Observations from SU’s win vs. Wake Forest: Silencing Oliver, closing the book
Syracuse entered halftime leading 32-31 but broke ahead in the second half for a double-digit ACC road win over Wake Forest. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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Syracuse knows that to succeed in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it must go on runs — scoring runs, defensive runs, winning runs. In the ACC, one decisive stretch can separate the conference’s best from its bottom-feeders.
“Any conference play is tough. We know teams are gonna go on runs, and it’s about how we respond to them,” SU point guard Dominique Darius said after the Orange took down Florida State. “As a team, we just got to stay positive.”
Coming off an 82-72 win over FSU, Sunday offered a chance for Syracuse to go on its first winning run in conference play this season, a feat it accomplished just twice last year. The Orange followed through, taking down Wake Forest 73-58.
SU led by just one point entering halftime but built its lead to 18 midway through the third quarter. Sophie Burrows and Laila Phelia spearheaded the run, combining for 15 of Syracuse’s 23 points during the stretch, while the Demon Deacons struggled to respond and never came back.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (13-2, 3-1 ACC) 73-58 win over Wake Forest (12-4, 2-2 ACC) in the LJVM Coliseum Sunday:
Burrows starts
For the first time this season and since the 2023-24 campaign, Burrows opened a game on the bench against Florida State. Despite a difficult start, the junior guard finished with 12 points and a season-high eight rebounds in the Orange’s victory. Postgame, she said she’d do whatever her team asks of her. On Sunday, that was returning to the starting lineup.
Versus the Demon Deacons, Burrows tallied 14 points on four 3-pointers, six rebounds and two assists.
Burrows’ usage never wavered, as she was targeted from the perimeter to open Sunday’s contest. With Uche Izoje positioned at the top of the key, Burrows and Darius rotated passes to each other and the big to create 3-point chances. However, Burrows missed her first shot of the day three minutes in, her only attempt before being replaced by Jasmyn Cooper eight minutes in after committing two fouls.
When Burrows returned in the final three minutes of the second quarter, her offensive contribution was limited. She tried a corner 3 but missed the mark and then hesitated on her next open attempt, feeding it to Darius, who couldn’t hit. Amid a 3-for-21 3-point stretch, the once deadly shooter stopped pulling the trigger.
She entered halftime scoreless on 0-of-2 shooting with two fouls, one assist and a rebound. Burrows caught fire in the third quarter, though. She knocked down a wing 3 for her second make from beyond the arc since SU’s win over Mercyhurst on Dec. 19, 2025, adding a third less than three minutes later from the left wing.
Burrows capped her performance with six fourth-quarter points, along with three rebounds. While it wasn’t her prettiest game, she pulled it together when Syracuse needed her most — an encouraging sign for the Orange moving forward.
Silencing Oliver
Grace Oliver is the engine behind Wake Forest’s remarkable turnaround this season. After averaging just 3.8 points per game with Colorado last year, the sophomore forward upped her total to 14.3. She single-handedly willed the Demon Deacons to a win over Gardner Webb, shooting a whopping 14-for-14 for 30 points.
Her 64.1% field goal percentage, 74.3% percentage inside the arc and 69.3% effective field goal percentage ranked atop the ACC. For Syracuse to defeat Wake Forest, it had to shut down Oliver. That’s precisely what it did. Oliver finished with 16 points, four boards and three assists.
Oliver’s efficiency was still on fleek, but her supporting cast struggled to contribute. She scored six points in the first half, with the remainder coming in an attempt to lead Wake Forest’s failed comeback.
Oliver knocked down seven total shots on 11 attempts. She scored the Demon Deacons’ second bucket, scoring four in the first quarter. It was her most triumphant stretch of the game, but Syracuse’s defense kept the rest of Wake Forest largely in check. Despite her efficiency, Oliver couldn’t carry the team alone, and the Orange maintained control down the stretch to secure the win.
Uche from the elbow
Izoje’s — and Syracuse’s — identity is centered around the freshman center dominating inside. She earned three ACC Rookie of the Week honors and entered Sunday coming off a 21-point, 17-rebound destruction versus the Seminoles. Izoje also topped the ACC shooting 64.1% and led the conference with 2.9 blocks per game.
On Sunday, she continued to shine, looking more comfortable from outside and hitting three of her first five shots from beyond the paint. Izoje, sitting at the top of the key, could turn around and shoot from the elbow if she couldn’t find a guard from deep, a move she used throughout the game.
Izoje’s first bucket came on Syracuse’s first possession, a turnaround jumper from the right elbow. She followed it up with a layup five minutes later, knotting the score at 8-8. In the final two and a half minutes of the first quarter, Izoje added four more points, pulling in two offensive rebounds in the process.
Izoje opened the second quarter with Shy Hawkins, Olivia Schmitt, Keira Scott and Phelia. But despite the unique rotation, Izoje added four points and three rebounds, hitting one shot from just beyond the left block as SU narrowly led 32-31 into halftime.
The Orange looked outside to start the second half, with Burrows and Phelia scoring 15 of SU’s 23 third-quarter points. Izoje added four. Nevertheless, she drew defenders off the perimeter and helped Syracuse build a commanding lead it never relinquished.
The Nigerian finished with her sixth double-double, 18 points and 12 rebounds, another scorching performance as the Orange enter the thick of ACC play.
Closing the book
Through 10 minutes of play, Syracuse led 15-14. The Orange carried the same lead into halftime, 32-31, thanks to a buzzer-beater shot by Phelia. However, midway through the third quarter, SU’s lead had ballooned to 51-37, with Burrows and Phelia accounting for 13 of Syracuse’s first 19 second-half points.
Burrows found her touch from 3, draining two triples after missing two in the first half. Phelia added one and two inside buckets, powering the Orange amid Wake Forest’s 0-for-8 drought. Simultaneously, SU was on a 10-0 scoring run.
Syracuse struggled to close the book against FSU, letting the Seminoles battle to within two points late in the fourth quarter. It was a completely different story on Sunday, as the Orange took a 55-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
That lead grew to a game-high 22 points (70-48) toward the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, as SU sealed the win with balance on both sides of the ball.
