Observations from SU’s win over UAlbany: Darius shines, turnovers galore
Syracuse forced 27 turnovers and tallied 17 steals, propelling it to a dominant 64-45 win over UAlbany Friday. Zoe Xixis | Staff Photographer
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
Syracuse’s 2025-26 season is, in part, about leaving the past in the past.
Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said at SU’s Media Day that she wasn’t the best coach for the Orange, who went 12-18 last season, nor did she have the best talent on her roster. So, SU’s offseason was a complete overhaul. It included eight fresh faces on the roster and two new coaches.
The Orange certainly looked like a different squad in Tuesday’s season opener against Stony Brook, putting away the Seawolves late for a 74-50 win. Syracuse dominated in the paint on both sides of the floor. It was a major indication of improvement from last season, where SU’s paint presence – or lack thereof – cost the Orange often.
Arguably the most defining moment of Syracuse’s 2024-25 season was a stunning home loss to UAlbany. If Legette-Jack’s Orange are truly a different team, Friday’s rematch with the Great Danes presented a chance to prove it. The Orange did, taking down UAlbany 64-45 behind a dominant defensive display.
Here are some observations from SU’s (2-0, 0-0 ACC) win over the Great Danes (1-1, 0-0 America East):
Darius sets the tone
Dominique Darius never got a chance to shine in her first four seasons of collegiate basketball.
Darius played 20 games once in her four years between UCLA and USC, never averaging over 20 minutes per game or more than six points per game. She was one of several unproven, yet promising pieces that Legette-Jack added in the transfer portal this offseason.
At Syracuse, she’s been given her chance, and she’s made the most of it so far. Darius dropped 12 points and eight rebounds against Stony Brook. On Friday, she turned in 13 first-half points to ignite the Syracuse offense.
Darius paced the Orange early. After SU missed its first four field goals, Darius scored six of Syracuse’s first eight points. Two free throws got the Orange going before she drove to the lane for another two buckets.
Darius nailed a 3 from the top of the key early in the second – SU’s only made 3-pointer of the half – before picking up four more points off of free throws and a driving layup. She entered the half with 13 points.
In limited minutes in the second half, Darius failed to score. But her ability to get to generate buckets as a bigger guard was on full display for Syracuse.
First-half lockdown
Syracuse’s defense dominated early against Stony Brook Tuesday, holding the Seawolves to just eight points in the first quarter. But the Orange defense Friday’s first half against the Great Danes was even more suffocating, holding them to the fewest points allowed in a half in the Legette-Jack era.
SU held UAlbany to just four points in the first quarter, as it shot 2-of-11 from the field and 0-of-6 from 3. The Orange tallied five steals and two blocks, converting six UAlbany giveaways into four points off turnovers.
The Great Danes and the Orange went a combined 1-for-8 in the first three minutes of the contest, but Syracuse trailed 2-0. From there, UAlbany went 1-of-8 from the field while the Orange went 7-of-13.
Phelia and Sophie Burrows snagged two steals each, one of which Phelia took the other way for an uncontested layup to cap a 8-0 Syracuse run.
Both teams cooled down in the second quarter. Syracuse scored just 11 points in the frame, but UAlbany didn’t eclipse double-digits until the three minute mark in the second. It entered halftime with just 10 points on 4-of-21 shooting from the field.
Turnovers galore
The main culprit in UAlbany’s early offensive struggles was Syracuse getting in its passing lanes early and often. The Orange forced a total of 27 turnovers, including 15 in the first half. UAlbany didn’t give away more than 21 in a single game last season.
SU nabbed 17 total steals, nine of which came in the first half. It resulted in 27 points off turnovers compared to UAlbany’s seven, setting the Orange up for an eventual 19-point victory.
The Orange tallied five steals in the first quarter. Burrows snagged one on the second possession of the game, then Phelia and Darius both pickpocketed UAlbany guards and took the ball coast-to-coast for uncontested layups.
Syracuse tallied six steals in the third quarter, its most in a single frame all season. Four minutes into the quarter, Burrows set herself up with a steal at midcourt before converting it on the other end. Darius did the same two minutes later to set up Journey Thompson for an and-1.
With the game all but decided in the fourth, SU snagged just one more steal and forced three turnovers. But the 14-turnover disparity set the Orange up for success in their comfortable win.
3-point struggles, paint reliance
In Syracuse’s season-opening win over Stony Brook, the Orange shot a pitiful 1-of-12 from distance, their worst single-game mark under Legette-Jack. The volume wasn’t the same on Friday, but the result was similar.
SU shot just 2-of-10 from distance, bringing its total through two games to 3-of-22. Burrows, who shot nearly 40% from 3 last season, went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, while seven different players attempted a 3.
Following the Stony Brook game, though, Legette-Jack said she wasn’t worried about her team’s inefficiencies from deep. She said, if teams leave the Orange open, the 3s will eventually start falling. In the meantime, SU will attack the paint. It continued to do that effectively on Friday.
The Orange tallied 36 of its 64 points in the paint, its second consecutive game generating over 50% percent of its scoring down low.
While Syracuse has easily overcome its 3-point issues early this season, its struggles beyond the arc aren’t an encouraging sign. However, SU’s domination down low certainly is.
