Syracuse controls glass, tallies 26 offensive rebounds in win vs. Binghamton
Uche Izoje guided Syracuse's bigs with 14 rebounds Tuesday against Binghamton, fueling her third double-double of the season. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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As long as Felisha Legette-Jack is coaching the Syracuse women’s basketball team, a major part of her philosophy will revolve around the rebound. A former big herself, Legette-Jack coaches her teams to be dominant on the glass. For her, it’s a non-negotiable part of winning basketball.
“We don’t really care how you get the rebound, jump on their heads, step on their feet, but get the rebound,” Legette-Jack said at Atlantic Coast Conference Tipoff on Oct. 7.
But, in the 2024 season, her team didn’t do it well enough, she said. It played a central role in a poor 12-18 campaign, SU’s worst finish under the fourth-year head coach.
“Wherever I’ve been has been ‘Rebound University,’” Legette-Jack said on Oct. 7. “Last year, it was ‘anybody can get the rebound except Syracuse.’ We’re going to get after that.”
The Orange did so by acquiring three new bigs over the offseason in freshman Uche Izoje, Miami transfer Aurora Almón and Auburn transfer Oyindamola Akinbolawa. Izoje’s shown signs of stardom just 11 games into her collegiate career, but Almón and Akinbolawa haven’t appeared to have much impact early on.
Tuesday night against Mercyhurst, though, SU’s new-look center room was on full display as the Orange (10-1, 1-0 ACC) dominated the Bearcats (6-4, America East) 72-54. The three bigs combined for 26 rebounds and 19 points to fuel a dominant game on the glass. Syracuse pulled in 55 total rebounds, including 26 on offense, contributing to 26 second-chance points.
It’s exactly the turnaround Legette-Jack wished for this offseason. While the Orange ranked top 30 in offensive rebounds last year, they placed in the bottom 30 in defensive rebounds, per HerHoopStats. Now, through 11 games, SU ranks second of 363 Division I teams with 18.6 offensive rebounds per game and 24th in the nation with 43.8 total boards per game.
It’s mainly come through Izoje, who’s now averaging 8.8 rebounds per contest. Legette-Jack’s already hailed her as a potential generational talent, on par with 2025 WNBA first overall pick Paige Bueckers.
“She’s the reason why we are where we are,” Legette-Jack said of Izoje postgame.
The issue with Izoje, though, has been her availability — she’s had difficulty staying out of foul trouble, forcing the Orange to look down the bench for a viable backup.
On Tuesday, Almón proved she could be the answer. The Dominican Republic native hauled in a season-high nine rebounds and added four points on 2-of-3 shooting. Akinbolawa showed additional promise with three points and three boards late in the contest.
“Any given day, somebody else can be great,” Legette-Jack said of her group. “Aurora did her thing today.”
Despite a slow start to the game, the Orange pounded the glass early. They nabbed eight first-half offensive rebounds, which turned into 13 second-chance points, a dominant figure compared to Binghamton’s one. It proved to be the difference in SU’s 11-point halftime advantage.
Almón tallied seven of her nine rebounds in the first half, while Izoje picked up eight points and five rebounds.
Izoje dominated the glass early in the third, as Syracuse hauled in a whopping seven offensive boards in the first five minutes of the third quarter. She picked up five boards in that span, part of her 14 total rebounds and third double-double of the year.
Izoje picked up an additional nine boards in the second half while pacing SU’s offensive attack. Akinbolawa saw just three minutes down the stretch but made the most of them, helping close out an 18-point victory with a plus-23 rebounding margin.
Legette-Jack said the key to her bigs’ success lies in their camaraderie. Even when Almón and Akinbolawa weren’t seeing consistent minutes, their impact was evident off the court, Legette-Jack said.
She said Akinbolawa cooks Nigerian meals for the team. Almón and Izoje face off every day in practice to fine-tune their games. Legette-Jack said Almón even permed Izoje’s hair.
“They’re doing so many sisterhood things,” Legette-Jack said. “Its not just a one-two punch, it’s eight new players that came in and are impacting our team.”
On Tuesday, the impact was certainly felt in another dominant game on the glass. While the late nonconference slate shouldn’t provide much of a challenge for SU, the result was again promising for this new-look squad, especially pertaining to its bigs.
Izoje’s already shown glimpses of greatness, but knowing the Orange have viable options behind her is crucial to their success in ACC play.
And with it, Syracuse seems to have restored the standard Legette-Jack instills on the glass. If the Orange can keep it up, perhaps they’ll once again reclaim their crown as ‘Rebounding University.’
