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Trailing by 27 points at halftime, it was hard for things to get worse for Syracuse.

The Orange shot just 23% in the first half, committed nine turnovers and were without leading scorer Georgia Woolley, who they learned would miss the game during warmups.

But Syracuse started the third quarter with six straight turnovers and fell behind by 37. SU guards Dominique Camp and Olivia Schmitt coughed the ball up a combined four times in the first 2:30 minutes of the third quarter, aiding a 10-0 Eagles run.

“It’s just that when (Woolley) is the focal point of our system and not playing at the last second like that, that kind of stifled us a little bit,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.

Syracuse (7-11, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t overcome Woolley’s absence, falling 92-51 to Boston College (12-8, 3-4 Atlantic Coast) for its largest loss of Legette-Jack’s three-year tenure. The Orange trailed 32-9 after the first quarter and never came within 20 points of the Eagles afterward, leading to the lopsided loss.

Without Woolley, Legette-Jack turned to a youthful lineup featuring sophomores Sophie Burrows and Angelica Velez, while freshman Shy Hawkins made her first collegiate start. On the other side, BC’s starting five included all players with at least three years of experience.

From the jump, SU was overmatched. The Eagles infiltrated the paint with four straight layups for an 8-0 lead. Meanwhile, Hawkins missed SU’s first two shots, which was followed by a giveaway.

In past games, like Syracuse’s lone ACC win, it controlled the paint. Kyra Wood, who returned from an injury, scored a team-high 18 points en route to Syracuse’s 36-22 paint advantage.

Though, as SU looked to find offense, especially inside, both Wood and center Izabel Varejão didn’t contribute.

“Quite honestly, our bigs didn’t come to play,” Legette-Jack said. “I couldn’t count on one big to go out there and be masterful, strong and big.”

Wood and Varejão combined for just one point in the first 10 minutes despite entering the game as two of SU’s top four scorers.

With full control of the painted area, Boston College accelerated, stretching out to the 3-point line. And with Woolley, SU’s fourth-best 3-point shooter, out, the Orange couldn’t match the Eagles there, either.

Midway through the first quarter, BC junior T’yana Todd connected on a triple, which led to an avalanche of 3s. Two minutes later, Kaylah Ivey sank a 3, followed by two more by Todd before the first quarter’s end.

Burrows converted one of her three triples in the first quarter, but that would be SU’s lone 3 of the first half. Down by at least 20 for all of the second quarter, there were times Syracuse attempted low percentage looks from outside the paint. Madeline Potts and Schmitt tried to help the Orange convert from long range but finished 0-of-3 from deep in the quarter.

Woolley, who’s shot 33.3% from 3 this season, couldn’t help dig SU out of its hole this time. The Orange shot 1-of-8 as a team from beyond the arc in the first half, sending them to halftime staring at a 48-21 deficit.

Like with the starting lineup, Legette-Jack shook up her personnel to start the third quarter, but it didn’t reap any rewards. SU’s six quick turnovers brought its game tally to 15 as it faced a 60-25 deficit midway through the third.

The next player up without Woolley had to be Burrows, and she answered BC’s 10-0 run with a step-back jumper. Soon after, Syracuse embarked on an 11-2 run to close the third quarter, its strongest stint of the contest.

Lexi McNabb, who’s played sparingly this season, converted a jumper, and Varejão finished off a feed from Velez. Burrows and Potts each connected from 3-point range, and Syracuse entered the third quarter down 65-36.

However, SU’s run of success was silenced quickly. The Eagles went on a 14-4 run to start the fourth quarter, propelled by their experienced players.

Todd scored on two straight possessions before graduate Dontavia Waggoner converted three layups. Todd and Waggoner combined for 38 points.

Meanwhile, SU’s offense fell out of sync in the fourth as it was outscored 27-15. The Orange shot 1-of-8 from deep in the final 10 minutes, putting the last touches on their underwhelming 28.1% shooting game without their leading scorer.

“(Without Georgia) it doesn’t help our situation, where we don’t have as much talent as everybody else,” Legette-Jack said.

Published on January 19, 2025 at 4:05 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32