Previewing Syracuse women’s basketball’s home bout vs. Wagner
Syracuse will look to move to 4-0 Sunday with a win over Wagner, which has struggled to open the 2025-26 season after a 20-point loss to NJIT. Eli Schwartz | Staff Photographer
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Just three games into the season, Syracuse has shown no signs of slowing down. The Orange opened the year with a 74-50 demolition of Stony Brook before adding two more dominant wins over UAlbany and Canisius. After a 12-18 finish last season, SU’s new-look roster, featuring eight newcomers, has ushered in a different era for the program — so far, a progressive one.
Syracuse’s offense has registered 78 points per game, ranking in the top third of Division I, per HerHoopStats, while its defense held the Great Danes to 45 points, the second-fewest under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
The Orange are slowly but surely building a winning identity, and they’ll have another chance to solidify it against Wagner on Sunday. Unlike SU, the Seahawks are trending downward, most recently falling by 20 to NJIT on Tuesday.
Now, both squads will show off their contrasting conditions on the same court. Here’s everything to know about Wagner (1-2, 0-0 Northeast) before it takes on Syracuse (3-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) Sunday in the JMA Wireless Dome:
All-time series
Syracuse leads 3-0.
Last time they played
The Orange last faced Wagner on Dec. 11, 2022, just their 10th game of the Legette-Jack era. Syracuse was dominant from start to finish, downing the Seahawks 83-53 on 45.6% shooting and 52 points in the paint.
SU led the whole way after Alaina Rice scored on the opening possession. Dariauna Lewis and Saniaa Wilson paced the Orange with 13 points, while Dyaisha Fair added 10. Kem Nwabudu’s 14 points guided Wagner, but it never stood a chance against Syracuse, which finished 20-13 before losing to Columbia in the Super 16 of the WNIT.
The Seahawks report
Since head coach Terrell Coburn took over Wagner in 2021, wins have been scarce. Coburn holds a 46-71 record in charge, including just one winning season. The 2024-25 campaign might’ve been his poorest yet, finishing 8-21, the second-worst mark in the NEC.
Not much has changed in 2025-26. Wagner opened its season with a near 30-point loss to Rutgers, which finished 15th in the Big Ten last year. It had a tune-up against Division III New Paltz, handily defeating it 88-46. The Seahawks then returned to reality when faced with Division I competition, falling to NJIT.
Wagner is led by Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor and Keana Foz, both of whom have opened the season with 10-plus points per game. The Seahawks also have five more players averaging over five points a game, demonstrating their versatility.
After last year’s downfall, Wagner didn’t overhaul its squad. The Seahawks brought in just four newcomers — two from junior colleges, one freshman and a single transfer from Idaho State. Yet, they’ve proven invaluable, with three playing 15-plus minutes per game.
How Syracuse beats Wagner
In this early nonconference stretch for SU, the keys to winning remain the same: stick to your game and don’t play down to your competition. So far, Syracuse has done that, a pattern that should hold as long as Wagner doesn’t deliver a rare outlier.
However, if the Seahawks challenge, SU must find its rhythm from the perimeter. The Orange have started their season right where they left off last year. In 2024-25, they averaged 5.5 made 3s per game — tied for worst in the ACC — but now they’re down to just 2.0, also ranking last. Wagner provides Syracuse with its first real test down low, ranking 82nd in the nation in rebounds and 68th in 2-point attempts per game, potentially limiting Uche Izoje and Journey Thompson in the paint.
SU has shot just 19.4% from beyond the arc, totaling just six makes, bottom 20 in D-I. If Sophie Burrows doesn’t heat up from deep, and the Seahawks’ shots start to fall, Syracuse could be on upset watch.
Stat to know: 36
Wagner has attacked the glass like few other teams, ranking top-100 in total offensive and defensive rebounds. With the aggression down low, fouls follow. The Seahawks have taken 36 trips to the free-throw line this season, the nation’s 39th-best mark, per HerHoopStats.
Wagner clearly doesn’t have many reliable offensive pieces, as 27.6% of its points come from free throws. Meanwhile, some of Syracuse’s bigs have struggled to stay out of foul trouble, mostly Izoje and Thompson, who lead the team with 10 and eight fouls, respectively.
Legette-Jack let Izoje continue playing Tuesday against Canisius, even though she had four fouls early in the fourth quarter. She finished with a career-high 17 points in 23 minutes. But facing the Seahawks, who have a past of putting bigs on the bench, Izoje and the rest of SU’s frontcourt could be limited.
Player to watch: Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor, center, No. 30
Doyinsola Modesayor has been one of the few bright spots for the Seahawks this season, nearly averaging a double-double per game. She leads the team in both points and boards, with 11.7 and 8.0, respectively. The 6-foot-3 center has also been a defensive anchor, recording a team-high two steals per game so far.
After averaging just 5.8 points and 16.3 minutes last season, Doyinsola Modesayor has taken a noticeable leap, punctuated by her 15-point, 12-rebound double-double Tuesday. She’ll likely open the game guarding Izoje, and if she can attack her inside, force turnovers and convert on the other end, Sunday’s matchup could end up much closer than expected.
