SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Felisha Legette-Jack’s fourth season as the Syracuse Orange head coach opened the same way that her third did. SU blew out Division II Daemen at the JMA Wireless Dome on Tuesday night, 98-62. Syracuse rode a 33-point first quarter to a big lead that it kept extending. Here are the key reactions.
Laila Phelia wasted no time
After a retinal detachment limited her to just eight games last season with Texas, former All-Big Ten guard Laila Phelia made noise in her Syracuse debut. She drained a three from the left corner on her first attempt inside the Dome, and made another soon after. Phelia led the Orange with eight first-quarter points, and picked it up again in the second quarter. Her four second-quarter points included a tear drop off the glass.
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“After I saw a shot go in, I was like, okay I got it,” Phelia said. “I was very nervous. I just wanted to get in the flow. I wanted to be able to feed off my teammates’ energy, And I felt like they did a great job just helping me feel more comfortable out there.”
Most of her scoring came from off the ball on the wing, but she wasn’t afraid to get in the paint. Syracuse ran a few actions to get Phelia coming off of screens and moving towards the ball. She finished with 17 points in 17 minutes.
Uche Izoje’s post presence
The Orange gave 20-year-old freshman big Uche Izoje the start in her first game stateside, and she did not disappoint. Against an overmatched Daemen frontcourt, her length stood out, allowing her to reach high passes and score over defenders in the paint. Uche scored 11 points in the first half in just nine minutes, but also had to sit the final three minutes of the half after picking up two quick fouls.
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In the third quarter, it was more of the same. She got down the floor quickly, got into post positioning, and made herself a big target for Syracuse’s guards to find. She didn’t have any trouble finishing at the rim, scoring 19 points on 9-11 from the field.
In a Syracuse frontcourt that lost Kyra Wood, Izabel Varejao, and Saniaa Wilson, the freshman from Nigeria (by way of Japan) figures to be an important piece.
Extreme Pace
The first quarter was the fastest non-Niagara havoc-induced pace that I can remember seeing Syracuse play over the past few years. Both teams were taking early shots and trying to beat the other down the floor. While Syracuse did run in transition, lightning-quick half court offense factored into the equation as well.
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In the early stages of the second quarter, the Orange ran a few longer sets, forced a shot clock violation, and started to slow the game down, but the pace picked back up later in the quarter. Even when they sat back in a packed-in zone on defense, Syracuse was creating fast baskets on the offensive end.
“After the last game of the season, we went out to get quickness,” Legette-Jack said. “We bounced that ball about 18 times before we got to half-court last year and that’s not how I enjoy playing, that’s not what the fans want to see. We decided we’re going to get after some people who like to push it with a pass or push it with speed.”
No Olivia Schmitt
Sophomore point guard Olivia Schmitt was the only Syracuse player not to play in the exhibition. She wasn’t dressed due to a lower-body injury.
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The Orange open the season on Tuesday against Stony Brook inside the JMA Wireless Dome.
