Quentin Hillsman had been waiting all season to see what his team was capable of.

Only one segment of the offense was working. Hillsman catered his entire game plan to maximize Kayla Alexander and Iasia Hemingway’s abilities in the frontcourt, and both have scored consistently all season. But without Syracuse’s guards clicking on all cylinders, the Orange would never reach its full potential.

Finally, on the road against then-No. 21 DePaul on Feb. 21, SU’s guards turned in their best performance of the season. The Orange’s four guards combined to score 63 of the team’s 81 points as SU stunned the Blue Demons by 16 points.

‘They have to make shots for us to get the ball inside, and I think that now they’re making shots,’ Hillsman said Feb. 23. ‘Sometimes we spread ourselves in the post, but because when they’re scoring it’s not becoming a big issue.’

Syracuse (17-13, 6-10 Big East) has reached new heights behind a more balanced offensive attack in recent games. After relying solely on the frontcourt tandem of Alexander and Hemingway earlier in the season to carry the offense, the performances from SU’s guards through the regular season’s final stretch run has helped the Orange blow out inferior Big East opponents and hang with elite ones.

With even production across the board on offense, SU has taken big leaps forward in playing competitive basketball.

The offense’s resurgence began after an unsettling performance against Louisville on Feb. 11. After an 89-62 blowout, the Orange needed to do everything necessary to stay afloat in the Big East picture. Syracuse did that against Marquette in its next game a week later with one of its most complete efforts of the season.

SU guards Carmen Tyson-Thomas and Elashier Hall finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively, as the Orange went on to rout the Golden Eagles 79-63.

Throughout the season, the SU backcourt felt the pressure to complement Alexander and Hemingway’s dynamic inside game. But Hall said when their shots began to fall in recent games, the guards’ confidence swelled and the team has seen the results.

‘People are obviously getting hip to our high-low game and scouting Iasia really well and Kayla, so we knew that the guards had to step up at some point,’ Hall said Feb. 23. ‘Our shots weren’t falling earlier in the season and now they are, and that’s really built our confidence to keep shooting them and attacking the basket.’

The Syracuse guard play is a big reason why the Orange is sticking with the tougher opponents that haunted SU earlier in the season. Against then-No. 15 Georgetown on Saturday, SU point guard Rachel Coffey made the Hoyas pay for their inability to close out on the shooters around the perimeter.

When the Hoyas pulled in front 38-37 with less than 14 minutes remaining in the second half, Coffey came up with a huge 3 from the top of the key to help SU regain the lead. Though SU ultimately fell 65-62, Coffey’s 15 points were the highlight for the Orange.

But it was still a far cry from when the Hoyas demolished Syracuse 69-42 on Jan. 15, a game that saw SU’s guards combine for 11 points.

Coffey said opponents primarily focus on Syracuse’s post players, which opened up space for the guards to operate all season, and now they’re finally taking advantage.

‘It helps, but we need to hit shots for it to be a factor because they do worry about the high post with Kayla, so they didn’t really play our shooting too far out,’ Coffey said Feb. 23. ‘It helps because it gives us the opportunity to hit shots.’

The recent success of the backcourt has enabled Hillsman to seek out the right combinations in the lineup to create efficient rotations.

And with the guards finally complementing the frontcourt, the Orange is playing the best it has played all season heading into postseason play.

‘They’re playing well and they’re playing free, they’re playing loose and they’re just playing good basketball,’ Hillsman said. ‘Obviously, for them to be doing what they’re doing at this point of the season lets you know that they’re jelling, their camaraderie is good and they’re playing well together.’

adtredin@syr.edu

 

Published on February 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm