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Fighting for an Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament spot, Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack wanted to see her veterans step up.

“We have five seniors that can really change the trajectory of what’s going to take place,” Legette-Jack said on Feb. 26. “They come out ready to go, blazing fire and giving their best effort. We’re going to have more games.”

The Orange had endured their share of losing streaks this season and entered Thursday against Pittsburgh on a four-game slide. In its last game, SU fell to Duke, tying a season-low 19 points in the first half, highlighting its recent struggles in the paint.

But SU’s seniors answered their coach’s call. Behind a dominant showing by Georgia Woolley and Kyra Wood, Syracuse (11-17, 5-12 Atlantic Coast) clinched an ACC Tournament spot with an 83-65 win over Pitt (12-18, 4-13 Atlantic Coast). Woolley registered 25 points and a season-high nine assists, while Wood had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Woolley said the Orange rallied because the seniors realized this was their chance to extend their season.

“We don’t want it to be over,” Woolley said. “We want to play through March.”

Unlike their slow start against the Blue Devils, the Orange shot 51% in the first half to take a nine-point lead into halftime. The Panthers crawled back at times in the second half, but Sophie Burrows’ 21 points and Dominique Camp’s nine assists helped SU pull out the victory.

Backed by a five-point cushion midway through the first quarter, Woolley knocked down SU’s first 3 of the contest. On defense, Syracuse slowed Pitt with two steals and two blocks, getting out to a 12-4 lead with under four minutes in the first quarter.

Olivia Schmitt, who came off the bench after a start against the Blue Devils, orchestrated SU’s offense with Camp getting early rest. She found Burrows for 3, helping Syracuse lead 19-10 at the end of the first quarter, its fewest points allowed in the first during ACC play this season.

Two games ago against then-No. 9 UNC, the Orange struggled to find production from their bench. But to start the second quarter, they built a 34-16 lead through contributions from a total of five different scorers.

Freshman Shy Hawkins led SU’s bench early on, scoring seven of her nine points on a pair of jumpers and a layup, as Syracuse went on a 15-6 run. The seniors opening the floor to give Hawkins space to operate stood out to Legette-Jack.

“The biggest thing I saw the seniors do was surrender to a freshman,” Legette-Jack said. “And (Hawkins) stepped up, and they showed that they trusted her, and she responded accordingly.”

The Orange, led by Wood and Izabel Varejão, dominated the boards in the frame. The Panthers’ leading rebounder Khadija Faye even threw her arms up in frustration after failing to come down with an offensive rebound.

The anger lit a fire under Faye, who ranks third in the ACC in scoring with 18.5 points per game. She scored four straight midway through the quarter and finished tied with Woolley with a game-high 25 points.

With the help of Brooklynn Miles and MaKayla Elmore, Pitt went on a 13-2 run to end the second quarter. Burrows also went to the locker room holding her shoulder with two-and-a-half minutes left in the quarter.

Without Burrows, SU went on more than a four-minute scoring drought. At one point in the frame, Syracuse led by 20 points but had its lead trimmed to nine at halftime.

Syracuse needed an adjustment. So junior guard Lexi McNabb stayed behind in the locker room to tell Legette-Jack how to expose Pitt’s defense. McNabb noticed the Panthers were switching their defenders, and the Orange could exploit certain matchups.

Pitt still put the pressure on, pulling within six points two minutes into the frame. However, SU responded. Spearheaded by defensive plays and Woolley working the ball inside, the Orange extended their lead to 46-34.

Around the three-minute mark of the third, there was a chance for McNabb’s idea to pay off. Woolley noticed that Pitt guard Marley Washenitz was defending Saniaa Wilson, so she got the ball to Wilson for an easy layup. A minute later, Woolley and Varejão teamed up for a pick-and-roll that led to two points.

“That opened up the game. It just blew us out of the water, and they couldn’t adjust after we did that,” Legette-Jack said. “I thought that was the biggest thing that happened in the entire game other than those guys hitting those shots.”

Syracuse’s inside shots and perimeter started to open up. Woolley, already with 14 points, found her rhythm, tallying three assists in the frame before adding two free throws.

Less than a minute into the fourth, Pitt cut SU’s lead to 54-50, and Wood responded right away with a layup.

“We lost the lead, we didn’t panic and we got back together,” Legette-Jack said.

Burrows had been quiet since returning to the game but then heated up. Burrows said postgame that Legette-Jack encouraged her on the bench, which was a “reality check.” In quick succession, she finished two and-ones and hit a 3 to lift SU ahead by eight points.

Then, in the middle of the fourth, Syracuse received the final push from its veterans, something Legette-Jack had been calling for throughout the season. Wood finished through contact, and Woolley and Burrows each delivered triples as SU outscored Pitt by 12 in the final frame.

“It’s just simple. We don’t want to be done yet,” Legette-Jack said. “We really are a good team.”

Published on February 27, 2025 at 9:10 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32