SYRACUSE, NY- The Syracuse Orange notch a win for their conference in the ACC-SEC Challenge in a hardnose overtime battle.
While it was not a pretty offensive performance for the Orange, only shooting 34.9% from the field and 0-16 from three-point range, it was the effort outside the box score that fueled the Orange.
Crashing the boards, second effort on loose balls, active hands in passing lanes, and applying constant pressure on the Tigers allowed the Orange to outpace an athletic Auburn team.
The Orange finished with 15 steals, 7 blocks, and outrebounded Auburn 16-7 on the offensive glass.
Head coach Felisha Legette-Jack kept it simple when describing her teams fight.
“Ferocious,” Jack said. “It’s the kind of game I love. It’s called defense and we weren’t going to relinquish a single point.”
Freshman center Uche Izoje was an anchor of that mentality. She had a stellar performance, claiming her second double-double of her young career.
Izoje finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and added five blocks and a steal. This adds more to her resumé after being named ACC Rookie of the Week on Monday.
Free throw shooting from the Orange also provided an edge, especially late in the game. The Orange sank 22 of 27 free throws, good for 81 percent as a team.
The Orange finished with four players scoring in the double digits with senior guard Dominique Darius leading the way with 20 points.
Junior guard Sophie Burrows was one of those players with 11 points, and her four steals came up huge. Burrows intercepted a pass with 24 seconds left in overtime which led to her sinking two free throws to put the game out of reach.
“Honestly the ball just kind of ended up in my hands,” Burrows said. “The on-ball defense forced the pass my direction and I kind of got residuals of that.”
This was the first win over Auburn in program history. The Orange were 0-5 in previous matchups dating back to 1988.
The Orange are now set their sets to Dallas, as they travel to face SMU on Sunday at 3pm EST.
After tonight’s statement win, Coach Jack has a message for the rest of the country.
“We’re coming after everybody that’s in our way of our dreams,” Jack said. “We’re going to learn lessons, and we’re going to win.”