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The last time Syracuse had 19 turnovers in a game was Jan. 5, 2022, in a 88-87 loss to Miami. The last time Oregon had 19 turnovers in a game was Feb. 24, 2022, in a 68-63 win over UCLA.

At the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Syracuse and Oregon combined for 38 turnovers in Sunday’s matchup. The Orange, despite a struggling start, dominated the final three quarters of the afternoon, leaving South Dakota with a convincing 83-63 win.

SU notched 23 points off turnovers in the game. Oregon had 18, but struggled from the field in the second half to stay within range of the Orange, who capitalized more on the Ducks’ mistakes.

“We didn’t do a great job of doing that today,” Adrian Autry said about taking care of the basketball. “But they overcame that with great defense and rebounding.”

The second half was slightly cleaner than the first statistically as 24 of the turnovers came in the opening frame. But in the second, there were multiple sequences where the ball was turned over within seconds of one another.

Judah Mintz, who had broken the Oregon press, attempted to penetrate into the lane but lost the ball as Jermaine Couisnard poked it loose. Four seconds later, Mintz got the ball back and scored down low.

In a different sequence in the second half, JJ Starling drove on the left baseline before trying to pass back into the middle of the paint. Kwame Evans Jr. intercepted it, but he traveled while trying to begin the offensive transition.

Oregon had multiple traveling violations throughout the contest. Evans Jr. had one early in the first half on a pump-fake before driving into the lane. Mahamadou Diawara also picked up a violation. Then, as the Ducks tried to transition, Jackson Shelstad received an outlet pass but Mintz abruptly pressured him, forcing Shelstad to take awkward steps that resulted in a travel.

Earlier in the game, Autry knew his team wasn’t locked in defensively. It’s what his message was during a timeout when his team was trailing 14-4. Syracuse started 1-of-10 from the field and couldn’t make shots or get stops while Oregon made a few 3-pointers.

On the offensive end during that stretch, Justin Taylor was called for an illegal screen and a pass to Chris Bell on the left wing was too high to snag. Syracuse gave free possessions away that allowed the Ducks to develop a lead early.

“It was no panic,” Autry said at that point in the game. “We turned the ball over too much and then defensively, we weren’t locked in when we came into that timeout. That’s what we talked about, getting locked in on defense, that’s where everything starts.”

From that point forward, Syracuse stormed back and controlled the rest of the game. It forced Oregon turnovers and the Ducks couldn’t buy a basket at times. In the first half, Syracuse had 13 fast-break points while Oregon had just two. Oregon’s lone fast-break points came off a Starling pass that was intercepted, resulting in a Kario Oquendo dunk.

Syracuse’s defense had become more aggressive. Evans Jr. wanted to find Shelstad on an outlet pass up the floor. Shelstad wasn’t prepared for it, which allowed Mintz to intercept it and drive into the lane for a foul call.

Then, Maliq Brown, who finished with four steals, poked the ball loose. Mintz dove for it among a few Duck players before launching a pass forward from the crowd into the path of Benny Williams, who finished with a one-handed slam. The bench, while having a strong impact offensively, played an integral role in the turnover battle, notching seven of the 11 steals.

“I thought our defense made a big jump today,” Autry said.

In a span of a minute late in the first half, the Ducks had three different turnovers, which allowed Syracuse to develop an eight-point halftime lead. In the second half, the lead only blossomed as SU took advantage of Oregon’s mistakes.

The Orange made just as many turnovers on the day, too, but Oregon struggled to make baskets, shooting just 36 percent from the field, compared to SU’s 56 percent.

On one play, Brennan Rigsby was trying to dribble up the court in transition. Mintz trailed from behind to get the ball back. On the counter, he dished it to Copeland, who found Williams down low for a reverse two-handed slam. It was part of the Orange’s surge to develop a 20-plus point lead that put the Ducks away in SU’s penultimate nonconference matchup of the season.

“We always talk about (with) defense is you got to communicate,” Autry said. “That’s the way you become a good defensive team by talking and communicating.”

Published on December 17, 2023 at 4:59 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini