Syracuse has not participated in many close games this season. In its last nine games, only one final score has been within 12 points, and that was an 84-80 win against DePaul last Tuesday.

But considering the way the team conducts itself in practice, Syracuse finds little trouble flicking the switch when it counts.

“We have a lot of those in practice,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said, speaking on the simulation of down-to-the wire games. “Our games in practice, when we scrimmage, it’s either a blowout or it’s tight.”

The experience of simulating tight games could prove critical as the Orange (15-2, 3-1 Big East) works its way through a pivotal stretch of the season. After falling to Connecticut 87-62 Saturday, Syracuse continues its three-game road trip Wednesday for a rare 11:30 a.m. tipoff at St. John’s (9-7, 3-1), where it hopes its practice habits pay off with a victory.

The Red Storm is coming off of a 74-50 loss at No. 2 Notre Dame Sunday after three consecutive conference wins to open its Big East campaign. SU is unranked in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, but is No. 22 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, matching its highest-ever ranking in that poll.

On Saturday, the Orange hung within single digits of the Huskies for most of the first half, and trailed by 12 at the break. No. 3 UConn pulled away midway through the second half.

Syracuse was hindered by the loss of senior center Kayla Alexander for most of the game, as Alexander drew two early fouls and played just 11 minutes. Alexander enters Wednesday’s game 16 points behind Nicole Michael (2007-10) for the most in program history.

While Syracuse came away with a loss, it played tough for the duration of the game.

Guard Rachel Coffey pointed to last year’s run in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament,when the Orange won a 74-73 overtime battle at Toledo in the quarterfinals before losing 74-71 at James Madison in the semis, an important educational experience for these types of games. In the Toledo game, Coffey forced overtime when she buried a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

“We’ve been in a lot of games, like in the Final Four in the NIT, we had to make a shot at the end with two seconds to go, or something like that, to get into overtime,” Coffey said. “So we’ve kind of all been in every situation.”

Wednesday’s matchup in Queens, N.Y., appears to be a more even matchup than Saturday’s. Although the teams have not played any common Big East opponents to date, SJU appeared to have found its stride prior to the Notre Dame letdown, with blowout wins against Seton Hall and Pittsburgh by a combined 55 points.

St. John’s is led by senior guard Shenneika Smith, who averages 15.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in the season to date.

“She always wants to make sure the team is winning,” St. John’s head coach Joe Tartamella told GoJohnnies.com. “We know what we are going to get from her each and every game.”

In a potentially even matchup, the Orange will need to draw on its tight-game experience against St. John’s. If the game comes down to the wire.

Against the Blue Demons, SU showed toughness down the stretch with patience and timely offensive rebounding, notably from veterans like Carmen Tyson-Thomas.

It’s games like the one against DePaul that reinforce Hillsman’s rationale behind how much he makes his team run during practices. Whether the scenario involves a close game or a blowout, the team is trained to play hard and maintain intensity in all situations, Hillsman said.

“It’s amazing. They’re always like ‘One more possession,’” Hillsman said. “I’m like, ‘You’re down 30, it’s not going to matter.’”

Also helping the Orange in tense late-game situations is the fact that the team maintains a strong veteran contingent, one that’s seen its share of matchups come down to the last few possessions.

Said guard Elashier Hall: “It’s what we live for.”

Published on January 23, 2013 at 12:22 am

Contact Kevin: kmprisei@syr.edu