The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team (11-2, 1-1) looked like their offense got lost in transit after a 71-51 loss to the Duke Blue Devils (7-6, 2-0) on Sunday afternoon. It was the lowest scoring game of the season for the Orange as they shot 34% from the field, 2-12 from 3 and just 5-12 from the foul line.
Domonique Darius led Syracuse with 18 points and Laila Phelia had 11. They were the only Orange players in double figures as foul trouble limited Uche Izoje (8 points and 4 rebounds) to just 18 minutes. Duke’s Toby Fournier had a game-high 22 points on 10-15 from the field.
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Syracuse got off to a solid start holding a 12-5 lead early before the Blue Devils rallied to make it 14-14 after the 1st quarter. Duke took control of the game in the 2nd quarter opening up with a 7-0 run before Darius converted over 4 minutes into the frame. Phelia brought the Orange within four, but Duke finished the quarter on a 10-1 run to open up a 33-22 lead at the break.
Despite the strong attendance, the Orange were unable to mount a comeback. 19 turnovers helped stymie any potential push from Syracuse in this one. The bench has been a big help for Felisha Legette-Jack’s squad all season, but on Sunday they contributed just 9 points- 6 from Journey Thompson.
The Blue Devils defense held Syracuse to 29 second-half points as they cruised to an easy road victory. The Orange will return to the court on New Year’s Day as they host Florida State (5-9, 0-2). That game will tip at 6:00 from the JMA Wireless Dome and will stream on ACCNX.
