Legette-Jack calls for fan engagement after UAlbany upset Syracuse
Legette-Jack calls for fan engagement after UAlbany upset Syracuse
UAlbany hands Syracuse a shocking home loss as Legette-Jack calls out fan support.
It was Syracuse women’s basketball’s final game of a homestead; the result was a 73-70 upset loss to UAlbany.
The Orange did not play to the best of their abilities in a game where few fans were in the stands. Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack addressed the lack of attendance following the defeat.
“I’m disappointed in my fanbase here. If this is supposed to be home, prove it,” the Syracuse native said during her postgame press conference. “I’m the one coach that is from this place, and this is the respect that we get here?”
The game was not a pretty sight for those that did show up. The first quarter was the peak for SU; it scored twenty-one points in comparison to UAlbany’s nineteen. At one point, Syracuse had a fourteen-point lead, including a scoring run of 8-0.
The second quarter was when the Orange started to collapse. They shot under 40% from the field and only scored ten points. As for the Great Danes, they shot over 60%, along with a 50% mark from behind the arc.
SU went into the second half with a one-point lead. Changes had to be made, especially when the offense was not getting the ball through the net. Turnovers were another issue; SU had a whopping twelve turnovers in the first half alone.
Defensively, Syracuse could not stand the intriguing plays that were run by UAlbany head coach Colleen Mullen. Her book was deep, and she used it to the fullest extent.
Most of the schemes were very risky, but they seemed to pay off for the Great Danes. The game was much closer in the second half, and both teams had good and bad moments. It was at the final minute of play when freshman guard Olivia Schmidt had a costly turnover for the Cuse that put the Great Danes at an advantage.
After both teams committed offensive fouls, UAlbany had the ball with under thirty seconds left. The game was tied at 70, and a defensive stop would’ve given Syracuse a shot to seal the deal.
Off of a double-team, the ball was swung to graduate guard Lilly Phillips in the corner. She was left wide open and sank her shot to put the icing on the cake as another dangerous decision for the Great Danes paid off.
“The better team did not win today, the more prepared team did,” Legette-Jack after the game said. “The team that decided that every single possession was going to matter as if their life depended on it, and we thought that we had a tomorrow.”
This Monday marks the start of the Emerald Coast Challenge in Destin, Florida. Syracuse is set to face off against Missouri for its first tournament game. A Thanksgiving Tournament win would be just what the doctor ordered to try to regain the swagger that Syracuse Women’s Basketball had last season, which brought them to “the dance” last March.
