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STORRS, Conn. — Olivia Schmitt couldn’t quite pinpoint when — or what — it was. Maybe it was the first 3-pointer. Or the second. Or the third. Laila Phelia said she knew after two made triples. Uche Izoje just enjoyed sitting back and watching the show.

Whenever it was, at some point Saturday night, Schmitt entered the zone. Shots started dropping at will. She diced up defenders with crossovers and step backs and created open looks like she never has before. It looked like a video game. Everything was falling.

Schmitt was in the unbreakable rhythm that shooters desperately chase. Where the noise is blocked. Time moves slower. The game comes easy.

It only lasted for about 10 minutes, but those 10 minutes were all the Orange needed. Schmitt exploded for a career-high 15 points on five 3-pointers, all of which came in a six-minute span in the second quarter. It ultimately made the difference in No. 9 seed Syracuse’s (24-8, 12-6 Atlantic Coast) 72-63 win over No. 8 seed Iowa State (22-10, 10-8 Big 12) in the NCAA Tournament First Round at Gampel Pavilion Saturday.

“I’m ready to shoot it at any time. I just needed that chance,” Schmitt said. “Today, I got that chance and showed out.”

It couldn’t have come at a much better time for Syracuse.

After losing its starting point guard, Dominique Darius, to a season-ending left hand injury two weeks ago, the Orange offense looked unrecognizable. It led to a rough outing in their ACC Tournament Second Round exit to Louisville on March 6. Darius was the glue of SU’s offense for the entire regular season. After she was injured, it looked like the Orange were stuck.

Schmitt started that game against Louisville. She scored just three points on 1-of-6 shooting, while the Cardinals’ ball pressure stunted SU’s point guards all evening. For a moment, it looked like she may not have been a sustainable option at point guard.

Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack had two weeks to find a solution. Darius’ absence meant one of SU’s most important bits of familiarity was now absent from the lineup. The weight of conducting an NCAA Tournament offense was going to be transferred to someone else. But in Schmitt’s mind, nothing changed — she just had to step up.

That meant stepping out of the role she’s occupied for most of her Syracuse career. Schmitt was molded into a pass-first point guard in high school. She’s mainly been asked to be a key facilitator when Darius needed a rest. Her 3-point shooting was just a bonus.

Olivia Schmitt fires a 3-pointer over Iowa State guard Jada Williams. All five of Schmitt’s triples Saturday came in the second quarter. Tara Deluca | Asst. Photo Editor

Ahead of the NCAA Tournament, though, Legette-Jack encouraged her to take more shots — Schmitt had only made 10 3s the entire season leading into Saturday. They didn’t necessarily need to go in, she just needed to take them. Schmitt was SU’s primary shooter on its scout team in practice. Everyone in the program knew she was capable of having a night like Saturday. She just hadn’t shown it.

“Earlier in the season, we wanted her to be a facilitator,” Legette-Jack said. “Without (Darius) being out there, we needed somebody to put that thing in the air, and boy, did she do a great job.”

Schmitt said Legette-Jack told her it’d be a big game for their shooters. But nobody could’ve expected it to be this big.

While Maddy Potts got the start at point guard, Schmitt checked in with two minutes to play in the first. SU led 11-8 after a Potts fast-break bucket, although that lead quickly became a three-point hole after Audi Crooks and Jada Williams scored six straight for Iowa State. Phelia said the Orange were looking for a way to figure things out on offense.

They got a hint at the answer on the first possession of the second quarter. Izoje missed a jumper from the free throw line, Sophie Burrows crashed the glass for the offensive board and kicked it out to Schmitt in the right corner. Nothing but net.

Three minutes later, she sprung free at the top of the key while Izoje received a post entry pass. Izoje slung it to Schmitt for the straightaway triple. She rattled it in off the back iron.

It was then, Phelia said, that she knew Schmitt was heating up.

“The first thing in my mind was just, ‘Alright, we’re good, we got it,’” Phelia said. “‘She’s hot right now. We need to figure out how to keep getting her the ball.’”

So, Syracuse did. Three possessions later, Schmitt sized up Williams from the right wing before gathering her dribble and letting it fly. Butter. Next time down the court, she drove into Arianna Jackson and stepped back into a one-dribble pull up that touched nothing but nylon.

“She was creating her own shot,” Phelia said. “We just had to keep her going.”

The Orange did. With just over three minutes to play, Schmitt received a screen from Aurora Almon, stepped back from the top of the key and swished another triple. It capped a 23-8 Syracuse run, part of an utterly dominant 30-12 second quarter margin that paved the way for the win.

Schmitt didn’t score in the second half, but it didn’t matter. She had already provided the spark. Schmitt’s sharpshooting was all Syracuse could’ve asked for on a night it so desperately needed some support from the bench.

Spark may not be the right word, actually. How about flame? Torch? Explosion? Something was clearly ignited inside the sophomore guard. Something Syracuse hasn’t often had from its bench scorers this year.

Whatever it was — and whenever it was — Syracuse wants to harness it. March Madness runs are built on the type of unpredictable outings Schmitt displayed Saturday night. And if she has just a bit more magic, perhaps the Orange will keep dancing another day.

Published on March 21, 2026 at 11:17 pm
Contact Harris: harrispemberton@gmail.com | @HarrisPemb6