In blowout win over Boston College, Syracuse showed just how much it’s grown
Syracuse took down BC by 34 Thursday, showing how much the program has grown since SU's 41-point loss in the Conte Forum last year. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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“A good old-fashioned ass-whooping.”
Felisha Legette-Jack had those words to say when her team last left the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Orange were obliterated by Boston College 92-51 on Jan. 19, 2025, SU’s worst loss under its fourth-year head coach.
So, Legette-Jack — standing in a hallway deep in the bowels of the stadium postgame — was blunt when asked what went wrong.
“This is a rebuild situation,” she said. “I hate that word, but I think that’s where we are.”
What other explanation could she really offer? Syracuse was outmatched, Legette-Jack was outcoached and her squad spoiled an opportunity to snag a win in a game initially viewed as a toss-up. At that point, it was clear her squad wasn’t on the level it needed to be to truly compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Three hundred eighty-two days later, Legette-Jack stood in the same hallway with a grin on her face. This time, she was on the other end of a blowout.
The Orange (19-4, 9-3 ACC) destroyed Boston College (4-21, 0-12 ACC) 93-59 on the road Thursday. Syracuse dominated the glass, shot 43.5% from 3 and had four players in double figures.
Granted, this BC squad has regressed since last season and is far from the ACC’s best. The Orange will get that this weekend against No. 6 Louisville. But Thursday’s performance was a clear indication Legette-Jack’s dreaded rebuild worked — and with it, her squad is nationally relevant again.
“I’m trying to build this program a certain way, and this team, every single one of them knows the assignment,” Legette-Jack said postgame.
Laila Phelia was one of Felisha Legette-Jack’s key additions in the offseason. She’s proved her worth with 14.6 points per game this year. Courtesy of SU Athletics
Since arriving at Syracuse in 2022, Legette-Jack’s built her brand on effort, energy and physicality. She wants her teams to strike early, dominate the glass and wear other teams down.
In 2024, her team didn’t do that well. Especially not in their last trip to Conte.
Legette-Jack preaches the importance of “punching first,” snagging an early lead before opponents know what hit them. In their 2025 trip to Chestnut Hill, the Orange looked like they got clocked by prime Muhammad Ali — they trailed 32-9 after the first quarter.
It wasn’t like Boston College was an especially strong opponent, either. The Eagles were just 11-8 at the time and ended up as the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tournament. Still, Syracuse just couldn’t keep up.
Postgame, Legette-Jack critiqued her bigs, saying they “didn’t come to play” and she “couldn’t count on one of them to go out there and be masterful.” She also said the absence of leading scorer Georgia Woolley — who was ruled out in pregame warmups — completely threw off SU’s rhythm. As a result, her team was run out of the gym. Even though she rarely admits it, it was a clear indication that there was work to do.
So, this offseason, she attacked the portal hard to address those issues — something she didn’t do nearly enough the year prior. She came out with a star scorer in Laila Phelia and a new point guard in Dominique Darius. She also pulled a superstar freshman center, Uche Izoje, out of seemingly thin air.
The three have completely revolutionized this roster. And they led the way Thursday night. Izoje tallied 18 points and eight rebounds over an undersized BC frontcourt, Darius tallied a near triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and seven boards and Phelia pitched in 11 points.
If one of them were to go down on short notice — like Woolley — Legette-Jack wouldn’t have to rebuild her system. The Orange have proven they can win, even when Phelia was injured or Izoje was silenced. She built this roster to have the flexibility it hasn’t had in years.
That was on full display even in the waning moments Thursday, when Syracuse emptied its bench. Fourteen different players scored, and SU tallied 41 bench points, headlined by Maddy Potts’ four late 3s.
“We wanted to play at a certain pace and a certain style, and they rose to the occasion,” Legette-Jack said.
Ultimately, Legette-Jack’s team still has a lot of work to do. This rebuild is far from where she wants it to end. Of course, a win over the ACC’s worst team doesn’t mean this team is winning the national title, nor is it a result that was necessarily unexpected. But for now, Legette-Jack said she wants to relish in this moment.
She’s been on the wrong end of a butt-whooping in Boston. She’s stood in that hallway with the weight of a 40-point loss hanging on her shoulders. She’s flown back to Syracuse drenched in the feeling that her team was far from where it needed to be.
Now, Legette-Jack has the Orange back on track. Thursday proved it.
