Syracuse women’s basketball survives late scare from Cal in triple overtime thriller

A back-and-forth nail biter is what defines Syracuse women’s basketball’s triple overtime victory over Cal in the JMA Wireless Dome. Veteran guard Sophie Burrows was one of the team’s leading scorers on the night behind Uche Izoje who finished with 22 points. Burrows’ mentality spoke to the final 90-87 score.

“I was going to keep playing until we won,” Burrows said.

Syracuse guard Laila Phelia knocked down a quick three-pointer to open scoring on the night. Junior guard Sophie Burrows took control of the ball next, feeding freshman center Uche Izoje for another Orange basket. SU started strong on both ends of the court, allowing Cal only four points through the first six minutes of play. While the defense remained effective, the SU offense fell into a funk, shooting just 27% from the field through the first ten minutes of play. 

Burrows went on a streak in the second, scoring six straight for the Orange, building a 22-12 lead. Phelia returned to the floor and added two more buckets onto the night. Cal crept up on SU after center Sakima Walker was knocked on her way to the basket and sank her foul shot. This spark from the Golden Bears continued, cutting the gap the ‘Cuse created to just five.

Just as quickly as Cal’s momentum came, ‘Cuse began to pull away again. In the final minutes of the first half, the Orange built an 11-point lead. Phelia didn’t miss a beat in the first half and finished with 11 points. Cal’s offense struggled, shooting 7-24 from the field and failing to knock down a single three. Heading into the half Syracuse led 34-23.

Heading into the back end of the game, center Sakima Walker held the offense afloat adding eight points through four minutes. Syracuse kept its foot on the pedal. Dominique Darius scored four points while Izoje and Phelia each contributed to keep the SU lead in double digits. The Orange held on strong separating themselves from the Golden Bears 53-37 with ten minutes left of play.

Cal responded to a dominant Syracuse defense, going on a 7-2 run and cutting the deficit to single digits. SU remained steady, but Cal continued to patiently close the gap to just five in the last two minutes of the game.

In the final 60 seconds, Cal’s Taylor Barnes knocked down a three, making it a two-point game. After Syracuse failed to score on its next possession, Cal’s Naya Ojukwu scored to tie things up. Laila Phelia had a chance to call “game” on SU’s final possession, but an off-balance layup missed the mark, sending the game into overtime tied 62-62.

Cal took its first lead of the night quickly, leading ‘Cuse 66-63 early in OT. Izoje responded for the Orange, scoring on back-to-back possessions. With Syracuse back in control on the scoreboard, the Nigerian native found the net again and extended the SU lead to three. Cal’s Mjracle Sheppard put the Golden Bears back on SU’s tail with a layup that made her squad only down by one. After Darius knocked down a pair of free throws and Izoje added one more at the free throw stripe, Syracuse had a daunting four-point lead with 15 seconds left of play. 

The Golden Bears once again sent Darius to the line. With no timeouts remaining, Cal was forced to run down the court for one last heave. With slim chances due to a ticking game clock, Lulu Twidale connected on a miraculous step-back three to send the game into double overtime, 73-73.

Both teams traded basket for basket and with three minutes to play, Burrows hit a shot from downtown followed by a fadeaway two, giving SU an 81-80 lead. After both teams failed to convert on ensuing possessions, Cal’s Taylor Barnes scored in transition through contact and tacked on one more at the line to make the score 83-81 in favor of the Golden Bears. Syracuse, seemingly out of options, had one final chance to tie things up. Darius fought to the basket to even the score and put five more minutes back on the clock.

After four straight misses on both ends of the floor, Darius drew a foul and headed to the free throw line to shoot. The guard missed the first but knocked down her second to tie the score. Cal came up empty-handed on their possession and Darius found another chance to put the Orange up. Standing at the top of the key, Darius drilled a three to put SU ahead with three-and-a-half seconds to play. That shot proved to be the dagger as Cal’s last-second attempt didn’t fall. 

The Orange finished the night shooting just 36% from the field. Syracuse head coach Felicia Legette-Jack spoke to the team’s resilience and perseverance on a night when not every shot went in the hoop. 

“That’s what it takes when things begin to break down,” Legette-Jack said. “They’re gonna do whatever it takes to help the team find success.”

Darius was crucial for SU throughout the game, right up to the final shot. 

“I got emotional because everybody wants the game-winning shot, but after what I’ve been through it felt like it all came to me at once,” Darius said after knocking down the game-winner. 

An emotional Legette-Jack added on to Darius’s heroics and her choice to let the senior take the final shot.

“Tied score, she deserves it, her moment,” Legette-Jack said. “We have to help kids become different. Anybody could be out there with that opportunity, but she deserved it.” 

The win moved Syracuse to 15-3 on the season and 5-2 in conference play. The Orange have their next matchup on Sunday at home.