Syracuse’s March run ends in 98-45 blowout by UConn
Syracuse’s March run ends in 98-45 blowout by UConn
A dominant first half from the Huskies proved too much for the Orange to handle.
Coming off a round one win over Iowa State, No. 9 Syracuse women’s basketball headed to Storrs, Conn., to face No. 1 UConn — a team the Orange faced back in 2024, on the same court, in the same round of the tournament.
Where the Orange only fell by eight points two years ago, that wasn’t the case Monday night. Syracuse suffered a devastating defeat to end the season, losing 98-45 to the Huskies.
The blowout was Syracuse’s worst-ever NCAA Tournament loss.
Syracuse had five turnovers in the first six minutes, forcing two early timeouts. UConn jumped out to a 20–6 lead in the first, turning every Syracuse mistake into points and immediately taking control.
By the end of the quarter, UConn already had a 25-point lead.
The Huskies shot for over 70% in the opening quarter, getting whatever it wanted in transition, in the paint, and from three. Syracuse couldn’t string together stops or possessions.
The second quarter put SU’s chances completely out of reach.
Syracuse’s offense stalled, managing just four points in the second and going long stretches without a field goal. On the other end, UConn kept building.
Another 32-point quarter sent the Huskies into halftime with a 65–12 lead, a 53-point gap that reflects exactly how the game played out.
“We came out on the back foot,” junior guard Sophie Burrows said. “And against a team like UConn, you can’t come out like that.”
Huskies guard Azzi Fudd led the way with 34 points, knocking down eight threes and controlling the game from the perimeter. Sophomore forward Sarah Strong added 18 points and nine rebounds, and freshman forward Blanca Quiñonez contributed 18 of her own. They spaced the floor, moved the ball and it showed in every part of the game.
The Orange turned the ball over 20 times, leading directly to 35 UConn points. Every mistake became a runout, and even in the half-court, Syracuse struggled to keep up with the ball movement and spacing.
When the shots were there, they didn’t fall.
Syracuse finished shooting 32.8% from the field and 1-18 from three.
The second half didn’t change the result, but it did show something about this group.
Both teams scored 17 in the third and 16 in the fourth, but the outcome was already decided. The pace evened out, but the damage was already done.
“We just needed to clean up that first half,” Burrows said.
After a difficult year, the Orange turned a corner. Picked near the bottom of the ACC, Syracuse grew into a team that fought its way back to the NCAA Tournament, built on belief and trust inside the locker room.
That belief showed up in players like Laila Phelia.
After dealing with a retinal detachment and questioning her future in basketball, she found stability in Syracuse through head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
“When I talked to Coach Jack, she was the one coach that really, truly felt and understood exactly what I was going through,” Phelia said. “Her confidence in me straight off the bat, it just gave me a sense of belief.”
That belief carried the team all season, even if it didn’t show on the scoreboard Monday.
“Syracuse deserves a better showing than we did today,” Legette-Jack said. “But I hope they saw the second half… we just didn’t do the best job in the first half.”
Uche Izoje led Syracuse with 12 points, while Phelia added 10, but there was never a stretch where the Orange made the game competitive.
UConn finished 55.9% from the field and 50% from three, controlling every part of the night from start to finish.
In March, you win to advance. For Syracuse, the season ends here, but what the team built all year doesn’t.
“We were picked thirteenth in the ACC,” Burrows said. “No one believed in us. But we believed in ourselves, and that was all that mattered. It was that belief in the locker room that we had and that sisterhood that we created.”
is a contributor for The NewsHouse.