Syracuse falls to St. Joseph’s as costly errors prove too much to overcome

In just the second game of the season, Syracuse Women’s Basketball displayed its weaknesses in the 84-70 loss against St. Joseph’s earlier today. The result surprised the Orange faithful, one that nobody saw coming under the current regime.

The game had its ups and downs for both teams; however, the Orange made the wrong plays at the wrong time. 

In the first quarter, SU wasted no time putting the pedal to the metal. Sophomore Guard Sophie Burrows got off to a hot start after draining two three-pointers early to give the Orange the advantage. At the end of the quarter, they shot just under 50% from the field and were up by eight points. 

Unfortunately, St. Joseph’s was in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game.

After a 25-point second quarter, SJU went into halftime with a three-point lead. In the third quarter, barely any adjustments were made on either side of the ball. The Orange started to lose their chances and were down by twenty-one points near the end of the game.

This game could have gone in the opposite direction if Syracuse’s defensive plan was altered.

For SJU, Talya Brugler, Mackenzie Smith, and Laura Ziegler are considered its “big three.” All of them were solid in the first half, and Syracuse was exceptional in containing Ziegler for the rest of the game. In basketball, it is a proven fact that a big three is hard to stop, and The Orange proved that in the second half.

Smith and Brugler ended up combining for fifty-four points; they both had performances in the high twenties regarding scoring. They also were prominent on the other side of the ball, helping St. Joseph’s force twenty-one SU turnovers throughout the game.

Hence, this was a game that the Orange would put in the rearview mirror after Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack conveyed a message to her team.

There have been high expectations for the third-year head coach. After winning the Coach of the Year award in the ACC last year, the Syracuse faithful had a ton of trust in her going into this season. However, the Hawks were previously soaring for the stars themselves after a 28-6 campaign just last year. 

“Twenty-seven wins in a row, that is pretty incredible by a team that had to rebuild their culture, create a team, and fight hard to get the foundation they have,” Leggette-Jack said postgame. “It was a long time coming. They’re excited about winning at Syracuse clearly, and it’s a disappointment that we didn’t give our best effort. I like to keep it real; the best team won tonight.”

Syracuse has a few days off before its next game on Wednesday at seven against Maryland in the dome. This is also expected to be a tough battle for both teams and should be very important come tournament time in March.