Isis Young was out of position and got beat. It was early in the fourth quarter and Syracuse’s lead hovered around 10 points as Maryland Eastern Shore broke the Orange press. A UMES player lofted a pass across the court to find a shooter on the left wing. Young, sprinting toward the baseline, knocked the pass away before it could reach its mark. The effort allowed SU to reset.

After the Hawks inbounded, with the shot clock winding down, freshman center Amaya Finklea-Guity tipped a pass away. The ball rolled out of bounds and the buzzer sounded. The Orange had blanketed the Hawks into their third shot clock violation of the frame. The timely stop came in the middle of a 12-2 SU run that would put the game out of reach.

“I thought in the second half we did a pretty good job of guarding them,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “…We played tough and got this thing done.”

The Orange (2-0) conceded just 14 points in the second half of its 68-45 win over Maryland Eastern Shore (1-2) Thursday in the Carrier Dome. In a 12:27 block during the second half, the Hawks were limited to just one bucket before tacking on six points in garbage time. SU’s improved defensive effort limited the Hawks to shoot 25 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Four years ago, SU steamrolled UMES 113-42 and forced a season-best 31 turnovers. The first half of tonight’s game, however, gave the Hawks a glimmer of hope for an upset. The visitors ended the second quarter on a 16-5 run and went into the break only trailing by a 3-pointer.

“The first half they were attacking us early in the shot clock,” Hillsman said. “…We had to do a better job of getting in position. That’s totally on me.”

The Hawks attacked the Orange zone and isolated Finklea-Guity in the high post. SU’s frontcourt switched too late and the Hawks converted layups. The Orange changed tactics coming out of the break and had its guards press higher in the zone, giving Hawks ball handlers less space to operate. Seven of UMES’ 22 turnovers came in the third quarter.

Before settling in, Syracuse experimented in hope of finding the best lineup. Last season, SU had four seniors who were familiar with the zone. Thursday night, Hillsman utilized his bench in search of a stabilizer.

Most of the decisions were reactionary. In the third quarter, junior Raven Fox failed to box out her assignment, Hillsman spun on his heel, pointed at Digna Strautmane and growled, “Raven.” The freshman rose and jogged to the scorer’s table. In the first half, Gabrielle Cooper was too late to cover a shooter in the corner and Hillsman threw his hands up and beckoned for a replacement on the bench.

By the fourth quarter, SU’s adjustments had worked. The press cracked down and traps near half court were successful. UMES’ legs tired and the Hawks fell further behind. With 3:30 left, Tiana Mangakahia intercepted a pass intended to break the press, drove and extended SU’s lead to 23.

“I think our pressure on the ball helped,” Mangakahia said. “… I think we did better this game than last game. We didn’t get beat as much.”

Midway through the third, a Hawks player sprawled out, triggering a possession change. SU assistant coach Tammi Reiss crouched in front of the bench and yelled at the Orange to exert a similar energy. Later in the half, Finklea-Guity tipped a pass, collapsed on the ball and gave SU another possession. The Orange bench cheered and her teammates mobbed her.

The defensive effort came, just a little later than expected.

“Honestly, it wasn’t the prettiest game,” Hillsman said. “But I thought in the second half we played pretty well. I was really happy with our effort.”

Published on November 16, 2017 at 10:35 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez