Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Felisha Legette-Jack was a psychology major in college. She was always taught to read people’s eyes as a key to their emotions.

That’s why, when Syracuse’s fourth-year head coach looked at her team in the first quarter of its game against North Carolina Sunday, she knew something was off. While the Orange were dealt a 19-15 first-quarter deficit, she said her players’ eyes indicated they weren’t giving enough passion — and neither was she.

“Nobody looked like they were locked in and ready,” Legette-Jack said.

Ultimately, UNC’s four-point lead after the first frame made all the difference in an overtime loss. Legette-Jack prides her squad on coming out with an unmatched energy and “punching first.” They didn’t do that on Sunday, and their eyes showed it.

It stung Legette-Jack and her squad as they stayed overnight in Chapel Hill. They had to make sure the next time would be different.

So, this week’s practices were heated. Guard Dominique Darius said the Orange focused on boxing out and getting extra possessions. She said she had bruises all over from diving on the floor for loose balls. Players even exchanged some smack talk and showed their physicality in a high-energy environment. Darius thought it was exactly what the Orange needed to reset.

“That type of energy is going to win us a lot of games,” Darius said.

On Thursday, it did so decisively. Syracuse (17-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast) pounced on Georgia Tech (9-13, 4-6 ACC) early and never trailed en route to a 94-70 domination at home. 12 different players scored for the Orange. Laila Phelia poured in a game-high 23, Darius added 20 and Uche Izoje tallied 17 points and 15 rebounds, her 10th double-double of the season. It made for Syracuse’s best offensive showing in ACC play thus far.

“​​We’re just finding a rhythm of not getting good shots but great shots,” Darius said. “Honestly, after that loss, we just got more hungry.”

That was evident from the first possession on Thursday. Right off the tip, Darius swung the rock to Phelia in the right corner, who buried a triple within seven seconds. Darius then created some space for two quick mid-range jumpers and Izoje sank a layup off a smooth feed from Shy Hawkins. It launched a 9-0 run in the game’s first two minutes.

“Starting the game strong is really important, and we’ve been kind of emphasizing that,” Darius said. “We try to go five minutes at a time, that’s what we focus on.”

After taking a timeout, the Yellow Jackets settled down offensively. Brianna Turnage got to the cup for GT’s first points, and La’Nya Foster followed it up with another bucket to cut the lead to seven.

SU’s offense answered, though, as another Phelia bucket and a Sophie Burrows triple helped extend the lead to as much as 13. The Orange started the day 7-of-9 from the field, although they cooled down to close the frame. A four-minute scoring drought — and nine straight missed field goals — meant Syracuse led by just 10 at the end of the first quarter.

That dry spell carried over early in the second. Georgia Tech got within six at the five-minute mark after the Orange started just 1-of-7 from the field.

As Legette-Jack put it, though, even when her squad was cooling down, the blaze in their eyes never wavered. They responded each time they took a punch.

SU ended the first half on a 16-5 run, making seven of its next 12 attempts. First, Phelia got downhill for a bucket before Keira Scott sank one of her own. Scott and Olivia Schmitt then bookended another Phelia bucket with back-to-back 3-pointers to put Syracuse up 36-18.

Georgia Tech chipped away with a brief 5-0 run right after, but a Hawkins and-1 killed any momentum with a minute left in the frame. SU took a 40-23 advantage into the half, its largest lead of the game at that point.

The Orange were simply just more efficient on both ends of the floor. They shot 42.1% from the field in the frame, while the Yellow Jackets were a putrid 4-of-16. A lot of those chances came thanks to SU’s work on the glass. Despite playing a GT squad ranked top-10 in defensive rebounding, the Orange hauled in nine offensive rebounds in the first half to set up six second-chance points and 30 points in the paint.

“(Rebounding) is what we really stand for. We need to do that more pronounced,” Legette-Jack said.

The Yellow Jackets again clawed away to start the second half, making their first three field goals and a free throw to trim the deficit to 12. They even got within 11 after a Talayah Walker bucket with just over five minutes to play in the third. SU still wasn’t fazed. It responded with an 11-5 run in the next three minutes to retake a 17-point lead.

That advantage ballooned to a then-game-high 20 by the end of the third quarter as the Orange couldn’t miss. They shot 64.1% from the field and went 8-of-8 from the free throw line to effectively put the game away. In the final two and a half minutes, Phelia hit a 3 and a layup, while Darius scored the final five points of the quarter.

By the start of the fourth, Syracuse essentially had the game won. But that didn’t stop it from pouring it on. The Orange hit six of their first eight attempts, including two 3-pointers, to take a 28-point lead five minutes in. SU was in cruise control from there, shooting 71.4% from the field in the final frame as it emptied the bench.

It’s exactly what Legette-Jack wants from her team — for it to come out hot and never slow down. Of course, the Orange haven’t always lived up to those hopes, at times lacking energy from the jump. They’ve been dealt some massive defeats because of it.

But when they do come out with that fire in their eyes, good luck trying to put it out.

Published on January 29, 2026 at 8:10 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6