Just watching the first few minutes of Syracuse’s exhibition game against Bishop’s University provided enough evidence that the Orange is still a work in progress.

In SU’s 70-53 victory over the Gaiters on Saturday, it took a good part of the first half before the Orange showed it was capable of providing a definite rhythm.

In the first three minutes, Syracuse turned the ball over three times and had trouble dictating the pace of the game. After Vaida Sipaviciute’s layup in the opening 30 seconds, the Orange remained scoreless for the next four minutes.

‘We were all nervous at first,’ redshirt freshman Sara Antolick said. ‘That’s why it was pretty shaky. As soon as we got comfortable, we were OK with the game.’

After Antolick picked up her second foul with 15:48 remaining in the first half, SU head coach Keith Cieplicki substituted senior center Jill Norton and sophomore guard Mary Joe Riley for Antolick and junior guard Ashley McMillen. From that point, SU went on a 16-2 run to gain the upper hand, 18-7, midway through the first half.

Riley found Sipaviciute and Lina Lisnere down low on multiple occasions. Once Antolick re-entered the game, she joined the mix as well. Lisnere and Antolick finished with a co-team-high 13 points while Sipaviciute reached a double-double with 12 points and 12 boards.

‘I thought it opened the game a little bit,’ Cieplicki said. ‘We have to figure that out a little bit in terms of how we’re going to play just in combinations.’

Even after that point, SU didn’t establish a tempo quite yet. Bishop’s crept back. A minute and 20 seconds later, Anouk Boulanger’s unguarded trey from the right corner capped an 8-0 run to bring the Gaiters within three, 18-15, with 9:49 left. Boulanger, who shot 3-of-7 from behind the arc, made all her successful 3’s uncontested from the same location.

SU called timeout in hopes of fixing its defensive problems. After the game, Cieplicki expressed disappointment with his team’s defensive coverage throughout. But whatever problems SU showed defensively, the Orange broke away with dominant post play as well as exploiting Bishop’s poor ball handling.

The Big Three – as Cieplicki names them – of Sipaviciute, Lisnere and Antolick, used their quick footwork and size to dominate down low, as SU scored 40 points in the paint. Syracuse also converted the Gaiters’ 27 turnovers into 27 points.

‘I think all of us did a good job,’ Sipaviciute said. ‘Players who played up top did a good job of throwing the ball inside. I’m happy with the post’s job today.’

SU played without junior guard Tracy Harbut, who Cieplicki said suffered an ankle sprain. Cieplicki labels Harbut his best defensive player and having to figure out different ways to fill her absence proved challenging enough with a lineup he was tinkering with due to its young players.

‘It’s new faces,’ Cieplicki said. ‘We played against the same players three weeks in a row (in practice). We know what they do. We’re used to it. Then all of a sudden, they just got to get used to not knowing what people will do. So it’ll take a little bit of time.’

Published on November 5, 2005 at 12:00 pm