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Prior to its matchup with Virginia Tech on Thursday, Syracuse showed inconsistency in finishing games.

The Orange led at halftime versus then-No. 20 NC State but crumbled in the second half. On Sunday against Virginia, SU looked to be en route to a comfortable win, holding a 14-point third-quarter advantage. But it collapsed again to lose 80-77.

It was more crucial than ever for the Orange to hold onto any lead it got versus the Hokies. SU entered the contest just half a game ahead of SMU for the final Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament berth.

Against Virginia Tech (15-8, 6-6 ACC), Syracuse (9-13, 3-9 ACC) finally played a complete game, registering a 93-87 win. The Orange recorded their highest-scoring half of the season, taking a 49-37 lead into the break. Despite VT tying the game with seven minutes left, Sophie Burrows’ career-high 28 points on 8-of-12 3-point shooting propelled SU to victory. The win maintained SU’s position in the last conference tournament spot.

“ That’s really the beginning of something special,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said postgame. “I think we’re a team that’s on the rise, and I just need us to believe that.”

Though with four minutes left, Syracuse led just 84-79. Kyra Wood then kissed a layup off the glass, but VT’s leading scorer, Carleigh Wenzel, drained a 3 to make it 86-82. Dominique Camp — who registered a double-double (12 points, 10 assists) — and Lani White traded field goals to make it a four-point game with one minute remaining.

But Angelica Velez put the dagger in the Hokies’ hearts. Just a 16.7% 3-point shooter, the LSU transfer drained a triple from the left corner to give SU a lead it’d never relinquish.

Before the game, it was revealed Virginia Tech’s Rose Micheaux — its second-leading scorer and leading rebounder — was out after getting injured in practice, per the ACC Network broadcast.

Without VT’s best post player, SU feasted in the paint, scoring 40 points in the area. The Orange went to work inside instantly, as Izabel Varejão and Wood both received the ball under the rim and converted multiple buckets. This put Syracuse up 14-12 midway through the quarter.

Burrows also got hot during the stretch, drilling two wide-open 3s. The sophomore entered the game having scored at least 15 points in four of SU’s last five games, pushing her season average to 10.6 points.

“They were going down, so I just kept shooting,” Burrows said to the ACC Network postgame. “I have some of the best rebounders in the ACC down there, so they really give me the confidence to just shoot.”

VT went on a 7-2 run to close the first quarter via five of Carys Baker’s career-high 24 points. But the Orange’s 8-of-12 clip from the field allowed them to maintain a 23-19 advantage after one quarter.

In the second, Syracuse kept pouring it on, opening on a 10-2 burst. This time, although the usual suspects of Wood and Varejão converted inside, the Orange’s bench got involved. On Sunday versus Virginia, only six SU players logged more than three minutes, which head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she regretted on Wednesday.

She changed that against the Hokies. Velez, Madeline Potts and Shy Hawkins all played at least 11 minutes off the bench. Hawkins, who didn’t play against UVA, scored four points to boost Syracuse to a 33-21 advantage.

To close the half, Burrows took over. With Varejão being helped off with an ankle injury and Woolley spending time on the bench after hitting the deck, SU turned to the sophomore.

She didn’t disappoint. Burrows drained three triples, pushing her to 17 points on 5-of-7 3-point shooting at halftime. This gave the Orange a 49-37 lead at the break.

In the third, Virginia Tech crawled back into the game via a 28-21 scoring disparity. Matilda Ekh and Lani White canned 3s to make it 52-45 Syracuse less than two minutes in.

Then, Wenzel went to work. Virginia Tech possesses one of the most balanced offenses in the country, with four players averaging double figures. But without Micheaux, this forced Wenzel — who leads the team with 14.2 points per game — to step up. She scored or assisted 14 of VT’s 19 points to begin the third quarter, pushing her to 19 points.

Syracuse led just 62-56 at the mid-quarter media timeout. It looked like the game was slipping away from it once again. But the team didn’t panic, per Legette-Jack. Instead, she wanted her players to play free and not worry about making mistakes. They listened, and it paid off.

Out of the break, Syracuse went pound for pound with the Hokies offensively. Velez, Burrows and Camp all converted inside, while Wenzel and Baker continued to get their way on the other end. SU took a narrow 70-65 advantage into the fourth.

Virginia Tech tied the game 77-77 with seven minutes remaining — the closest the game was since it was 8-7 in the first quarter — but the Orange fought back. Burrows’ eighth 3 gave them the lead for good.

Despite VT contending down the stretch, Syracuse finally held onto a second-half lead to down the Hokies. Legette-Jack was satisfied with her team’s ability to lay it all on the line, giving SU added security in its quest to make the conference tournament.

“At the end of this game, I want to be able to look in that mirror and say, ‘You know what? There was nothing else I could have done.’ And we’ve done that,” Legette-Jack said.

Published on February 6, 2025 at 8:04 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99