As Maggie Morrison walked off the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center court after the team’s Wednesday practice, the guard caught a pass from a member of the Syracuse athletic department and stepped in to take a jump shot.

“Men’s ball,” she said, placing the ball on the ground, not wanting to throw off her newfound rhythm.

Although she’s largely fallen out of No. 25 Syracuse’s rotation, she recorded her first breakout performance of the season Sunday, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting against Virginia. She’s played 10 minutes or fewer in half of SU’s 16 games this season, but made a case for more playing time by scoring all of her points in a five-minute span, increasing Syracuse’s lead from seven to 18 points before halftime.

Now she’ll try to try to get back in the rotation for Syracuse on Thursday, when the Orange (11-5, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) hosts Wake Forest (9-8, 0-3) at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

“She got out there and made some shots when we needed them,” Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “She came off the bench and pretty much blew the game open for us.”

After sitting out last season because of NCAA transfer rules, it was expected that Morrison, who played at Vanderbilt from 2011–3, would be a key bench contributor this season. But with reserve guard Diamond Henderson averaging 12.6 points a game and starting guards Alexis Peterson and Cornelia Fondren playing well, Morrison fell out of Hillsman’s rotation.

Against No. 13 Duke on Jan. 8, Hillsman inserted freshman Danielle Minott into the lineup three times before Morrison entered for the first time midway through the second half, playing just under three and a half minutes.

“I think it’s been what’s best for the team,” Morrison said. “… I was struggling in the first part of the season, wasn’t knocking down my shot and wasn’t doing what I needed to do on my part. So if we’re winning, I’ll take it.”

Morrison called the performance against the Virginia a “big confidence booster,” and credited her teammates for continuing to pass her the ball, even when she’s struggled this season.

 

“We know what she’s capable of,” her father Pat Morrison said. “I think if given the opportunity and extended playing time, that’s what she’s capable of doing on a regular basis.”

After playing in a structured, systematic offense at Vanderbilt, Morrison said coming to Syracuse has freed her game. Hillsman puts more emphasis on each player’s talent and skill sets, she said, as opposed to Vanderbilt’s more structured offense.

It’s allowed the admittedly quiet Morrison to express herself vocally and to become a team leader despite her limited role on the court.

“Maggie’s the type of player, she doesn’t let her past performances affect her mood and how she interacts with the team,” Peterson said. “Maggie’s one of those glue pieces to the team that you really need and does a lot of the dirty work and doesn’t really get noticed.”

Published on January 15, 2015 at 12:07 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu