Syracuse Defense Sparks Fourth Quarter Comeback

Syracuse erased a seven point fourth quarter deficit thanks to a strong defensive effort.

Mike McAllister | Jan 31, 2021

Syracuse Defense Sparks Fourth Quarter Comeback /

Entering the fourth quarter, Notre Dame was shooting 53.8% from the floor and shredding Syracuse's press zone defense. They got good looks around the basket, found open shooters and were forcing Orange defenders out of position. The Irish started the final frame with a seven point lead.

Then everything changed.

The Syracuse defense tightened up and played one of its best quarters of the entire season as they held the Irish to just four points on 2-14 shooting including 0-4 from beyond the arc. The Orange outrebounded the Irish 19-8 in the quarter as well.

Central to Syracuse's strong defensive quarter was the dominance of freshman center Kamilla Cardoso. Cardoso blocked five shots in the fourth, including four during a critical stretch that saw Syracuse turn a two point deficit into a seven point lead.

Notre Dame turned it over four times in the fourth as Syracuse's pressure took its toll on the Irish. In addition to Cardoso's dominance in the middle, on ball pressure from Tiana Mangakahia and Kiara Lewis seemed to rattle the Notre Dame guards.

The strong defense allowed the Syracuse offense to get into rhythm, as the Orange scored 23 points in the fourth quarter to turn the seven point deficit into a 12 point lead.

Turning it on in the fourth quarter on both ends is an important trait to have. Good teams are able to flip a switch when it matters the most, and Syracuse certainly has done that in the last two games. They ended the win over Pittsburgh on a 20-2 run, and ended the in over Notre Dame on a 17-2 streak.

Key in both runs was a stingy defense that forces turnovers, controls the paint and puts pressure on opposing guards. For Syracuse to reach its full potential, it will need more of that going forward.

Published Jan 31, 2021

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.