Syracuse’s run ends with a 98-45 loss to UConn, a game that is out of reach before it ever settles.
Coming off a win over Iowa State, Syracuse enters the matchup on the road against undefeated UConn, and from the opening minutes, it is clear what the women’s basketball team is up against.
From the opening minutes, nothing settles.
Five turnovers in the first six minutes force two early timeouts in an attempt to slow things down, but it doesn’t make a difference. UConn jumps out to a 20-6 lead, turning every Syracuse mistake into points and taking control immediately.
By the end of the first quarter, it is already 33-8.
UConn shot over 70% in the opening quarter, getting whatever it wanted in transition, in the paint and from three. Syracuse couldn’t string together stops or possessions and was constantly chasing the game.
The second quarter puts it out of reach.
Syracuse’s offense stalled, managing just four points in the period and going long stretches without a field goal. On the other end, UConn kept building.
Another 32-point quarter sends the Huskies into halftime with a 65-12 lead, a 53-point gap that reflects exactly how the game played out.
“We came out… on the back foot,” Sophie Burrows said. “And against a team like UConn, you can’t come out like that.”
Azzi Fudd led the way with 34 points, knocking down eight threes and controlling the game from the perimeter. Sarah Strong added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Blanca Quiñonez contributed 18 more, as UConn’s offense came from everywhere. They spaced the floor, moved the ball and it showed in every part of the game.
For Syracuse, it wasn’t just one issue. It was everything.
The Orange turned the ball over twenty times, leading directly to 35 points for UConn. Every mistake became a runout, and even in the half court, Syracuse struggled to keep up with the ball movement and spacing.
When the shots were there, they didn’t fall.
Syracuse finished shooting 32.8% from the field and one-for-eighteen from three. That cannot happen in March. The second half didn’t change the result, but it did show something about this group. Both teams scored 17 in the third and 16 in the fourth, but the outcome was already decided. The pace evened out, but the damage was already done.
“We just needed to clean up that first half,” Burrows said.
After a difficult year, this group turned a corner. Picked near the bottom of the ACC, Syracuse grew into a team that fought its way back to the NCAA Tournament, built on belief and trust inside the locker room.
“I’m just really proud of the way we kind of turned that corner and believed in ourselves,” Burrows said. “No one believed in us, but we believed in ourselves… that sisterhood that we created.”
That belief showed up in players like Laila Phelia.
After dealing with a retinal detachment and questioning her future in basketball, she found stability in Syracuse through head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
“When I talked to Coach Jack… she was the one coach that really truly felt and understood exactly what I was going through,” Phelia said. “Her confidence in me straight off the bat, it just gave me a sense of belief.”
That belief carried this team all season, even if it didn’t show on the scoreboard tonight.
“Syracuse deserves a better showing than we did today,” Legette-Jack said. “But I hope they saw the second half… we just didn’t do the best job in the first half.”
Uche Izoje led Syracuse with 12 points, while Phelia added 10, but there was never a stretch where the Orange could make the game competitive.
UConn finished 55.9% from the field and 50% from three, controlling every part of the night from start to finish.
The final score, 98-45, reflects it.
In March, you win to advance. For Syracuse, the season ends here, but what this team built all year doesn’t end tonight. It is belief, resilience, and a true sense of family that stays with them.