Syracuse cruises past Canisius 96-72 behind dominant first half

Syracuse women’s basketball dominated Canisius 96-72, propelled by a commanding first half in the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday night.

“It takes a village,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said about the team’s performance and what has shaped the team’s identity this season. “It takes a village to raise a team.”

The defense did what Legette-Jack wanted from the jump, creating 13 turnovers after the opening ten minutes.

“I just try to get going on the defensive end,” graduate guard Dominique Darius said. “Just being aggressive.”

Darius led the team with four steals on the night. The Orange turned that defense into offense, scoring 31 points off of turnovers in the first half.

Much of that offense came from graduate guard Laila Phelia, who started out the game 6-for-6 from the field and ended the game with a season-high 22 points. 

“I went back to my mid-range game,” Phelia said. “I couldn’t have done it without my teammates.”

Along with Phelia, Darius complemented her four steals with 21 points. 

Syracuse headed into halftime in full control, scoring 53 points and shooting above 60%, but they didn’t come back out with the same intensity. The third quarter was much more competitive, with Syracuse struggling to hit their shots at the same efficiency. 

Legette-Jack called a timeout to let her players get a chance to breathe.

“I had to call that timeout because I wanted to reset who we were,” Legette-Jack said about why she felt that timeout needed to be taken. 

One of the players that kept Syracuse in the driver’s seat was freshman center Uche Izoje, who shot 7-for-8 and had 17 points.  

“This kid could easily score 30 points if she stays out of foul trouble,” Legette-Jack said. “She’s such a fun kid.”

After a 4-0 Canisius run to open the fourth quarter cutting the Orange lead to 13, Syracuse put their foot on the gas, expanding their lead and closed out the contest.

A part of that was junior veteran Sophie Burrows, knocking down her first triple of the season, giving the Orange bench a big boost.

“It helps with the confidence,” Burrows said. “I know my coaches and teammates have full confidence in me.”

Though the 96 points was a season high for the Orange, the team’s focus is more on allowing 72 to the Golden Griffins.

“They really made us make some decisions,” Legette-Jack said about the challenge Canisius’ offense gave the ‘Cuse defense. “We’re going to be better watching this film.”

The Orange are off to a perfect 3-0 start, which is the third time in four seasons under Legette-Jack . 

SU has one more battle against Wagner before they head east to Uncasville, Connecticut for the Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, where the team will face off against Utah and Michigan.

These battles, along with facing the Auburn Tigers in the SEC/ACC Challenge, will be the toughest tests for the Orange before conference play.

The contest against the Wagner Seahawks will tip-off in the JMA Wireless Dome on Sunday at 2 p.m.