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One game after suffering the worst loss of Felisha Legette-Jack’s three-season tenure, Syracuse nearly pulled off an upset victory versus No. 20 NC State.

SU took a 10-point lead into halftime but fell flat in the final 20 minutes. The red-hot Wolfpack, who traveled to Syracuse on a three-game winning streak, took advantage of the Orange’s slow second-half shooting and stormed back to snatch the lead in the fourth quarter.

As Syracuse fought to retake the lead, it turned the ball over multiple times and didn’t earn foul calls on the offensive end. Out of frustration, Legette-Jack received a technical foul with under a minute left.

“In the second half, I thought that we started thinking about them way too much and what they were going to do next, including me,” Legette-Jack said. “We lost the focus on us, and that cost us a little bit.”

Syracuse’s (7-12, 1-7 ACC) once-flowing offense slumped in the second half as it was outscored 42-24 in the final 20 minutes, leading to its 74-66 loss to No. 20 NC State (15-4, 7-1 ACC). SU’s top scorer, Georgia Woolley, who returned from her one-game absence, was held to no field goals in the second half. It marked the Orange’s third straight loss, dropping it to 1-7 in ACC play. The only team with a worse conference record is Wake Forest, which is 0-8.

After the game, senior Kyra Wood, who played increased minutes in the second half, was visibly drained. In the final minutes, the Wolfpack made the game more physical, and Syracuse couldn’t find a source of offense.

“We got to finish through contract,” Legette-Jack said. “We have to understand they’re coming at us, and we have to go through them….and we didn’t do that.”

Early on, SU found its flow by doing the little things. Midway through the first quarter, Woolley kickstarted its offense with a steal in the first two minutes and ran the break. Though she missed a layup, Sophie Burrows put it back for an easy deuce.

Then, the Orange cleaned the boards which led to more points. Burrows got a defensive rebound, which led to a triple by Dominique Camp. Burrows soon after hit a 3 of her own, carrying success from recent games with her.

“I think Sophie, starting like that, obviously opens up the floor for everyone else there,” Woolley said. “(They have) to guard her different, and then it looks different on the whole floor.”

The Orange made hustle plays, including Burrows’ block on Aziaha James. Izabel Varejão followed it with a block, too.

Syracuse carried its success into the second quarter, outscoring NC State 18-17. After they “didn’t come to play” against the Eagles, according to Legette-Jack, Varejão and Wood started to take control.

SU was playing with full confidence and it led 42-32 at halftime.

But, the tide turned in the third quarter. The Orange had trouble carrying their 47% shooting from the first half into the second. SU opened the frame by shooting 1-of-6, while NC State’s leading scorer, James, propelled it with a couple of made baskets and an assist.

NC State continued to bring the pressure, cutting its deficit to just three points with under three minutes left in the third behind an 8-0 run. The two ACC foes matched each other for eight points in the rest of the third, as SU led 57-54 entering the final frame.

But, just 19 seconds into the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack tied the game as Madison Hayes converted an and-one. With its once 11-point lead gone, SU struggled to find high-quality shots.

Woolley missed two running jumpers and the Orange couldn’t hit from 3. Though, Syracuse also slowed down NC State on defense. With under five minutes left, Burrows ended SU’s four-minute drought without a field goal with a mid-range jumper.

A minute later, Saniia Wilson made a key shot to lift Syracuse ahead 66-62 with 2:33 minutes left, but then SU ran out of steam.

Wood was called for stepping out of bounds and Woolley had the ball ripped away in the final minute. Syracuse could only foul in hopes of taking back the lead, and NC State made seven of their final 10 free throws to put the stamp on SU’s poor second half.

“We did some winning in spurts, we just got to put more minutes together,” Legette-Jack said.

Published on January 23, 2025 at 8:03 pm

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