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Syracuse muddled through its past two games before pulling away in the fourth quarter. The Orange outscored Pittsburgh and Notre Dame by a combined 50-16 in the final frame for two consecutive victories.

But Syracuse (9-4, 6-4 Atlantic Coast) struggled too early and often out of the gate against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, falling behind by 16 at the end of the first quarter. While the Orange did cut the deficit to three by the fourth quarter, SU couldn’t string together enough offense to ever take the lead.

Here are three takeaways from SU’s fourth loss in six tries on the road this season:

‘Road is the road’

It’s something head coach Quentin Hillsman said via Zoom on Jan. 29, following back-to-back losses at No. 1 Louisville and then Clemson.

“Game prep is different, video rooms are different,” Hillsman said. “But still you got to come and play with effort, play with energy. You still need to take care of games.”

The Orange again stumbled out of the gate away from the Carrier Dome, though. It started with a pick-and-roll from Tiana Mangakahia and Kamilla Cardoso and the double-team coverage once Cardoso cut to the basket. Mangakahia was still able to find her, but Cardoso had to pass it again before driving closer to the hoop. Priscilla Williams was left wide-open on the left wing, but Cardoso airmailed the pass, and the Yellow Jackets took over.

Georgia Tech proceeded to start the game on a 7-0 run, prompting Hillsman to call a timeout within two minutes. Over the succeeding eight minutes of the quarter, no more stoppages came to Syracuse’s aid as it struggled to find the right shooting range. SU turned the ball over five times in the first quarter.

While Syracuse was able to lower its 16-point first-quarter deficit to 13 points by halftime and to three in the fourth quarter, the Orange could not flip the switch entirely like they’d done in the Carrier Dome the previous two games. Whether it was an untimely turnover by Emily Engstler or Lorela Cubaj getting position on Cardoso for another layup, SU struggled to complete the comeback for its first road win since Dec. 20 against Boston College.

Not there yet

Hillsman isn’t wrong to hold high expectations for his team. Neither are Mangakahia and Engstler for repeatedly saying that Syracuse is one of the best teams in the country.

But this Syracuse team has yet to piece together a complete performance against an opponent of the caliber Syracuse wants to enter. It was first Louisville, the nation’s top team, and Syracuse hung in for the better part of three quarters before fatigue set in.

Against the Yellow Jackets, Syracuse’s Cardoso was humbled against Cubaj. In the freshman’s 13th career game, she had to face the conference’s best rebounder, and Cardoso’s inexperience was noticeable. Cubaj knew how to work the freshman and ensure she was always closer to the basketball.

When Cardoso was able to seal off Cubaj, another Georgia Tech player often found a way to ball quicker. Georgia Tech pulled down 10 more rebounds, eight belonging to Kierra Fletcher, who at times was the second-shortest on the floor besides Mangakahia.

The fifth-year point guard finished with a strong 15 points and nine assists, but again, five turnovers — three in the second half — hindered Syracuse from another comeback.

Free throws, free throws

Syracuse trailed 56-51. Digna Strautmane had just hit a 3-pointer from the corner, giving her 1,000 points on her career resume and cutting Georgia Tech’s lead. But Cubaj answered with a layup for the Yellow Jackets, as she so often did.

So, it was Syracuse’s turn to answer. Kiara Lewis drove left, guarded by Cubaj, and was able to go to the line for two shots. Lewis, the team’s second-leading scorer, rattled the first shot one in-and-out. The second also missed short, making Syracuse 0-for-4 for the game. On the other end of the floor, Cubaj scored again.

The following sequence was a Syracuse miss, then an Orange shooting foul. This time, it was Eylia Love at the foul line for the Yellow Jackets. She sank both, two of Tech’s 16 makes in 21 tries from the stripe.

Published on February 2, 2021 at 9:25 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu