HARTFORD, Conn. – Erica Morrow tried to change Syracuse’s fate Saturday night. But it turns out she was just delaying the inevitable.

South Florida was able withstand Morrow’s comeback efforts down the stretch, as the Bulls topped the Orange, 68-67 in overtime, a stunning upset that knocked six seed SU out of the Big East tournament in the first round.

The 8,307 fans on hand here at the XL Center saw the freshman Morrow try to bring her team back in a game it controlled for 33 minutes. But any dreams of a win and a Big East championship slipped away with a 15-2 run by 11th-seeded Bulls (16-14).

‘I thought Erica Morrow, for (SU was big), every time we made a run she made a big shot.’ USF head coach Jose Fernandez said. ‘…Tonight, I think three or four times we were down nine, 10, 12 and just kept battling, and kept battling. And we made some big plays down the stretch.’

After taking the lead with 17:54 remaining in the first half, Syracuse (22-8) would not trail again until the 1:43 left in the second half. During that time the Orange extended its lead five times to double figures, after the Bulls whittled its deficit to single digits.

USF took the lead on a bucked by Jessica Lawson late in the second half. Two minutes later, Morrow snapped a 15-2 USF run with a 3-pointer off the glass with only seconds remaining to force overtime.

In the final seven minutes before Morrow’s late 3, the Orange missed nine field goals, committed four fouls and had four turnovers. The only two points Syracuse could muster came from the charity stripe courtesy of Vionca Murray.

‘Coach kept telling us to be aggressive, you know go to the basket and just keep being aggressive,’ Morrow said. ‘Shots weren’t falling and we just couldn’t get anything so we tried to lock down on defense. And some of their shots were falling and ours weren’t.’

The Bulls found a way to score the same way the Orange had created its numerous double-digit leads. In the first half Syracuse dominated the inside, outscoring USF 18-0 in the paint and shot 9-for-9 from the line. South Florida on the other hand went 0-for-3.

During the comeback the Bulls traveled to the line five times, converting four. The entire game they only made six free throws out of 17, and the other came in the overtime period. The other six points scored by the Bulls came from close to the basket.

‘They were 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the first half and we were 0-for-3,’ Fernandez said. ‘Those were the two big stats we talked about at halftime.’

It took 13 minutes for the players to finally take action with their coach’s halftime speech, but late is better than never. South Florida continued with the theme in overtime as all five of its points came from either the line or in the paint

As for the Orange, no matter if the shots came from close range or from beyond the arc nothing was falling, despite getting open looks. The dominance on the glass was still there, but only four of its 16 second-chance points came in the second half.

‘I thought we got really good looks at the basket,’ SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. ‘I mean I thought we got any shot that we wanted to be quite honest with you. You got Chandrea (Jones) shooting shots in the lane and they’re not dropping. And getting offensive rebounds and they’re not dropping.’

At the end of the game South Florida looked to go inside for the win, but what kept the Bulls in the game was the 3-ball. USF shot 50 percent (10-for-20) from beyond the arc. After an adjustment on defense with 12:53 remaining in the game that Hillsman called a ‘junk’ defense combination of man and zone, South Florida only made one more three, which was banked off the backboard by Shantia Grace.

Morrow was able to respond with a glass shot of her own, to allow the Orange five more minutes try to regain its form it had in the first 33 minutes of the game. In the overtime period, Morrow was the only one to showcase her first-half form. She had all of SU’s four points.

At the end USF almost reverted to its first-half self by missing a free throw and opening the door for a last-second miracle. But all the Orange managed was a half-court heave by Chandrea Jones that hit the side of the rim, ending the Orange’s Big East tournament in crushing fashion.

‘I’m gonna be alright, but it hurt me to see (the players) hurt,’ Hillsman said. ‘They didn’t come out here and throw the game. They came out hear and played as hard as they could. We just didn’t get it done.’

mibonner@syr.edu

Published on March 11, 2008 at 12:00 pm