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In a season of ups and downs, Syracuse has hit its biggest snag, not just this year, but in the three-year tenure of head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.

On Sunday, despite a close loss to Louisville three days prior, the Orange were demolished by Boston College 92-51. This marked SU’s largest loss under Legette-Jack.

Syracuse has been plagued by injuries this year, and against the Eagles, it was hit hard again. Leading scorer Georgia Woolley missed the contest with the flu, Legette-Jack reported on ’Cuse Sports Talk Tuesday. The rest of the team couldn’t replicate her production, with Kyra Wood only contributing two points and SU committing 21 turnovers.

In SU’s next contest against No. 20 NC State, Woolley returned, providing an instant spark. Syracuse got out to a 42-32 halftime lead, propelled by Woolley and Sophie Burrows’ nine first-half points. But Syracuse’s poor 3-point shooting eventually came back to bite it, as the Wolfpack came back in the fourth quarter.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (7-12, 1-7 Atlantic Coast) 74-66 to No. 20 NC State (15-4, 7-1 Atlantic Coast):

Woolley inconsistent in return

Woolley, alongside Wood and Izabel Varejão, have all been sidelined briefly this season, hurting the Orange. With Woolley missing the game versus BC, no one stepped up in her place, leading to the lopsided loss.

The Australian returned to SU’s starting lineup versus the Wolfpack and was largely inconsistent. Woolley misfired a contested mid-range shot two minutes in, then checked out at the 8:14 mark of the first. She returned three minutes later, immediately banking in a floater and forcing a turnover.

Just a minute later, Woolley found some space at the free-throw line and drained another from the mid-range. But she didn’t hit another shot until 5:35 left in the second quarter, a triple from the right wing. She finished the first with nine points with a mid-range jumper from the right side.

Though in the second half, it was a different story. Woolley shot 0-for-9 from the field after the break. This allowed NC State to creep back into the game, making the contest close down the stretch. Though she ended the contest with 15 points, tacking on via free throws, her second-half struggles led to the Orange’s loss.

Barrage from deep

On Thursday, both teams tried copious attempts from 3 but couldn’t get many to drop. NC State’s Madison Hayes had three wide-open attempts in the first three minutes but sank just one. For SU, Dominique Camp and Burrows responded to Hayes with hits from deep, putting Syracuse ahead 12-7 midway through the first.

Though after that, both teams went cold from 3. Burrows and Zamareya Jones misfired from beyond the arc after the under-5 timeout. Burrows sank her second of the game to put the Orange up 20-13 near the end of the first.

In the second quarter, Burrows whiffed from distance before Woolley drained SU’s third 3 of the half. Though Varejão hit just her second triple of the year to conclude the half, Syracuse was just 4-of-14 while NC State was 1-of-10 from deep.

In the final 20 minutes, not much changed, with Burrows miss three straight attempts from beyond the arc to start. Still, both teams kept shooting — albeit poorly. Syracuse finished the game just 5-of-24 from beyond the arc compared to the Wolfpack’s 4-of-17.

Strong rebounding

NC State is one of the best teams in the country at defensive rebounding. Per HerHoopStats, it ranks 15th in defensive (29.2) and 20th in total rebounds per game (41.6). With Syracuse’s prowess on the offensive glass, placing 14th with 15.5 offensive boards per contest, this looked to be a key matchup in the game.

In the first quarter, Syracuse dominated the boards. Wood and Saniaa Wilson repeatedly corralled rebounds after missed field goals, hitting the second-chance attempts. Toward the end of the first, Burrows wrestled the ball from NC State after a Varejão missed triple, converting the second-chance attempt.

The Orange finished the second half leading the Wolfpack in boards 22-21, notching 10 second-chance points too.

In the back half, Syracuse continued to flex its muscles on the glass, corralling two rebounds on one possession before a Wood made layup. The Orange pulled ahead in rebounds for the remainder of the game, finishing the game with a 49-40 advantage on the boards.

Point guard minutes

So far this season, Legette-Jack has experimented with her starting lineups, especially at point guard.

Entering Syracuse’s game against NC State, Dominique Camp had 11 starts, Angelica Velez logged five and Olivia Schmitt notched two. To begin ACC play, it looked like Camp had taken over the role, starting seven consecutive contests until Velez started versus the Eagles. Schmitt also seemed to be eliminated from the rotation but made her first appearance since the end of nonconference play against Louisville.

Against NC State, Camp got the start and canned a triple two minutes in. She remained in the lineup for the rest of the quarter but didn’t make another bucket. Midway through the second, Legette-Jack opted for a no point guard lineup, putting Lexi McNabb in the game for Camp.

Both Velez and Schmitt were nowhere to be seen, as Camp commanded all of the playing time between the three. Still, in 37 minutes, Camp was ineffective from the field, finishing with three points to pair with eight assists.

Published on January 23, 2025 at 8:05 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99