Laila Phelia was much more than just a scorer against Georgia Tech
Laila Phelia nabbed a career-high seven steals in Syracuse’s 24-point win over Georgia Tech Thursday, displaying her versatile two-way skillset. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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Laila Phelia’s always been a scorer. And her previous teams have always counted on her for that — simply getting the ball in the basketball hoop.
She averaged over 16 points in two seasons with Michigan, propelling the Wolverines to the NCAA Tournament both years. In those campaigns, Phelia shot 43.7% and 42.3% from the field, both of which remain career highs.
But at Syracuse — her second chance after suffering an eye injury at Texas last season — she’s doing so much more than just that. And that’s what the Orange want from her.
“Other coaches, in their mind, I’m the same player that I was,” Phelia told The Daily Orange earlier this season. “But I personally feel like it’s gonna be a little different.”
On Thursday against Georgia Tech, Phelia showed she can do more than just attack the rim. More than just hit 3s. More than just put her team on her back in the waning moments of a close game. She can also clamp her opponent to lift SU during its push to March Madness.
So, while Phelia’s game-high 23 points on nearly 70% shooting (9-of-13) and three 3s were all fine and dandy, her career-high seven steals is what truly made the difference as Syracuse (17-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) cruised to its largest ACC win of the season, a 94-70 victory over Georgia Tech (9-13, 4-6 ACC).
“Being able to see the floor and being able to understand how to anticipate stuff,” Phelia began, “I feel like now I’m starting to get the hang of it.”
Defense has always been a point of emphasis for Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s teams, but it’s become the Orange’s primary focus this year. Phelia said Legette-Jack instills in her team that wins start with defense. Legette-Jack mentioned at the ACC Tipoff in October that she focused on recruiting defense out of the transfer portal.
She grabbed Uche Izoje — who was added to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Watch List Tuesday — and Dominique Darius — whose 2.0 steals per game rank second on SU. Phelia was acquired to fill the void left by the departure of three of Syracuse’s four leading scorers last season.
To that end, she’s firmly executed, with her 13.8 points per game ranking second on SU’s roster and her 40.9% field-goal percentage sitting second among Syracuse’s starters.
However, in Sunday’s loss against North Carolina, returning from a lower-back injury, Phelia stalled out offensively for six points on two made field goals. Her 15.4% clip from the field was her career-low in games with 10 or more shot attempts.
It prompted Legette-Jack to ramp up the pace in practice this week. She said she expected one of her players to cry, potentially one to back down, but all of them leaned in. She sensed her team was waiting for her to confront them like that.
“After that loss, we just got more hungry,” Darius said postgame Thursday. “I have bruises and was banged up from practice because we were practicing so hard and diving on the floor. It’s really just wanting it more.”
Phelia said she pinpointed her defensive game this week, with Legette-Jack helping her see the floor and anticipate her opponent’s moves in practice. She knew that if her offense couldn’t do the talking, her defense would do it. Against GT, that was on full display.
“The biggest thing is being locked in on the defensive end,” Phelia said. “Our offense is gonna come.”
Of Phelia’s seven steals, six of them came in the first half, setting her career-high 16 minutes after the opening tip. Those six takeaways resulted in eight of SU’s 14 first-half points off turnovers. It helped build the Orange’s 17-point halftime advantage, their largest since leading by 34 against Mercyhurst on Dec. 19, 2025.
Legette-Jack could see her and Phelia’s practice coming to fruition when it mattered. SU’s head coach had spent the past four months trying to get Phelia to “do it our way,” so she could connect with her other four starters.
She said Phelia’s played on great defensive teams at Michigan and Texas, but Syracuse does it differently than most. She wouldn’t explain SU’s formula, simply saying, “It’s a secret.”
Now, the fourth-year head coach is noticing Phelia “slowly buying into that.”
“Today, she just surrendered,” Legette-Jack said. “Her defense is gonna predicate how great she is offensively. I think it’s all coming together at a perfect time.”
Postgame, as Phelia, Darius, Izoje and Legette-Jack fielded questions, Darius couldn’t help but smirk when hearing Phelia had seven steals. She almost looked surprised. Her backcourt partner is a proficient orchestrator. She’s one of SU’s offensive heartbeats. When she goes down, it’s hard to pick up the pieces.
But on Thursday, Phelia showed a new side to her game. She proved she’s so much more than just a scorer.
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