Fantasia Goodwin and the rest of the Syracuse women’s basketball team have had plenty of time to contemplate what went wrong in their last outing, a 78-71 loss to Big East doormat Georgetown.

Too much time for Goodwin’s liking. After six days of stewing over the loss, the senior was almost giddy about finally getting a chance to play another game.

‘I can’t even describe it,’ Goodwin said, pausing at times while she tried to convey her anticipation. ‘It’s one of those feelings that you’ll be like, you just have to show it.’

She and the rest of the Orange will get their chance Sunday, when No. 23 Syracuse takes on Marquette. It will have been eight days since the Orange’s last game and more than two weeks since its last home game.

Because of the hiatus and the surprising loss to the Hoyas, even experienced seniors like Goodwin and center Vaida Sipaviciute had a hard time putting sentences together. The veterans of the team were noticeably antsy to get back on the court.

‘We had this week off, I mean, it’s crazy,’ Sipavicuite said. ‘It’s like what happened? We had this whole week off and practicing, but it’s been tough.’

The words of the players only told half the story. Even when they spoke without any pauses or stumbling, their actions showed their feelings. Any time a question was asked about Marquette or the Georgetown loss, Sipavicuite and Goodwin would sway back and fourth and nod their head thinking how to perfectly execute the statement without revealing too much emotion resulting in bulletin board material.

‘You can’t show up and expect to win,’ Goodwin said. ‘We’re going to come out and throw the first punch and hopefully – I don’t want to say anything I’m not supposed to say – but hopefully we’ll win.’

The Orange has lost before this season, and has also dealt with having a week off. But combining the two didn’t mix well with the team or Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman.

After the loss Hillsman, who wasn’t available for comment yesterday, didn’t allow his team to forget its slip-up with a week of some of the toughest practices this season. The practices entailed more running, an elevated intensity and a lot more catering to aches and pains.

‘Practice was definitely, definitely, (tougher),’ Goodwin said. ‘(I) had to go in the cold whirlpool everyday. That’s how hard our practices have been. He’s been tough on us. He knows what we’re capable of doing and when we don’t bring it I can see how it frustrates him.’

It’s only been a week since the loss. Yet combine early morning practices with lingering disappointment, and a week has never felt so long.

‘It feels like it’s been a month! We’re just happy,’ Sipavicuite said of waiting to get back on the court. ‘We have a great program this year, so everything is just so exciting.’

Even though it may seem like a month, or six months like Goodwin said, falling to Georgetown is still fresh on the minds of a lot of the players. It may have been a bump in the road but the team did learn some things about how to be ready for opponents no matter who they are.

‘We realized that we just can’t show up and play,’ Goodwin said. ‘You’ve got to bring it all the time. Even if we’re playing against second graders we’ve got to bring it all the time.’

Goodwin, even though her team is still ranked, thinks the loss against Georgetown put a chip on the team’s collective shoulder. Marquette already played Georgetown this year and won. She and her teammates are more than eager to return to the Carrier Dome and prove to themselves, the fans, and the Big East that the loss last week was a fluke.

‘I’m excited, we’ve been playing on the road and (had) some tough games,’ Goodwin said. ‘I just want to get home and kick someone’s butt.’

mibonner@syr.edu

Published on February 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm