It’s counterintuitive, but one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s best shot blockers has chosen to stop blocking shots. Syracuse center Briana Day has forgone attempts to swat shots late in the NCAA tournament, in favor of setting her feet and trying to take a charge.

“Oooh, geeze,” Syracuse guard Cornelia Fondren blurted out. “How many post players do you think take charges like that? She steps up and sacrifices her body and that’s what we need.”

Tries at blocks equal fouls. And with the Orange having faced some of the most dominating frontcourts during its tournament run, Day couldn’t afford to be in foul trouble. She now takes charges as a way to minimize her own fouls while maximizing those of her opponents down low. The added wrinkle into her defense has kept her on the court longer at the cost of her third best total blocks mark this season among players in the ACC.

In the locker room after Syracuse’s win over Albany in the second round, the Orange had a list of keys to win the game hanging by the whiteboard. “Take charges on ALL drives” it said and no player has embodied that more than Day. It’ll be put to the test one last time when fourth-seeded Syracuse (30-7, 13-3 Atlantic Coast) tries to upset top-seeded Connecticut (37-0, 18-0 American Athletic) in the national championship game at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“It’s been very frequently the last couple games that she’s stepped up defensively against some of the best post players in the country in taking charges and staying in games and not fouling,” Syracuse assistant coach Tammi Reiss said. “It’s just a credit to her being able to defend on this big of a stage against the best.”

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MORE COVERAGE:

• Find out what SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said at his press conference on Monday
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On Sunday in the Final Four, it was Washington’s Chantel Osahor barreling through the lane at Day, resulting in Day getting pummeled into the floor just a few minutes into the first quarter.

She took three charges on the night and finished with no blocks. It’s just the second time this year that she’s played at least 20 minutes and had zero blocks.

“I commend her for that because I couldn’t do that,” Fondren said. “I’d be so scared to take the charge from girls like that. She’s done a great job of sacrificing her body … She can rest after the season.”

In the Sweet 16 win over No. 1 seed South Carolina, Reiss watched Day take a charge and smack her head on the floor. Then Day got up and took another one soon after.

She finished the game with four charges taken.

“That’s a gut check alright,” Reiss said. “… I thought she was going to have to come out and she just shook it off.”

The switch has caught teams off guard, with their bigs lowering their shoulders into Day only to be called for offensive fouls. Day has even taken charges from smaller guards like 5-foot-9 Alexus Atchley from Washington.

Day started getting in foul trouble because Syracuse’s perimeter defenders were allowing penetration into the center of the zone, leaving Day out to dry, head coach Quentin Hillsman said. She’d try to block every shot, and be called for fouls, so he instructed her to sacrifice her body any time an opponent breaks the foul line.

“I’m not really trying to foul out lately so taking charges is just so much better,” Day said. “… It hurts a little bit, but it’s so fun because it’s such a big play, a big momentum play.”

Day admits that she wants to get that signature block on a national stage. She misses her free reign to send shots away. But if it comes down to it, with the national championship game on the line, she has no choice but to take the charge, she said.

That thought process has already helped Syracuse get this far this season.

“She’s going to need a tremendous ice bath on Wednesday,” Hillsman said, “because she’s been taking a lot of them.”

Published on April 4, 2016 at 2:38 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus