No. 20 Syracuse dominated in 78-65 ACC quarterfinals loss to Florida State

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — Ta’Niya Latson vigorously nodded as Florida State head coach Brooke Wyckoff recalled her team’s 79-73 loss to Syracuse on Jan. 18. The Orange stormed back from being down 18 in the third quarter to defeat the then-No. 15 ranked Seminoles. Latson finished with six turnovers and had just five fourth-quarter points in the loss.

So, after handily defeating Wake Forest in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, Latson was asked about the rematch with Syracuse.

“We’ve got to get our get-back. We’re going to win tomorrow,” she said with a sly grin.

Latson’s words were put to the test Friday. She called her shot and gave SU a chance to make her eat her words.

Despite early foul trouble, Latson came alive in the second half — where she scored 20 of her game-high 25 points — as Florida State (23-9, 12-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) dismantled No. 20 Syracuse (23-7, 13-5 ACC) 78-65 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley tried their best to answer Latson’s offense, but a combined 11-for-29 effort from the field prevented the Orange from keeping up. Throughout the game, Syracuse never led as it was eliminated from the ACC Tournament.

“We’ve got to figure out how to play on this stage,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “They made us play poorly and we helped by not coming ready unfortunately in the first three quarters.”

Legette-Jack expressed disappointment in the slow start, which has developed into a worrying trend for SU in 2024. Although the Orange have often come back from large deficits like they did against the Seminoles in January, Friday wasn’t the case. From the get-go, Syracuse fell behind after O’Mariah Gordon opened up the scoring on FSU’s first possession. After a misplaced pass from SU’s Kyra Wood, Latson raced up the other end and finished with her first 2 of the night.

Florida State’s guard play boosted it to a 14-4 start just over halfway into the first quarter. Yet, after a rough start, SU settled in as Fair drilled a triple to conclude a 12-2 Syracuse run to cut its deficit to two.

After FSU’s lead got back to six, Fair drained her second 3-pointer of the game, but Gordon answered with a floater at the buzzer to put the Seminoles up 23-18.

Then, Syracuse was given a chance 41 seconds into the second quarter. Latson picked up her third foul after knocking Fair down on a drive, soon thereafter spending the rest of the half on the bench.

Despite FSU’s leading scorer off the court, the Orange failed to capitalize. Led by a career-high from Gordon (24 points) and a tremendous effort on the offensive glass from Makayla Timpson (five offensive rebounds), Syracuse was outscored 14-7 over the final 8:42, trailing 39-27 at halftime.

“We didn’t take advantage of it while (Latson) was on the bench,” Legette-Jack said.

The barrage continued in the second half, this time with Latson on the floor. After just five points in the first half, she quickly doubled her total. The point guard split a double team at the top of the key before hitting a mid-range jumper before canning a triple on the ensuing possession. Fair tried keeping the Orange respectable with a couple of drives to the bucket, but Latson scored on the other as FSU’s lead ballooned to 21.

“She’s a special player,” Legette-Jack said of Latson. “She came back out there and really showed why she’s first-team all-conference, and kudos to her.”

A comeback didn’t look likely for Syracuse, but that’s been the case all season. The Orange completed come-from-behind victories against Clemson, Louisville and Pittsburgh this season, keeping some doubt from creeping in.

But Florida State had learned from its first matchup with the Orange, Wyckoff said. She emphasized that her team relaxed and got comfortable. To add insult to injury, Wyckoff detailed how FSU had plane troubles, forcing the Seminoles to stay in the Syracuse airport until about 1 a.m.

So when Florida State got another chance at redemption, there wasn’t a doubt in Wyckoff’s mind what the result was going to be.

“This opportunity to come back around, there was no way that this team was not going to give it their all for four quarters,” Wyckoff said.

Latson continued to compile Syracuse’s misery with 13 points in the third quarter. She controlled the pace and the Orange couldn’t keep up. Fair couldn’t will her team back into the game like she’s done at times this season. She was run off the 3-point line with a season-low five attempts from behind the arc.

Throughout the middle portion of the game, Fair was quick to point out that the way Syracuse played “wasn’t who they were.” She had just six points in the second and third quarters. Throughout those quarters the Orange were outscored 44-27, creating a 22-point deficit heading into the fourth.

“We (need to) start by telling each other the truth and getting back to who we are, and that’s playing Syracuse basketball,” Fair said.

During Syracuse’s comebacks this season, there’s been a clear blueprint. Get the ball to Fair and attack the offensive glass. But Friday, the Orange had little success doing either.

Fair attempted her least number of shots since her 14 attempts against Miami on Feb. 15. SU had its least offensive rebounds since Feb. 18 against Virginia. The Orange didn’t hit enough shots on the offensive end, nor could they string together consistent stops.

Any possibility of a comeback was put to bed on the first two possessions of the fourth. Leading by 22, Latson converted a mid-range jumper before setting up the offense the next time down the floor. Timpson controlled the ball in the high post before handing it off to Latson. With a full head of steam, she absorbed contact from Saniaa Wilson before banking in a layup high off the glass plus a foul.

After the whistle, Latson stood with her chest puffed out, as if to admire her circus shot as the Seminoles led 71-45 — its largest lead of the game.

Although Syracuse fought down the stretch, scoring the last 11 points to make the game look somewhat competitive, the final score didn’t tell the whole story. Florida State had long taken its foot off the gas.SU was outplayed in every facet of the game.

“We just pissed down our leg, and we can’t have that happen anymore,” Legette-Jack said. “We don’t have no more time because now the next game we don’t have success in, we go home.”