It didn’t take nearly as long for the Syracuse women’s basketball team to pick up its second loss of the season.

After a record-setting, program-defining 12-0 start to open the 2009-10 campaign, the Orange has now lost two of its last five games. The latest defeat came courtesy of a Jan. 16 road loss to South Florida, 73-64.

‘It was disappointing because we just focus on winning all the time,’ senior forward Nicole Michael said. ‘We didn’t focus on when we were going to lose our first game. We just wanted to win every game.’

Other coaches might scramble, seeking answers to solve what had caused a return to Earth after such a scorching start. But to Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman, it’s not hard to pinpoint the hitches.

Two games, two losses and one glaring problem – Michael’s foul trouble.

‘That’s a great connection,’ Hillsman said with a wry smile. ‘That’s the only connection. That’s what we’ve talked about.’

Michael’s presence on the floor will be key as SU (15-2, 2-2) looks to start a new winning streak Tuesday, continuing its road stretch and taking on Big East foe Providence (11-6, 2-2) at 7 p.m.

SU’s two losses couldn’t have been more different on the surface. Against Georgetown, the Orange was victimized by its own poor play, turning the ball over 33 times and going scoreless over the final 95 seconds of the game after building an early lead in overtime.

Still, the loss could’ve been shrugged off as a loss to a premier opponent. Georgetown currently sits third in the Big East standings with an unblemished 4-0 conference record.

The same can’t be said about USF. Struggling to gain footing in conference play and limping to an 0-3 start, the Bulls simply outplayed and outshot the Orange en route to victory.

One thing, though, remains constant in both games: The play – or lack there of – of SU’s star forward, Michael.

Against both Georgetown and USF, Michael played 27 minutes in each game, up from her season average of 24.5 minutes per game. But Hillsman is expecting Michael to play even more than that in conference play.

‘She’s not normally going to be on the bench for nine- or 10-minute stretches,’ Hillsman said. ‘But when she has foul trouble, she’s going to be on the bench for nine or 10 minutes.’

And, in both contests, Michael was missing in the most critical points of action.

Michael picked up her fourth foul in the opening minutes of the second half against Georgetown, leading to more than 10 minutes on the bench.

After she helped the Orange storm back and tied the game on three free throws at the end of regulation, she fouled out in overtime after SU had taken the lead. She watched helplessly as the Hoyas outscored the Orange, 6-2, without her.

‘It’s very hard to just watch from the bench,’ Michael said. ‘I just have to play smarter and play focused.’

Similarly, two weeks later at USF, Michael picked up her third and fourth fouls early in the second half, again sitting for more than 10 minutes. She looked on as the Bulls held a steady lead, unable to help her team crawl back.

‘We really need Slink (Michael) in there,’ freshman center Kayla Alexander said. ‘Slinky’s our scorer. If she’s on the bench, it’s not a good feeling at all.’

If the Orange is to get back over .500 in conference play, it will need its star forward on the floor. Syracuse will especially need her help on defense, where she will be an important part of the 2-3 zone charged with stopping one of the sharpest shooters in the Big East conference, Providence senior guard Chelsea Marandola. Marandola is averaging 18 points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from beyond the arc.

Hillsman thinks his team won’t be in too much trouble, though, if Michael is able to stay on the floor.

‘She’s on the bench for nine or 10 minutes in the Georgetown game and nine or 10 minutes in the South Florida game,’ Hillsman said. ‘And we lose both. When you lose those minutes of your best player, it’s tough to win.’

bplogiur@syr.edu

Published on January 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm