SU earns its 11th ACC win in ‘Pink Out’ game against Clemson

Syracuse women’s basketball built on its blowout win against Pittsburgh last week, battling to beat Clemson 68-64 on Sunday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome. 

The Orange came out hot, beginning the game on an 8-0 run. Both teams settled in, but Syracuse maintained its lead through the half by easy points through offensive rebounds. 

Sophie Burrows was the biggest contributor to the contest, grabbing a career high 16 rebounds, 8 of which were on the offensive glass. Burrows created opportunities everywhere she could, adding her team-leading 19 points on 9/16 from the field.

“I just wanted to come in and try to impact the game in ways that weren’t just scoring,” Burrows said. “Whether that was defense or offensive rebounds today, that was my goal.”

But whenever the Orange looked to pull away, Clemson had an answer. Guards Hannah Kohn and Taylor Johnson-Matthews hit three crucial 3s in the first half to keep the tigers from going down more than 11. 

Clemson leading scorer Mia Moore followed her back-to-back 30-plus point performances with a strong 17 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Outside of Moore, Clemson’s starters combined for eight points, leading to Johnson-Matthews and Kohn high impact. 

Even though Syracuse led for all of 19 seconds of the game, Clemson had an opportunity to tie with less than a minute to go. With 13 seconds remaining, Clemson forward Demeara Hinds had the ball under the basket, but her shot was hindered by the defense of sophomore Shy Hawkins, who then was fouled after securing the rebound. 

“I was very focused on rebounding,” Hawkins said. “Just get a stop and get the rebound.”

Photo by Sadie Jones

Syracuse Orange women’s basketball guard Jasmyn Cooper (30) battles for position against Clemson Tigers women’s basketball forward Raven Thompson (32) on Sunday.

Syracuse out-rebounded Clemson 88 to 67 and 27 to 1 on offensive rebounds. Those 27 rebounds resulted in 14 second-chance points, making a real difference down the stretch. 

Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said the effort on the boards reflects the team’s passion for each other and for the court.

“Clemson did a great job of trying to block us out. But our story is too important to us for that,” she said. 

Outside of Burrows, senior guard Laila Phelia dropped 17 points, her most since her 21-point performance against Miami on Feb. 1. While she shot an inefficient 5-15 from the field, she went 7-7 from the free-throw line, staying poised down the stretch when the game got tighter.

“I thought the biggest thing for us was just sticking to our principles no matter what the situation was … we’re not going to freak out and we’ll stick to what we know,” Phelia said. 

Former all-American point guard Tiana Mangakahia’s legacy was honored throughout the afternoon. She died of breast cancer last September at the age of 30. 

“I know today just coming in that we’re playing for something bigger than ourselves, playing for Tiana especially,” Burrows said. “I think it was just really important for me to come out and play as hard as I can.”

Burrows acknowledged the mindset shift with Mangakahia in mind.

Photo by Sadie Jones

Fans were encouraged to wear pink during Syracuse Orange women’s basketball’s annual Play4Kay Pink Out game on Sunday. The program recognized former Syracuse standout Tiana Mangakahia, who died from cancer this past September.

The Orange have a week’s rest before heading to Raleigh, N.C., on Feb. 22 to take on 17-7 NC State. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.