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Despite Syracuse’s 16-4 record and projected No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, per ESPN’s latest bracketology, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the Orange haven’t reached their full potential; they’re still working out the kinks to bring out each player’s strengths come March.

After missing March Madness last season, Legette-Jack’s goal is to “change the narrative” and restore the program’s national relevance.

To achieve that, the Orange must avenge losses, a challenge last year when they endured five losing streaks. This campaign, though, they’ve been nearly faultless after defeats, most recently in Thursday’s 94-70 win over Georgia Tech.

SU bounced back from its loss to North Carolina Sunday with a wire-to-wire beatdown of the Yellow Jackets. Dominique Darius and Laila Phelia each dropped 20-plus points, while the Orange, who cruised to a 9-0 first-quarter lead, earned their 14th double-digit win this season.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (17-4, 7-3 ACC) 24-point victory over the Yellow Jackets (9-13, 4-6 ACC):

Punching 1st

In Syracuse’s six-point loss to UNC Sunday, SU immediately fell behind and didn’t lead until the end of the second quarter. On Thursday against the Yellow Jackets, the Orange never let their first-quarter lead slip, setting the tone for the rest of the contest.

Syracuse started about as well as it could’ve. Phelia, who dropped an underwhelming six points on 15.4% shooting against the Tar Heels, drained a corner 3 to open the scoring. Darius then added to SU’s lead 40 seconds later, followed by two Uche Izoje layups.

GT didn’t get on the board until the Orange led 9-0, converting a layup. The bucket from the Yellow Jackets didn’t change the momentum, though. Sophie Burrows chipped in a 3 to extend SU’s lead to 16-4. Georgia Tech simply couldn’t settle down on offense, while SU continued to catch fire.

Syracuse’s first-quarter lead grew to as much as 13 points. The Orange finished the stretch shooting 38.9% — despite starting 7-of-9 — from the field and 50% from 3, building an insurmountable advantage for GT to overcome. Their defense also put the clamps on, forcing nine Yellow Jackets turnovers.

It’s Phelia’s ball

Phelia was brought to Syracuse from Texas to be an elite scorer in the ACC. It wouldn’t be fair to say she hasn’t achieved that — 13.8 points per game, 40.9% shooting — but she’s also doing so much more. On Thursday, Phelia’s versatility was on full display, as she ended with 23 points on nine made field goals with seven steals.

Phelia’s first takeaway came just over three minutes into action, which she heaved downcourt to Burrows for a 3. Less than a minute later, she earned another steal, this time leading to Shy Hawkins’ first points of the night. Phelia finished the first quarter with four steals, already one away from a season-high.

In the second quarter, she reached the mark with ease. Thirty-six seconds into the frame, Phelia — moments after an Izoje block — snatched the ball and hit Burrows, who found Hawkins at the post for two, extending SU’s lead to 22-8. At the under-4 media timeout in the second quarter, Syracuse led the points-off-turnover battle 9-2, largely in part to Phelia.

The rampant start carried into the second half. Phelia entered the back half with a game-high nine points, but more impressively, a career-high six steals. She added nine more points in the third quarter, alongside Darius in the backcourt, who exploded for 14 third-quarter points. She also tacked on her seventh steal, which led to two Darius free throws.

Syracuse didn’t look to Phelia in the fourth as much, entering with a 20-point lead. She tallied five more points in the last 10 minutes, capping her bounce-back performance.

Same old Uche

Choosing to highlight Phelia’s steals or Izoje’s rebounds is an argument with no wrong sides. It’s remarkable that Izoje is a 6-foot-3 freshman who’d never played basketball in the United States until this season. She certainly doesn’t act like it. Izoje built off her career-high 27 points and ninth double-double Sunday against UNC with 17 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks Thursday.

It’s especially impressive considering GT entered Thursday as the 10th-best defensive rebounding team in the nation and 28th-best total. But that didn’t matter to Izoje. In the first half alone, she posted 12 boards, five short of her full-game career-high.

Nine of Izoje’s first-half rebounds were on the defensive end, but the three she claimed on offense proved crucial. In the waning seconds of the second quarter, Izoje’s board found Keira Scott before returning to the Nigeria native, who laid it up to build SU’s 17-point halftime lead.

As Syracuse held a commanding lead into the second half, Izoje’s usage dwindled. She corralled three rebounds in the final 20 minutes, her first coming offensively a minute and a half in. It didn’t result in any points, but it further established her undeniable paint presence.

She started the fourth quarter on the bench but had already scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, notching her 10th double-double. All she could do was watch as her teammates finished what she started.

Limiting damage from deep

UNC ruined any chance of a Syracuse comeback Sunday from the 3-point line, knocking down nine 3s compared to SU’s three. Five of the Tar Heels’ triples came in the second half, too, right as the Orange found their stride, but it was too much to tame. On Thursday, though, Syracuse contained Georgia Tech to just four 3s.

Although Izoje’s frame is hard to work around, the Yellow Jackets kept attacking down low. Thirty-four of their points came in the paint, and when they figured out Izoje was too hard to handle, it was far too late.

Of Georgia Tech’s four triples, three of them came at the beginning of the third quarter, narrowing its deficit to as little as 11. It fueled the Yellow Jackets’ 28 third-quarter points, their most in a frame Thursday.

In the fourth quarter, GT’s only shot at mounting a comeback would come from outside, but it couldn’t convert. It attempted two fourth-quarter 3s, sinking one of them, as Syracuse’s lead continued to expand.

Published on January 29, 2026 at 8:01 pm
Contact: jordankimball28@gmail.com | @JordanKimball_