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For the first time in two seasons, March is a month that brings optimism for Syracuse women’s basketball.

At this time last year, the Orange’s only shot of making noise in March was a miraculous Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament run. Instead, they fell short in the first round after squandering a 19-point lead to Boston College. SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said, after that loss, which ended SU’s season on just March 5, she could feel her energy slipping. She knew something needed to change.

“I didn’t feel like myself,” Legette-Jack said.

That change, as it turns out, was the eight new players she brought in for the 2025-26 campaign. And now things are far different this March.

Entering Sunday’s regular-season finale against BC, the Orange were comfortably positioned to make the NCAA Tournament. The Eagles, meanwhile, were amid their worst season in program history. So, the contest was nothing more than a tune-up for Syracuse, as it prepares to begin its postseason this Thursday at the ACC Tournament.

The Orange (22-7, 12-6 ACC) defeated Boston College (5-26, 1-17 ACC) 90-65 Sunday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. Even with everyday starter Sophie Burrows sidelined with an injury, the Orange’s starters combined for 55 total points, headlined by Uche Izoje’s 24-point, 12-rebound double-double. Journey Thompson, Maddy Potts and Jasmyn Cooper effectively plugged the gap left by Burrows’ absence, combining for 26 points.

Don’t get it twisted, though, Burrows’ shoes were difficult to fill. The junior had played in every game for SU this season, starting in 27. She was once just a knockdown 3-point shooter for the Orange, but has evolved into a dynamic defensive threat this season.

In SU’s loss to Notre Dame Thursday, she fell hard and sustained a left hand injury. Legette-Jack said, if the Orange really needed her to play Sunday, she could’ve, but they kept her on the bench out of an abundance of caution. Legette-Jack thinks she’ll be more than ready to go on Thursday.

“We just wanted to give her a little time to calm down,” Legette-Jack said of Burrows’ injury. “She was missing in the first half, because she puts people in positions and communicates where to go. That voice wasn’t out there, and boy, did we miss that.”

Even if the Orange missed Burrows’ presence defensively, they didn’t really show it. Thompson started in her place, and Syracuse didn’t miss a beat early.

The Orange exploded for a quick 15-2 lead, with every point being scored by Thompson, Izoje, Dominique Darius and Laila Phelia. It led to a 13-point advantage after Darius absorbed contact for an and-one layup, and Phelia knocked down a jumper at the 5:19 mark in the first.

Syracuse guard Sophie Burrows sat out of Sunday’s game against Boston College with a left hand injury. The Orange relied on Journey Thompson, Maddy Potts and Jasmyn Cooper to replace her, and they combined for 26 points. Avery Magee | Photo Editor

Boston College got back within eight after a brief 6-0 run fueled by three Syracuse turnovers. But the Orange put that to rest after a Keira Scott layup and an Izoje and-one, which allowed them to end the frame up by 10.

BC scored on its first possession of the second to trim the lead back down to eight. But that was the final time they’d see a deficit that slim. On SU’s next trip down the floor, Darius found Potts on a backdoor cut with a slick bounce pass. Potts then fed Izoje down low for an easy 2.

Izoje scored eight of the game’s next 11 points to put the Orange up by 14. The only other SU score was a bucket from Potts, where she hit a smooth jab-step into a pull-up jumper from the elbow, leading to a then-game-high 16-point lead.

The Eagles chipped away through most of the second quarter but never provided a real threat. They got within nine on two separate occasions late in the frame, but SU answered each one. First, with a putback layup from Phelia and next with a Thompson layup off a feed from Potts. The Orange hit the locker room up by 11.

Syracuse dominated the first half but failed to find the second gear to push its 10-15 point advantage to a 20-30 point one. At the break, Legette-Jack challenged her team to “show them who they were.”

In the second half, they did. The lead ballooned to as many as 23 in the third quarter as Syracuse scored 29 points.

Darius opened the frame with a straightaway 3-pointer before BC’s Jocelyne Greir answered with an and-one on the other end. On the Eagles’ next possession, Phelia sent Kaia Henderson packing with a vicious snatch block, then Izoje swatted a Grier layup attempt into the stands a few seconds later.

Meanwhile, SU picked up three straight scores from Izoje and Shy Hawkins to go up by 17. A Thompson bucket, a Phelia triple and another Izoje make then extended it to 23. BC trimmed it down to 19 with a 7-3 run, but a Potts buzzer-beating 3 allowed Syracuse a 22-point lead at the end of the third.

Syracuse’s work on the glass fueled the run. The Orange corralled eight offensive boards in the frame and 14 in the second half, part of 21 total offensive boards.

That 22-point cushion was more than enough to close things comfortably in the fourth. SU unloaded the bench — which finished with 35 total points — and led by as much as 31 at the 2:52 mark in the fourth.

It could be exactly the type of comfortable win the Orange needed at this point, coming off back-to-back Quad 1 losses against NC State and Notre Dame. Because, with their ACC Tournament opener looming on Thursday, they know things are about to get real. And this March brings far more promise than the last.

Legette-Jack has her fire back. Her players are hungry. The team is back in the win column.

One March win down, a lot more to go.

“I’m so proud of them, I’m so ready for us to emerge into something bigger than just right now,” Legette-Jack said. “So we’ll celebrate today, but we need to work tomorrow.”

Published on March 1, 2026 at 4:06 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6