After Syracuse’s 85-80 loss to No. 7 Notre Dame, SU head coach Quentin Hillsman sat in the post-game press conference with a reassuring look on his face. His initial statement didn’t criticize his team, nor did it start with how well UND All-American Brianna Turner played.

“We just wanted to actually win the turnover margin, and we did,” Hillsman said. “That’s the big thing, you want to make sure you get enough possessions so then you can beat them.”

Hillsman strives for his team to be plus-20 in the turnover margin department every game. After a plus-four showing against the Fighting Irish on Sunday, No. 20 SU held onto its spot at No. 2 in the nation in turnover margin. The Orange (18-9, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) is second only to Lamar, and SU’s plus-8.33 mark is the highest in program history.

From the onset of the season, it has been apparent the kind of defense SU attacks opponents with. A stifling 2-3 zone, stretched far beyond the 3-point line, with a 6-foot-4 center at the bottom to clean up any action that penetrated from the top only helps the cause.

Hillsman compliments the zone with a full-court press that pressures opposing defenses into turning the ball over or making poor decisions with the ball. The Orange has forced 605 turnovers on the season and average 22.41 per game, also second-best in the nation.

“I think we more-so practice and preach about applying pressure and applying our defense,” fifth-year guard Brittney Sykes said. “Because our defense starts our offense, and we get that confidence.”

Sykes said when the Orange force early turnovers, it’s playing 12-second spurts of defense as opposed to 30-second spurts. It rushes the other team to make smart decisions with the ball before it can be taken out of their hands.

Forced turnovers and fewer offensive giveaways come as a result. Assistant coach Tammi Reiss said the Orange’s 14.1 turnovers per game, ranked No. 59 in the nation, is mostly thanks to senior point guard Alexis Peterson.

“If you were to break down the amount of time the ball was in (Peterson’s) hands compared to someone else,” Reiss said. “… The only time the other players have the ball in their hands is when they’re shooting.”

Peterson plays like a contemporary of Allen Iverson, Reiss said, and her pullback and go is crafty, just as the famed Philadelphia 76er was when he played in the NBA.

Reiss said Peterson’s ability possess the ball, while also distributing to open teammates while still finding space to average 23.4 points per game, is a primary reason SU keeps turnovers to a minimum.

“Obviously, we pressure and turn people over, and people notice that because it’s dynamic,” Reiss said. “But you don’t notice Peterson taking care of the ball every possession, because that’s just a given. You shouldn’t turn the ball over.”

Only three other ACC teams are in the top-50 nationally in turnover margin — Florida State, Duke and Louisville. A postseason run depends on the Orange’s ability to force turnovers and hold onto the ball.

“When you combine turning them over, taking care of the ball, and offensive rebounds, we put a great emphasis on all three things,” Reiss said. “Equality throughout those three things, do them really well and usually we come out with a (win).”

Published on February 21, 2017 at 10:04 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu