Duke's Defense Smothers Syracuse
Another comeback was not in the cards for Syracuse Women’s Basketball tonight, as they fell to Duke 58-45 in the Dome.
The Duke defense succeeded in completely shutting the Orange offense down, holding them to just 25% scoring from field goal range. 45 points scored is a season low for Syracuse. They finished game with a season-low 14 field goals and went just 3 of 16 from the three-point line.
Syracuse’s weakest point was rebounding, where Duke outrebounded them 52 to 25. Duke freshman Jadyn Donovan played a big role in that, nabbing a career-high 15 rebounds tonight. Syracuse missed out on crucial second-chance plays to get back within single digits. The 20-point deficit that Syracuse faced was the largest in the Dome this year.
Hopes for yet another double-digit comeback arose during the third quarter when Syracuse went on a 9-0 run. Those hopes were quickly dashed as Duke made shot after shot, finding a response for every big play Syracuse made.
One bright spot for the Orange was Dyaisha Fair, who still led all scorers with 22 on the night. She’s now 5 points away from passing Britney Griner for the 5th place spot on the all-time career scoring list.
Coach Legette-Jack expressed her embarrassment about the lack of rebounding, but firmly maintained her faith in and love for the squad.
“I’m a coach who sees people, great people who had a hiccup today on the basketball court,” she said. “When I finish watching the film, first thing I want to think about is how I can help these young ladies and let them know how much I care about them.”
When asked about how the team would bounce back for their Senior Day matchup against Pitt this Sunday, Coach Jack had just two words.
“Watch us.”
