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It’s no secret that this year’s Syracuse team is not the same as last year’s. In fact, none of head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s teams are the same. She made that crystal clear after SU’s record-breaking win over Wagner last Sunday.

“All the teams we have are special,” Legette-Jack said. “They’re all different in their own way.”

As a head coach, Legette-Jack views herself as a “mother hen,” and she refuses to compare the merits of any of the teams she coaches. But even if she won’t admit it, it’s painfully apparent that this iteration of the Orange is far more talented than last year’s.

This year’s squad cleaned up against mid-major foes — going 4-0 compared to 3-3 last year. It handily beat UAlbany, something last year’s team simply couldn’t accomplish. And on Friday, it defeated its first Power Five opponent of the year, while SU opened Power Five play last year with a double-digit loss to Maryland.

Syracuse (5-0, Atlantic Coast) defeated Utah (3-2, Big 12) 61-49 Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase. SU struggled to establish its inside scoring early, but it relied on its defense to hold Utah to a season-low 49 points, outrebounding the Utes 49-31. Dominique Darius led the way with her first double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

“Laila (Phelia) and I, we talk about it all the time, defense is our anchor,” Darius said. “As a team, that’s what we emphasize. And that’s honestly what put us in a good position to still win this game.”

While it struggled to find the mark later in the half, Syracuse initially came out firing Friday. Laila Phelia knocked down a 3 to give it an early lead, and Sophie Burrows extended it by canning one of her own soon after to make it 6-0 SU.

Before Syracuse’s win over the Seahawks, the 3-point shot truly hadn’t been part of its game. In their 96-72 win over Canisius, the Orange outright avoided it as much as possible, shooting just nine total 3s and failing to even attempt a shot beyond the arc in the first quarter.

But against Wagner, SU found more success from the perimeter than it had in its first three games combined, shooting a season-best 8-for-22 from 3. Against a Utah squad that entered Friday sporting a proficient 41.2% 3-point percentage, it was apparent the Orange had to ride that hot streak to have a chance at victory.

So, they did. In the first quarter, Syracuse was outscored 10-2 in the paint but went 3-for-9 beyond the arc to keep the game knotted at 12. It was an almost-complete reversal of the inside scoring strategy SU had become so reliant on this season.

Meanwhile, the Utes executed that strategy to perfection. Uche Izoje — who’d been utterly dominant against smaller, less-talented bigs the Orange had faced — began the game 0-for-4. Her Utah counterpart, Chyra Evans, started 4-for-5 with a team-leading eight points.

“They really challenged our defense for 40 minutes,” Legette-Jack said. “They held us accountable for every small mistake we made.”

And while Utah opened the game on a cold streak from beyond the arc, missing its first six 3s, Maty Wilke broke the ice with a triple to make it 19-16 with five minutes to play in the second quarter.

The momentum briefly shifted after that point. Syracuse went four minutes without scoring, shot 0-for-5 from the field in that stretch and entered the break trailing 25-21. It shot 7-for-34 across the game’s opening 20 minutes — and a putrid 16% on 2-pointers.

Only SU’s players and coaches were privy to what was said at the half. One would think Darius likely had some words to say. Both Legette-Jack and guard Olivia Schmitt have said she’s become the locker room’s de facto leader, and she delivered an impassioned halftime speech to push the Orange over Canisius when the two squads played.

But it was Phelia who led the charge in the locker room. At halftime, she told every player she needed more from them, and they indeed rose to the challenge.

“I wasn’t leading the way I know how to, because I was in my own head,” Darius said. “I took (Phelia’s challenge) personally, and I stepped up.”

Coming out of the half, the Orange made seven of their first 13 shots, returning to the efficiency inside that had served them so well. Between Jasmyn Cooper, Journey Thompson and Izoje, SU’s post players combined to shoot 6-for-7 and score 13 points in the quarter.

Meanwhile, Utah shot just 4-for-12 in the frame and went over four minutes without scoring. It was as if a “Freaky Friday”-esque body switch had occurred at halftime, flipping the fortunes of the Orange with those of the Utes. By the end of the third quarter, SU led Utah 42-39.

But Reese Ross came to the rescue with a 3-pointer to keep the Utes in the game. She opened the fourth quarter by hitting a shot beyond the arc, cutting Utah’s deficit to two.

That was the closest the Utes would get to even. Darius and Thompson both canned layups to extend SU’s lead to six. And when Darius sank a 3 of her own with a little under six minutes left in the fourth, it essentially sank Utah’s chances at victory with it. The Orange proceeded to go on an 11-point scoring run, taking control of the game with just minutes left to play.

“I’m really proud of how we stayed grounded and how we stayed committed to defense, and that’s what won us this game,” Darius said.

There were many unknowns with this year’s SU squad. Burrows was the only returning starter. Darius, one of Syracuse’s most impactful transfers, had barely been given a real opportunity at UCLA and USC. Phelia had been an All-Big Ten player at Michigan, but there was a real possibility she wouldn’t have the same impact after her retina detachment. And Izoje — a freshman from Nigeria — doesn’t even have her high school listed on cuse.com.

It was nearly impossible to predict how this group would mesh before the season. But with five wins in five games and a gutsy comeback over a Power Five opponent under their belt, it’s no longer difficult to see the Orange’s true talent level.

Published on November 21, 2025 at 7:08 pm
Contact Mauricio: mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarDO