Spring Break
The Daily OrangeWBB | SU has no answers in loss to Seton Hall
By Didier Morais
Posted: 1/14/09, 3:45 AM EST Section: Sports
Standing at the podium, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman began to list several superstitious tactics he applied to his team to prevent them from relapsing into the same reoccurring trend.
Each game is the same story: From tip-off, the Orange plays a lackluster first half with little intensity, yet manages to pull off a radical run in the second half to outshine its opponent and claim victory.
But the bad habit finally caught up to Syracuse (13-4, Big East 2-2) Tuesday night, as the Orange snapped its eight-game home-game winning streak with a 70-66 loss to Seton Hall in front of 1,056 fans at the Carrier Dome. Hillsman, normally full of answers, was left relatively speechless during his post-game press conference.
"I don't know, I really don't," Hillsman said of his team digging itself into another early hole. "We tried everything. We've practiced the night before. We've not practiced the night before. We watch film the night before, we haven't. We got up in the morning for shootaround, we haven't. We changed our pre-game meal times. I mean, we've done everything. It's kind of hard to explain why we get off to these slow starts."
Hillsman wasn't the only clueless person. Junior forward Nicole Michael, who led all scorers with 22 points, couldn't explain the team's first-half woes any better than Hillsman could.
"I don't know either," Michael said. "I don't have a reason. The only thing I can think of is just starting off slow. Other than that, I obviously can't tell you why we start so slow and come back again. I guess that's just how we are."
The Pirates' early defensive pressure played a significant factor in the Orange's slow start. Seton Hall (13-3, 2-2) coach Phyllis Mangina shifted her normal defensive strategy and had her primary defensive unit focus on senior guard Chandrea Jones on the offensive end rather than the Orange's leading scorer, Erica Morrow.
It didn't take too long for the move to produce results. Seton Hall held Syracuse scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. As a result, Syracuse's starting lineup was immediately out of rhythm and forced up for three erratic air balls during its scoreless drought.
Each game is the same story: From tip-off, the Orange plays a lackluster first half with little intensity, yet manages to pull off a radical run in the second half to outshine its opponent and claim victory.
But the bad habit finally caught up to Syracuse (13-4, Big East 2-2) Tuesday night, as the Orange snapped its eight-game home-game winning streak with a 70-66 loss to Seton Hall in front of 1,056 fans at the Carrier Dome. Hillsman, normally full of answers, was left relatively speechless during his post-game press conference.
"I don't know, I really don't," Hillsman said of his team digging itself into another early hole. "We tried everything. We've practiced the night before. We've not practiced the night before. We watch film the night before, we haven't. We got up in the morning for shootaround, we haven't. We changed our pre-game meal times. I mean, we've done everything. It's kind of hard to explain why we get off to these slow starts."
Hillsman wasn't the only clueless person. Junior forward Nicole Michael, who led all scorers with 22 points, couldn't explain the team's first-half woes any better than Hillsman could.
"I don't know either," Michael said. "I don't have a reason. The only thing I can think of is just starting off slow. Other than that, I obviously can't tell you why we start so slow and come back again. I guess that's just how we are."
The Pirates' early defensive pressure played a significant factor in the Orange's slow start. Seton Hall (13-3, 2-2) coach Phyllis Mangina shifted her normal defensive strategy and had her primary defensive unit focus on senior guard Chandrea Jones on the offensive end rather than the Orange's leading scorer, Erica Morrow.
It didn't take too long for the move to produce results. Seton Hall held Syracuse scoreless for the first three minutes of the game. As a result, Syracuse's starting lineup was immediately out of rhythm and forced up for three erratic air balls during its scoreless drought.
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