Iasia Hemingway entered last week on top of the world.

The Syracuse forward was the driving force behind a two-game winning streak, and after scoring a combined 48 points those contests, she was named the Big East Player of the Week.

But last week against two ranked opponents, Hemingway was shut down completely. She shot a combined 2-of-17 in lopsided losses to No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 19 Louisville. And the senior hit rock bottom against the Cardinals on Saturday, finishing with a season-low two points.

‘It really hurts. She only had two points, and she’s our leading scorer,’ head coach Quentin Hillsman said after SU’s 89-62 loss to Louisville, ‘so when your leading scorer only has two points, it’s tough to win.’

Hemingway will look to right the ship when Syracuse (15-11, 4-8 Big East) takes on Marquette (13-12, 4-8 Big East) at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Carrier Dome. Hemingway’s demoralizing performances caused SU to struggle on offense, and she will look to get back to form this weekend.

SU is 11-4 this season when both Hemingway and center Kayla Alexander both score in double figures. It’s a clear formula for Syracuse to have success.

But with Hillsman adamant on getting the ball inside to either of his bigs, Notre Dame and Louisville concentrated primarily on stopping SU’s frontcourt.

And it worked.

Hemingway was determined to attack the paint against Notre Dame, but the Fighting Irish clogged the area in front of the basket, and she struggled find any openings. Hemingway was 0-of-8 from the field in the opening half, and SU fell behind by 19.

She ended up shooting a paltry 2-of-13 from the field.

‘Honestly, I realized every time I went to the basket they had somebody coming,’ Hemingway said after SU’s loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 7. ‘So I just did what I can to make sure I can help my teammates.’

She did some damage from the free-throw line, going 11-of-12 from the stripe, but despite a better performance in the second half, the Orange fell 74-55.

Hemingway’s slump continued into SU’s game against Louisville last Saturday. She picked up two early fouls, and Hillsman took her out. Hemingway never got in a rhythm and missed all four of her shot attempts.

‘She got in a little bit of trouble in the first half,’ Hillsman said. ‘She had two fouls and I didn’t want her to get her third, and I thought that was the key in the game.’

The success of Hemingway and Alexander has been instrumental to the way Syracuse plays in games. The duo combines to score 31 of the team’s 69.2 points per game. And with Hemingway virtually nonexistent offensively against Louisville, the Orange faltered.

Alexander did her best to will Syracuse to victory, scoring 20 points, but SU’s offense was hampered by Hemingway’s inconsistent performance.

‘(Iasia’s) very good for Kayla because as we throw her the ball, she can make great assists from the high post and from the short corner areas and on the wings,’ Hillsman said.

But when Hemingway went missing in SU’s two performances last week, Syracuse fell apart. And it had an effect on the entire team.

SU guard Phylesha Bullard said that when all things are clicking in the frontcourt, that’s when the Orange finds success.

‘Iasia and Kayla, it’s really good playing with them,’ Bullard said. ‘They really encourage me. When I get the ball to the high post or even the post, it feels good that they can do something in the paint.’

Syracuse guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas said the way SU’s frontcourt performs gives the team a lot of confidence on offense as well.

And the Orange’s focus on feeding the frontcourt hasn’t waned despite two rough performances. If Hemingway can end her recent skid against Marquette, the Orange should be able to get back on track.

‘Those other great teams they do what they do, but if we do what we do better, then that in itself is going to get us a W,’ Tyson-Thomas said. ‘When we play like us, we’re a very good basketball team. I believe that.’

adtredin@syr.edu 

Published on February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm