Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWBB | Without Michael, Orange survives in overtime against Portland State
By Didier Morais
Posted: 11/23/08, 11:39 AM EST Section: Sports
Despite suffering a head injury last week against Ohio State, Nicole Michael still wanted to sneak into her uniform and play in the Syracuse's game against Portland State. But Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman thought against it.
Instead, Hillsman kept the Orange's starting forward on the bench and relied on the rest of his rotation to rally together in Michael's absence. So Hillsman played each player in his nine-person rotation double-digit minutes. The strategy produced successful results.
Led by Erica Morrow's 27 points, the Orange overcame a first-half 14 point deficit to defeat the Vikings, 82-77, in overtime, treating the crowd of 570 to a thrilling victory in its home-opener.
"It's hard to replace (Michael)," Hillsman said. "But I think we have proven tonight that even in tough games, that we can play eight, nine players that will figure minutes by committee and take up some of the slack that she leaves because she definitely leaves a very, big hole on our team."
But it didn't start off easy for the Orange. With freshman guard Tyler Ash making her first career start, Syracuse had difficulty adjusting to the void left by Michael's injury.
Off the bat, the Vikings dissected SU's zone defense, draining four open three-pointers in the opening minutes of the game. And the Orange's early troubles weren't simply limited to the defense. On the offensive end, SU committed sloppy turnovers, missed feasible lay-ups, and was out rebounded by its opponents.
With 14:30 left in the first half, Hillsman realized he had seen enough. He reshuffled the lineup, pulling all his starters, except Morrow and guard Tasha Harris. But the frustration continued with the new rotation.
"Quite frankly, I was embarrassed," said Hillsman. "So I really put a lot of pressure on them. It just was puzzling because I know how good of a team we can be."
The frustration showed. After being called for a shooting foul, freshman forward Troya Berry turned around and furiously barked at the referee. Right away, Berry's teammates restrained her.
Instead, Hillsman kept the Orange's starting forward on the bench and relied on the rest of his rotation to rally together in Michael's absence. So Hillsman played each player in his nine-person rotation double-digit minutes. The strategy produced successful results.
Led by Erica Morrow's 27 points, the Orange overcame a first-half 14 point deficit to defeat the Vikings, 82-77, in overtime, treating the crowd of 570 to a thrilling victory in its home-opener.
"It's hard to replace (Michael)," Hillsman said. "But I think we have proven tonight that even in tough games, that we can play eight, nine players that will figure minutes by committee and take up some of the slack that she leaves because she definitely leaves a very, big hole on our team."
But it didn't start off easy for the Orange. With freshman guard Tyler Ash making her first career start, Syracuse had difficulty adjusting to the void left by Michael's injury.
Off the bat, the Vikings dissected SU's zone defense, draining four open three-pointers in the opening minutes of the game. And the Orange's early troubles weren't simply limited to the defense. On the offensive end, SU committed sloppy turnovers, missed feasible lay-ups, and was out rebounded by its opponents.
With 14:30 left in the first half, Hillsman realized he had seen enough. He reshuffled the lineup, pulling all his starters, except Morrow and guard Tasha Harris. But the frustration continued with the new rotation.
"Quite frankly, I was embarrassed," said Hillsman. "So I really put a lot of pressure on them. It just was puzzling because I know how good of a team we can be."
The frustration showed. After being called for a shooting foul, freshman forward Troya Berry turned around and furiously barked at the referee. Right away, Berry's teammates restrained her.
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