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SU looked to turn the page after the first game of its West Coast road trip resulted in a 21-point loss to Stanford.

The Cardinal barraged the Orange with 10 triples and took advantage of Syracuse’s one-dimensional offense. With Sophie Burrows shooting just 3-of-11 and finishing with six points, Georgia Woolley was forced to lead the offense, but her team-high 18 points wasn’t enough.

Against California, who entered the contest just 10 votes shy of the AP Top 25, SU got out to a hot start. Its duo of Woolley and Burrows combined for 18 first-half points. However, the Orange’s frontcourt struggled, and they couldn’t keep up with the Golden Bears late in the contest.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (10-15, 4-10 Atlantic Coast) 75-69 loss to California (21-6, 9-5 Atlantic Coast):

Early paint struggles

About four minutes into the contest, SU trailed 7-2. It missed its first six shots, including multiple misses from close range.

The Orange tried to pour the ball into the low post, but one of the first times it did, Izabel Varejão didn’t like the look. She kicked it out and it was intercepted by Kayla Williams. SU went back inside soon after, and Varejão and Kyra Wood continued to falter.

Each of SU’s frontcourt starters used their shoulders to create shots around the basket but missed the mark. After a shot by Varejão, Wood snared the offensive rebound, but it tipped off her body and out of bounds to turn the ball over to the Golden Bears.

Midway through the quarter, SU changed its lineup by inserting freshman Keira Scott. Cal attacked Scott on defense as Marta Suárez scored on her, but then Woolley fed Scott for two points inside.

Syracuse ramped up its paint defense and quieted Cal to a near-three-minute scoring drought midway through the quarter. Dominique Camp got a block from behind on the low post. Soon after, Scott continued to help the SU offense by finding Wood for a deuce. Syracuse battled back on an 8-2 run to climb back to take a 10-9 lead.

Burrows, Woolley start fast

One game ago, Syracuse could only count on Woolley. The senior guard had a team-high 18 points while SU went on to lose 79-58 to Stanford. Her backcourt counterpart, Burrows, tallied just six points, her fewest in four games.

After shooting 3-of-11 against the Cardinal, Burrows got out to fast start. Burrows tallied seven points in the first quarter. She opened her scoring with a mid-range jumper at the 6:40 mark of the first quarter and tacked on a layup soon after.

With under two minutes in the first quarter, Burrows knocked down SU’s first 3.

In the second quarter, Woolley got going after seeing a shot go down from beyond the arc. She missed the first 3 she took, but found herself open on the left wing and cashed it.

Midway through the second quarter, Woolley converted a layup and then worked her way to the free-throw line. With about two minutes left in the quarter, Shy Hawkins missed from short range and Woolley hustled to the offensive rebound before getting fouled on a layup. Woolley 4-of-4 on free throws on the way to scoring 11 first-half points, propelling SU to a 35-34 halftime lead.

SU’s bench boost

When SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack turned to her bench, it delivered.

Syracuse trailed early due to its inability to score on the post, but with Scott in, it started finding success. Scott’s two points and assist in the first half helped the Orange cut their deficit in the first quarter.

As the Orange traded baskets with Cal in the second quarter, Olivia Schmitt became the next bench player to step up. With a defender in her face, Schmitt nailed a 3, her second since SU’s win over Dartmouth.

Moments before halftime, Hawkins made her mark with a layup just before the buzzer. The basket lifted SU to a 35-34 halftime lead, Syracuse’s first time ahead after 20 minutes since its win over Virginia Tech.

The Golden Bears went on a 7-0 run to take a five-point lead in the third quarter, but Hawkins responded. She ended the run with a pass to Kyra Wood inside.

Saniaa Wilson and Hawkins each worked their way to the free-throw line late in the quarter, combining to go 7-of-8. After three quarters, Syracuse had 14 points off the bench compared to Cal’s seven points, but it still trailed 54-53.

Late push falls short

Early in the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 56, Woolley and Cal leading scorer Ioanna Krimili got tangled in a jump ball. During the fight for possession, Woolley was called for an intentional foul, which sent the Golden Bears to the free throw line.

Cal knocked down 1-of-2 shots from the charity stripe but then went on a 5-0 run to take a 61-56 lead. Though, SU responded with layups by Woolley and Wood, who had been struggling from the field, to tie the game again.

But just as soon as the game was knotted, the Golden Bears pulled away again. Lulu Twidale hit a three and Schmitt committed a crucial turnover by coughing up a hand-off right into Krimili’s hands, and she took it the distance.

SU trailed by three with under 30 seconds left and then was forced to foul to get possession back. However, the Orange fouled four straight times to force Suárez to the free-throw line. SU had multiple chances to climb back in the final seconds, but Burrows and Woolley each missed strong looks, leading to the loss.

Published on February 16, 2025 at 8:29 pm

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