Women’s basketball overcomes injuries and double-digit deficit in win
SU overcomes injuries and double-digit deficit in win
The Orange climbed back from a 14-point hole despite only having nine healthy players against Cornell.
As finals week concluded on Monday, Syracuse women’s basketball passed a tougher-than-expected test against the Cornell Big Red at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The Orange (9-1) overcame a 14-point second half deficit, prevailing 78-71 over their in-state rivals from Ithaca despite only having nine players for the game.
“We really had to fight,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “(Cornell) was not going to give it to us. We had to fight for the energy.”
For the first 25 minutes of the game, Cornell was the better team, executing its half-court offense almost flawlessly while the Orange—missing starting graduate center Izabel Varejão and freshman guard Sophie Burrows—stagnated and missed open opportunities.
An eight-point halftime lead for the visitors swelled to 14 when Clarke Jackson scored to put Cornell up 50-36 with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter.
Something needed to change for the Orange.
“We got mad,” Syracuse junior guard Georgia Woolley said after the game. “That’s it. We got mad. We came out and refocused and locked into who we are. We lost who we are a little bit, and once we did that, we were good.”
“It was really us figuring out ‘who is Syracuse women’s basketball?’” freshman forward Alyssa Latham said. “That first half, that was not us. It was really us just digging and focusing on that and playing Syracuse women’s basketball.”
Syracuse got the momentum it desperately needed, cutting the deficit to 54-49 by the end of the third quarter.
Some well-timed baskets from the Big Red kept the Orange at bay, with Jackson converting an easy layup to put the visitors up 63-57 with 6:13 remaining.
But Syracuse kept coming, using full-court pressure to force Cornell into a few untimely turnovers. Two free throws from graduate guard Dyaisha Fair brought the Orange to 63-62 with just over four minutes remaining.
After another Big Red turnover against the press, Fair struck from deep to cap an 8-0 run and give SU a 65-63 lead—its first advantage since the first quarter.
The visitors regained the lead at 67-66 with 2:48 remaining, but a key three from graduate guard Alaina Rice put Syracuse back in front seconds later.
After Fair rebounded her own missed three on Syracuse’s next trip, Woolley applied the early dagger, nailing a triple from the wing to give the Orange a 72-67 lead with under two minutes.
Two foul shots from Fair off yet another turnover sealed the game.
After struggling on the boards for much of the game, Syracuse totaled 14 second-chance points in the final frame, which were crucial in keying the comeback.
Seven fourth-quarter turnovers—which turned into 11 Syracuse points—proved to be damning for the Big Red, who lacked composure once the Orange began heavily pressing.
Without Varejão and Burrows, and with junior forward Saniaa Wilson saddled with foul trouble, Legette-Jack didn’t have many options off the bench.
So, the Orange leaned on the experienced duo of Fair and Woolley for the bulk of their scoring output.
Fair overcame a slow start to lead the Orange with 24 points, despite shooting just 3-for-13 from the floor. She repeatedly drew fouls and lived at the free-throw line, making 16-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe.
Woolley had 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting and a 4-for-7 mark from 3-point range in 39 minutes of action.
Other usual starters Rice and Latham, had eight and nine points respectively, while spending nearly all the game on the floor.
After getting out to a quick start, the Orange went over seven minutes without scoring, missing nine straight shots and seeing the early lead vanish. Syracuse continued to sputter, and Cornell slowly built its lead up.
The Orange struggled on the boards in the first half, getting out-rebounded 23-16 in the opening 20 minutes. A put-back and score from Emily Pape was a momentum-killer and sent Cornell into the break up 37-29.
Pape had a game-high 27 for the Big Red, who scored over 70 points for just the second time this season.
Syracuse returns to action for a 10:30 a.m. tip-off against Saint Francis on Thursday to close its non-conference schedule. A win would send the Orange into conference play with a 10-1 record.
is the Sports Lead Producer for The NewsHouse.
is a contributor for The NewsHouse.