray said.

Murray’s performance coincided with the rest of the Orange in the 86-46 win over Clemson. She and the team started slow, ending the first quarter with Murray shooting just 1-for-9 from the field — 0-for-2 on her own — and with little success stringing together possessions to create a quality run that Murray said defines basketball games. But Murray reset and led SU (7-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) as it outscored Clemson (5-4) 46-19 in the second half.

Saturday was the second straight game that Murray led the Orange in points. As a member of a three-guard attack, also composed of Chrislyn Carr and Teisha Hyman, she stepped up once again after a tumultuous first quarter. Murray has consistently been a veteran presence on the court for a team working to gel into a functioning unit. Having someone like Murray on the outside in acting head coach Vonn Read’s five-out offensive scheme typically opens her up. 

Murray also helps secure long rebounds and is a valuable kick-out option to extend possessions. Since the Tigers, and other opponents, crash one more player to the boards than Syracuse, Murray is typically left wide-open when the ball leaves the paint. In the midst of Syracuse’s charge back to control the game, the Tigers left Murray open, and her uncontested 3 gave SU a 24-22 lead, one they wouldn’t relinquish.

“Najé’s not going to get down. She’s a competitor — she just kept fighting,” Read said. “I don’t worry about Najé … she’s going to continue to share everybody else’s success.”

Prior to the game, Read presented Murray with a basketball honoring her 1,000th collegiate point she scored against Central Connecticut State. He described coaching Murray as a “joy,” while her teammates said she’s one of the most energetic players they had ever shared a court with. Even in the Big 12, Christianna Carr saw what then-opponent Murray brought to both ends of the court. Now as teammates, once Murray starts yelling, stomping her feet and clapping her hands, it lifts everyone else. 

As the game progressed and Syracuse gained a firmer grasp on a conference win, Murray told the team during a timeout to not let up. “We’re going to beat them by as many points as we can until that buzzer stops,” Murray said. 

During the third quarter, Syracuse cycled the ball around its five-out offense in transition. It eventually made its way to Murray on the right wing, and she buried the shot for her 18th point of the evening. While she, and the rest of the Orange, started off cold, even air balling a 3-pointer, she exploded in the middle quarters, fueling SU’s overpowering run that lasted the entire game.

Alaysia Styles also credited Murray, along with Hyman, as the catalyst for her first double-double at Syracuse. “Najé will just dump the ball off, and I’m just right under the basket,” Styles said. 

But Murray didn’t care that she led the team in scoring, noting that she finds her fun on defense. Before the game, she called her dad and said that anyone in the country should know playing hard on defense allows the offense to naturally come. To her, if she plays her best defense, the rest of the team will follow suit, which is what she believes won SU the game on Saturday. That’s what she believes will carry Syracuse to more wins this season.

“I take so much pride in just getting a jump ball, getting a steal or getting a tip,” Murray said.

In the third quarter, Murray jumped an errant Clemson pass inside Syracuse’s end. She sprinted down the court but held up before driving to the basket to allow two of her teammates to duck into the wings. Murray said Clemson left her open throughout the night, and it did again when she took a few steps back to slow things down. That created a wide-open circle around her, prompting the bench to yell at her to shoot it. Her ensuing make capped off a 9-0 run that placed the Orange firmly in control of the game.

“She’s an energy player, and it’s really nice to have on the team because we need it,” Styles said. “We definitely need the spark.”

Published on December 11, 2021 at 10:05 pm

Contact Anthony: [email protected] | @anthonyalandt