Observations from Syracuse’s 1st ranked win: Georgia Woolley catches fire

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Two games prior, against then No.13-ranked Virginia Tech, Syracuse trailed the Hokies 52-50 going into the final period. Then, VT went on a 16-0 run to start the fourth quarter, dashing SU’s dreams of obtaining its first ranked win of the season.

A similar breakdown in the last 10 minutes happened against now-No.9 ranked Duke in late January and again when the Orange faced off with then-No.7 ranked Notre Dame. Syracuse even came within just two points of beating then-No.6 NC State but were unable to close out down the stretch.

Carrying over the same momentum it showed in its most recent win over BC, Syracuse overcame a sluggish start in the opening four minutes to take a slim 16-14 lead after the first quarter. Then, the Orange overcame an inspired North Carolina run in the latter stages of the second quarter to trail by just two heading into halftime.

Opening the second half, SU outscored UNC 31-14 in the third quarter and never looked back. With 1:41 left in the game, Teisha Hyman completely lost Paulina Paris on a sweet stepback 3-pointer to make the score 75-63 in Syracuse’s favor and ice the game.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (16-9, 7-7 Atlantic Coast) 75-67 win over No. 14 North Carolina (17-7, 8-5 ACC) — its first ranked win this season:

Woolley catches fire

Fair reaped the headlines in Syracuse’s win over Boston College as she reached 2,500 career points but Woolley was an unsung hero. She totaled 20 points on the evening, going a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line.

Against North Carolina, it took Woolley time to get going but early in the second half the forward shone, hitting two huge 3-pointers in a matter of minutes with both coming in similar fashion.

The first one came from the right wing. Open, and receiving the ball in transition from Fair, Woolley pump-faked, sending her immediate defender flying by. Although she was off-balance, Woolley still let a shot fly from deep, swishing the jumper.

A few possessions later, Woolley came off of a pin down screen on a specially designed play. Catching the ball at the top of the key, she pump-faked again and ducked under the outstretched arm of Kennedy Todd-Williams. Stepping to her right, Woolley attempted another 3.

On the defensive end, Woolley also came up big with a team-high four steals heading into the fourth. Guarding UNC’s Kayla McPherson man-to-man in the front-court, Woolley shifted suddenly to the left, moving her feet quicker than McPherson could cross the ball over, anticipating the redshirt-freshman’s move. McPherson crashed into Woolley, drawing a momentum-shifting charge with 2:52 left in the third.

Lewis continues to impress

Last Sunday, Lewis dominated down low against Boston College, dropping in 15 points to go along with nine rebounds — just one board shy of a double-double. Her 7-12 shooting performance against the Eagles was her highest point total since early December when she produced 16 in SU’s narrow win over Yale in early December. Tonight, Lewis held a team-high 10 points with eight rebounds for the Orange heading into halftime.

Going up with her right in transition, Deja Kelly lept toward the basket before Lewis tracked her down, smothering her attempt. Then, on the offensive end, Lewis hit two free throws in the waning seconds of the first half to help Syracuse draw within two going into the break.

Early in the third quarter, Lewis caught the ball just inside the free-throw line. Destiny Adams stood in front of her but had her arms by her sides — more worried about a potential Syracuse entry pass. Realizing she was uncontested, Lewis canned a jumper before trotting back on defense.

Several minutes later, the Orange built up a commanding 13-point lead. Positioned on the low block, Lewis drove toward the left baseline. Sensing a defender right behind her, Lewis craftily opted to shoot a reverse layup, converting with her right hand.

Deja Vu

Against Syracuse last year, Kelly recorded 12 points and five rebounds in a dominant 79-43 win over the Orange. This time around, she had 19 in the first half.

On North Carolina’s very first possession of the game, Alaina Rice fouled Kelly on a 3-pointer from the right corner. Kelly hit two-of-three free throws. Then, she airballed a shot from range, drawing jeers from an enthused Syracuse crowd. Kelly didn’t miss much after that.

Craftily weaving her way around the Syracuse defense, Kelly seemed to get whatever she wanted to go. After a brief Orange run that saw SU lead by six with just 5:50 remaining in the first half, Kelly hit two consecutive threes to tie affairs up at 22.

When she wasn’t hitting from outside the arc, Kelly favored the left and right elbows. Receiving a screen from her bigs, Kelly found success losing her immediate defender, usually Woolley or Fair, before rising over a Syracuse big that was too scared to commit.

In the second half, however, Kelly slowed down a little bit — a mixture of a shot that now seemed unwilling to fall and a swarming SU defense. After hitting a couple of mid-range jumpers to bring her total to a game-high 32 points, Kelly hit an important 3-pointer off of an inbounds play to temporarily halt a Syracuse-controlled second half with the score at 71-59 in SU’s favor.

Then, with just 2:31 remaining in the game, Kelly cashed in a pull-up jumper to help the Tar Heels draw within 10. Fouled on the play, she was unable to convert the three-point play.