Syracuse women’s basketball falls to No. 6 Michigan 81-55 for season’s 1st loss
Syracuse struggled from the field and on the glass Sunday against No. 6 Michigan, marking the Orange's first loss of the season after starting 5-0. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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It was time for a reality check for Syracuse.
SU’s 2025 season couldn’t have gotten off to a much better start through five games. Contrary to last year, the Orange cruised through their initial nonconference games with ease.
It was already apparent this team is better than the one SU fielded last season, which went 12-18 in the program’s worst year under Felisha Legette-Jack. Syracuse beat up four smaller schools to start the year, then proved it can contend with Power Four teams in Friday’s 61-49 win over Utah.
With the optimism surrounding the Orange after a near-flawless start to the campaign, perhaps they were in order for, as Legette-Jack called it, “an old-fashioned butt-whooping” to bring them back down to Earth. They got it Sunday afternoon.
The Orange (5-1, Atlantic Coast) were crushed by No. 6 Michigan (5-1, Big Ten) 81-55 in their second and final game of the Invesco QQQ Women’s Showcase in Connecticut. SU never led in the game. It was outrebounded 46-32, its most lopsided game on the glass this year. The Orange also shot just 28.8% from the field, by far their worst mark in a game this season. They also attempted a tied-for-season-high 22 3s but made just six of them.
“We’ll continue to get better for sure, but (I’m) disappointed in our effort,” Legette-Jack said postgame. “Not that it would necessarily change the fabric of the score, but I know we’re a much better team than we displayed this morning.”
“I just wish we would’ve made different mistakes,” she added.
It was always going to be a difficult matchup for Syracuse. Aside from a narrow loss to No. 1 UConn Friday, the Wolverines trounced their first four opponents of the season, including a blowout win over then-No. 18 Notre Dame.
Syracuse hadn’t seen a team as good as Michigan all season and hadn’t faced one that was even comparable since a 30-point loss to then-No. 11 Duke last February. Legette-Jack said Michigan’s name — and ranking next to it — may have thrown her squad off.
“I thought we respected the name too much and never really understood that they were human and just played the game for what the game was for,” Legette-Jack said. “I apologize to Michigan for that, because I don’t think we’ve given them a good example of what competition looks like.”
The Orange had a few opportunities to shift the momentum, primarily in the first quarter. Michigan started 1-of-7 from the field, but Syracuse was equally as cold. It didn’t score until four minutes into the quarter and started 0-for-5 from the field. The Wolverines corralled four early offensive rebounds, which helped them take a 4-0 lead through three minutes.
Eventually, SU got on the board with a tough 2 from Laila Phelia, who led the Orange with 13 points against her former squad. The teams began trading buckets from there, but Te’Yala Delfosse — who was Michigan’s top scorer with 21 points — nailed two 3s to put the Wolverines up 12-6 with three minutes remaining in the quarter.
SU then finished the frame 0-for-8 from the field with three turnovers, allowing the Wolverines to close the frame on an 11-0 run. They led 20-6 after one, while Syracuse shot 2-of-14 overall.
The offensive woes persisted in the second quarter, as SU totaled over five minutes without a bucket before an Uche Izoje layup made it 23-8 a minute into the second. It sparked a brief 7-0 run capped with a snatch-back 3-pointer from Dominique Darius to cut the lead to 10.
Again, though, the Orange couldn’t capitalize on the momentum out of the ensuing media timeout. It was the closest they got the rest of the game.
Syracuse missed its next three shots, allowing Michigan to settle back in. Olivia Olson made a putback layup before Syla Swords drove to the cup for another, which forced a timeout from Legette-Jack.
The Wolverines closed the quarter on a 15-8 run, primarily through their work on the offensive glass. Michigan tallied eight offensive boards in the frame to Syracuse’s one. It allowed them to enter the half up 38-21.
“Our guards didn’t come to the boards… we got boxed out, and we stayed boxed out,” Legette-Jack said. “That’s not who we are, that’s not what I coach, and that’s unfortunate.”
Syracuse couldn’t stop the bleeding in the second half. Michigan produced an 11-5 run, backed by a Mila Holloway triple. It led by 24 at the first media timeout after Delfosse drained another 3 and hit a layup.
By the next stoppage, it extended that advantage to 28. Syracuse started the quarter 3-of-10 from the field, while the Wolverines came out blazing hot at 9-of-13. The Orange inched closer with back-to-back buckets by Darius and Izoje, but Michigan seemingly had an answer every possession. It led SU 64-39 at the end of the third.
The 25-point deficit was far too much to surmount in the final 10 minutes. In fact, the Wolverines extended it to as much as 33 at the 6:51 mark after two triples from Olson and Alyssa Crockett.
While Phelia canned two 3s and Olivia Schmitt added another in the fourth quarter, the Orange struggled overall from deep. They made just three 3s in the first 3 quarters. Sophie Burrows, who shot 39.6% from 3 last season, went 0-for-7 on triples Sunday.
“(Burrows) has gotta figure it out,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s way better than she’s playing right now. Right now, we need an offensive player, and she’s gonna have to give it to us better than that.”
Indeed, SU could’ve used an offensive spark against Michigan. Phelia had 13, while Darius and Izoje scored 10 each, but the Orange need more from everyone offensively – especially after their worst shooting day all season. It’s one of several things that’ll be on the mind of Legette-Jack and her squad as they try to regroup before the rest of the nonconference slate.
While the Orange already had a few wake-up calls along their five-game win streak, Sunday was a clear reminder of the gap that still lies between Syracuse and where it wants to be.
SU has grown since last season. But Sunday’s thrashing shows the Orange still have a ways to go to contend with the best squads in the country.
