Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said Wednesday that he was worried about Asia Durr, Louisville’s star guard. She had just scored 24 points in a historic upset of Connecticut, and a year earlier she posted 27 on SU in the Carrier Dome. The first task of any upset bid against No. 2 Louisville was simple: Limit Durr.

SU did overall, holding the elite shooter to 15 points on 13 shots. But No. 15 Syracuse (17-5, 6-3 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t prevent the rest of the Cardinals’ (22-1, 9-1) from scoring with ease and lost 76-51, in the KFC Yum! Center. Seven different U of L players made multiple field goals, and the team totaled 10 3s. For weeks, Hillsman has cited lesser margins in key stats, like possessions, leading to close results. On Thursday, Louisville managed four more shots and eight more rebounds and still led by 30 at one point.

A Syracuse offense that produces 78.1 points per game barely registered 50. The Orange shot 32.3 percent, scored nine points in one quarter and left the questions asked last week — can SU protect the paint, develop Kadiatou Sissoko and snap out of its shooting slump — unanswered. Syracuse has now dropped three of the last five, dating back to an upset loss at Georgia Tech on Jan. 20.

“I think it was them being really good,” Hillsman said of Louisville. “I really do. They did a good job of coming out ready to play, and they made shots early.”

Durr opened the game with five-straight points. Amaya Finklea-Guity opened the Orange offense with a layup. Then Durr scored five more. Louisville opened with an 18-4 lead through a two-minute SU scoring drought. The Cardinals utilized half court passes to pick apart the 2-3 zone, in-and-out, resulting in open 3s or two U of L forwards managing a 2-on-1 on a lone SU big.

With Syracuse’s offense missing 3-pointers, Tiana Mangakahia drove inside and clanked a shot off the rim. She finished with five points on 1-of-11 shooting. Gabrielle Cooper, who played 35 minutes, went 1-for-8 from the field, both guards finished with their worst shooting percentages of the season, 9.1 and 12.5, respectively.

Kiara Lewis led SU with 13 points and notched two first-quarter 3s to prevent a massive Cardinal run. U of L answered repeatedly, however, as Dana Evans used four 3s to quell any Orange momentum, and instead spark most of those in attendance.

“It’s tough,” Hillsman said postgame. “It’s uphill in there … it’s tough.”

There were some Syracuse highlights, like Emily Engstler’s second block of the contest in the second quarter. But they were met with more 3s or one of the Cardinals’ 18 offensive rebounds. In a sequence in the second frame following an Engstler swat, U of L grabbed two offensive boards and finished with an uncontested layup.

In the second half, the margin hovered in the 10s, as Durr started to drive the paint and pick apart the zone from inside the painted arch. She flicked passes to Sam Fuehring, who finished with eight points, seven boards and four assists.

By late in the third quarter, Hillsman was de-jacketed and Louisville pushed the deficit to 21.

Later in the period, Evans swished another 3, and the U of L bench player swayed side-to-side. On the ensuing possession, Digna Strautmane fell to the ground and turned the ball over.

A week after squeaking by with a victory against Virginia at home, Syracuse was on the wrong end of a blowout. SU has a potential respite as it hosts Boston College (14-9, 3-7) on Feb. 10 before welcoming No. 9 North Carolina State on Feb. 13.

“We gotta get home,” Hillsman said, “and turn this thing around and start winning some games.”

Published on February 7, 2019 at 9:41 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez