Sophie Burrows is a winner. Clemson discovered that against Syracuse.
Sophie Burrows has been Syracuse’s go-to player in crunch time. Her 19 points and 16 rebounds powered SU’s 68-64 win over Clemson Sunday. Matthew Crisafulli | Staff Photographer
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Poised. That was the only word Felisha Legette-Jack could conjure up to describe Sophie Burrows’ demeanor in the huddle down the stretch of Syracuse’s win over Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome, where she clawed, scratched and fought tooth-and-nail on each and every single one of its offensive possessions.
Even in a year where her shooting percentages haven’t been nearly as proficient — she entered Sunday shooting 31.9% from the field, a stark dropoff from her 39.6% 3-point performance as a sophomore — she prides herself on doing everything she can to make an impact beyond her shooting splits. Because when the shots aren’t falling, she can still be a positive player.
But when the shots are falling? Oh, well, then everybody’s in trouble.
“I just wanted to kind of come in and try to impact the game in ways that weren’t just scoring,” Burrows said. “That was kind of my goal, and I think I did OK.”
OK would be an understatement. As she willed Syracuse (21-5, 11-4 ACC) to its 68-64 win over Clemson (18-9, 9-6 ACC), Burrows did everything she could beyond the scoreboard, and tagged on a team-leading 19 points to boot. It took her just one half to smash her previous career-high of 10 rebounds, with 11 boards in 16 minutes, and she finished the day with her new personal record of 16 boards.
Clemson entered Sunday allowing just 7.8 offensive rebounds per game, a mark that ranks third out of 363 Division I teams. Head coach Shawn Poppie doesn’t want the Tigers to make it easy for their opponents on the glass, and for the most part, they haven’t.
Except on Sunday. Burrows — and Syracuse, by extension — absolutely dominated the offensive glass against the Tigers. She grabbed eight offensive boards Sunday, spearheading SU’s 18-1 disparity in that statistic. Burrows forced Clemson’s hand, and there was nothing Poppie could really do about it.
“She’s not the best athlete out there, but she’s obviously tough,” Poppie said postgame. “She’s a winner. And she found a way to help them get a big win today.”
It wasn’t surprising to him, really. He knew what he was getting into. Even in Syracuse’s 67-55 win over Clemson last season, when she scored just two points on 1-of-6 shooting, he could see that same tenacity in her play.
“She’s always been tough, you know?” Poppie said. “Her role’s changed here this year compared to last, but it’s been a lot of fun to watch her in the last couple of years.”
It wasn’t shocking to Legette-Jack either. She realized what version of Burrows she was getting just after Syracuse’s warmups Sunday.
One of Legette-Jack’s favorite songs is “Waging Wars” by Cece Winans. The lyrics of the song discuss taking back your territory, or as Legette-Jack explains, fighting hard for something you think you deserve. If the Orange want the recognition of a top-20 team, they have to fight for it, and Legette-Jack stresses that.
After their pregame warmups, Burrows wrote “Waging Wars” on a whiteboard in the locker room. Right then, she knew what she was getting: Burrows’ “blue-collar style,” in the flesh.
“We don’t have to make it cute. You don’t have to make it pretty,” Legette-Jack said of Burrows. “‘Tell me what you’re looking for, and we will come after that. If nobody else comes, I’ll go.’ And I’m so proud of her.”
The Orange led for 39 minutes and 26 seconds Sunday. The Tigers led for 19 seconds, thanks to Mia Moore’s layup with six minutes and 57 seconds left in the game, giving Clemson a 54-53 lead. Burrows was the reason the Orange had been in the driver’s seat before then, and if it was going to avoid a devastating late-game collapse, she was going to be the reason it did so.
“We definitely couldn’t have done it without her,” Laila Phelia said postgame. “She came in, she was ready and she brought the team with her.”
After Moore’s aforementioned layup, Burrows worked from the top of the key to the wing, anticipating a pass from Olivia Schmitt. It arrived, and Burrows — without the slightest hint of hesitation — dropped her hands just a smidge, poised as ever before she released her 3-pointer. As it rattled in the net off the back rim, she held her follow-through, frozen in a moment in time, just waiting for her team to reclaim the lead for the final time.
It wasn’t the first time Burrows’ number has been called this season in tight, late-game situations. You could argue, quite convincingly, that despite entering Sunday with 10.9 points per game, Burrows is the SU player who has been relied on the most to deliver down the stretch.
Look at what she did against SMU, when she broke out of her slump with a season-high 22-point performance. Look at what she did against Virginia, when she ignited SU’s dramatic second-half comeback with seven triples in its 79-60 win. Look at what she did against Miami, when her 21 points proved to be just what the Orange needed to stave off a Hurricanes comeback in a 65-60 win.
Clemson was just another chapter in Burrows’ story. It’s surely one hell of a story.
But if you ask Legette-Jack, it’s one that hasn’t come with any plot twists. Midway through her postgame press conference, when asked if she knew Burrows would develop into the player she has become when she first recruited her, Legette-Jack didn’t even bother to listen to the entirety of the question before she answered. There was only one thing she could say.
“Without a doubt.”
It’s simple. This is who Burrows was always supposed to be. A winner.
