Syracuse Falls Short in the Fourth Quarter to Virginia

Syracuse, NY – In a close game, The Syracuse Orange (8-13, 2-8) women’s basketball team fell 70-67 to the Virginia Cavaliers (12-11, 4-7) Sunday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Senior guard Georgia Wooley walks off the court after the game against Virginia at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on February 2.
Photo taken by Mary Genrich.

The Syracuse Orange rocked pink uniforms to honor National Girls and Women in Sports Day. Before the game, Syracuse women from various sports hosted an interactive day for girls to try different sports. The kids tested out the rowing machines and tossed the lacrosse balls back and forth. Afterward, the participants cheered on the women’s basketball team.


Syracuse came off a dominant win against the Clemson Tigers, 67-55, but they could not maintain their momentum to secure the home win.


Syracuse played significant defense in this game but could not stop Virginia’s 3-point shooting. Virginia started strong, but Syracuse capitalized quickly halfway through the first quarter.

Sophomore Guard Sophie Burrows shoots a layup during game against Virginia at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on February 2.
Photo taken by Mary Genrich.


The game stayed close throughout, with Syracuse dominating the second and third quarters. However, Virginia closed out hard by outplaying Syracuse 18-9 in the fourth, which was sparked by an 11-3 run. Virginia was more consistent from the field and gained energy as the game went on, which is the ultimate storyteller.


During the post-game conference, Coach Legette-Jack said, “We had three great quarters, and then we panicked down the stretch, and we didn’t need to panic.”

Senior forward Kyra Wood shoots a layup during game against Virginia at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on February 2.
Photo taken by Mary Genrich.


Syracuse had opportunities and seemed to have a handle on the game until the end. In the third quarter, Guard Sophie Burrows was on fire behind the arc, landing a career-high 22 points with four three-pointers. Following close behind, Forward Kyra Wood scored 18 points with 15 rebounds and achieved a double-double.


Coach Legette-Jack repeatedly said the team didn’t stick to the game plan and that they would get back to work to execute. Wood also added that she noticed a pattern of the team not finishing the 40 minutes, and they need to do better at closing out each quarter.


“We got to bring out academics to basketball, and once we do that, we are going to be fine,” said Coach Legette-Jack.

Freshman guard Madeline Potts shoots a 3 pointer during game against Virginia at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY on February 2.
Photo taken by Mary Genrich.


The ladies will look to bounce back in conference play when they travel to Virginia Tech on Thursday, February 6, tip-off is set for 6 p.m.