Syracuse Can't Overcome Poor First Half, Falls at Florida State

Syracuse shot out to a 9-2 lead at Florida State, but was outscored 30-9 for the rest of the first half. Syracuse could never mount a series threat after that, as it fell 67-52 on the road. The loss drops Syracuse to 11-5 (8-5) on the season, and wastes a golden opportunity to move into a tie for third place in the ACC with Georgia Tech who lost at Louisville earlier in the night.

Syracuse was just 7-28 from the floor in the first half including 1-11 from three that led to the 14 point halftime deficit. The poor shooting first halves and double digit deficits are becoming a bit of a theme for the Orange.

Syracuse started the previous game at Pitt 1-18 from the floor and was down by as many as 15 in the first half. The Orange trailed Georgia Tech by 16 after the first quarter. Syracuse was down by 12 after the first quarter against Notre Dame. Clemson led Syracuse by 19 after the first quarter and 25 at the half.

The good news is they have battled back from some of those deficits. They beat Pitt, cut the Georgia Tech lead down in the second half, beat Notre Dame and forced overtime against Clemson. But that cannot keep happening as frequently as it does. Against a Florida State team that Syracuse is better than on paper, they could not get closer than seven.

The Seminoles entered the game 12th in the ACC in rebounding margin. Syracuse has a significant size edge. Yet Florida State dominated the boards 39-33. They outscored Syracuse in the paint 30-22. Bianca Jackson torched Syracuse with a game high 18 points and five assists.

After Syracuse shot out to a 9-2 lead early in the first quarter, Florida State went on a 24-5 run over a 14 minute stretch to take complete control of the game. FSU pushed the lead to as many as 18 in the third quarter, but Syracuse was able to trim it to nine entering the fourth.

The lead got down to seven once and eight on a few occasions, but Syracuse could never chip it further. When a Kamilla Cardoso layup cut it down to eight with 3:13 left, Florida State responded with a 7-0 run to put it away.

Syracuse shot just 30.4% for the game including 17.4% from beyond the arc, while Florida State shot 43.9% and 58.3%, respectively. Cardoso led Syracuse with 14 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Tiana Mangakahia and Kiara Lewis combined for 25 points, but were just 6-21 shooting. Syracuse also turned it over 18 times.

The Orange is next in action on Sunday when third ranked Louisville comes to the Dome. That game will tip at 1:00 p.m. and broadcast on ESPN2.

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