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Heading into Syracuse’s road contest against Stanford, Sophie Burrows averaged 21.6 points over the last three games, leading the Orange to two wins.

In SU’s last game, starter Izabel Varejão was limited to four minutes due to illness and Burrows stepped up beyond scoring, pairing her 15 points with 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season.

But against Stanford, Burrows scored just two points in the first half on 1-of-6 shooting. With the Orange shooting 29%, the Cardinal built a 41-26 halftime lead behind 7-of-15 shooting beyond the arc. SU tried to keep pace but shot just 23% from 3.

Burrows’ shooting didn’t improve by much and neither did SU’s. After falling behind early, Syracuse (10-14, 4-9 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t climb back in the game, falling 79-58 to Stanford (12-12, 4-9 ACC). The Orange entered the contest on a two-game conference winning streak for the first time, but Stanford’s 10 triples propelled it to a 17-point lead in the first half and it had five players reach double figures, halting SU’s winning streak.

The Cardinal took advantage of the Orange’s slow defensive slides and outscored SU 10-4 on fast break points. One game ago, SU outscored Wake Forest 19-4 in transition. It wasn’t the same style of defense SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack had cultivated.

“We’re doing things out of characteristic and that’s a one step back after three weeks of being really special,” Legette-Jack said.

After being outscored 17-11 in the first quarter by Wake Forest, SU’s slow start carried over to its contest against Stanford. The Orange missed their first six shots from the field before Kyra Wood made a free throw.

Syracuse created open looks, including a 3 for Georgia Woolley, but it failed to convert. After Woolley committed two turnovers in the first five minutes, Legette-Jack sat the senior guard.

Syracuse struggled to slow down Stanford, who were without its top scorer, Nunu Agara. Elena Bosgana, who was pushed into Stanford’s lead scoring role due to Agara’s injury, scored six early points to lift the Cardinal to a 10-5 lead midway through the first quarter.

Along with Bosgana’s 3-of-5 shooting start, Stanford went on a 17-8 run behind Brooke Demetre’s three 3s and a triple by Chloe Clardy. SU shot just 3-of-9 during the stretch.

Woolley checked back in late in the first and hit two free throws, but Stanford already built a demanding 27-13 lead by the end of the frame.

“I thought (Woolley) brought the wrong energy in the first quarter,” Legette-Jack said. “When we got on her and sat her down, she understood the assignment. But we were so far behind, we couldn’t catch up.”

Down by 14 early in the second quarter, SU tried to shoot its way back into the contest, but continued to lack touch from long range. Madeline Potts nailed two 3s off the bench, but Woolley, Burrows and Dominique Camp combined to go 1-of-6 from 3 in the quarter.

Burrows, who made a career-high eight 3s to lead SU to a 93-87 victory over Virginia Tech two games ago, never found her touch from long range. She finished with six points on 3-of-11 shooting.

And Woolley, who entered second on Syracuse in 3s, shot 1-of-4 from beyond the arc early on.

On the other side, Stanford’s top scorers Bosgana and Demetre combined for 20 points in the first half. With the Orange trailing by 15, the Cardinal’s duo combined to score their first four points of the third quarter as they maintained a double-digit lead over the Orange.

The closest SU came to Stanford in the second half was 11 points. The Cardinal kept the Orange at a distance by torching the net from deep. SU’s defense couldn’t keep up with Stanford’s strong ball movement as it found Bosgana and Clardy for 3s on the right side of the arc.

Entering the fourth, Syracuse stared at a 14-point uphill battle and continued struggling to cut the deficit. While the Cardinal stretched their lead to 64-46, the Orange missed their first four shots to start the quarter.

SU emptied its bench, as all 13 players played but it was no match for Stanford. With about six minutes left, the Cardinal had five scorers in double figures while Woolley was SU’s only player with more than 10 points.

Stanford led by as much as 20 in the fourth quarter and Burrows’ off-game was marked with an 0-of-2 trip to the free throw line in the final minutes.

“We kept finding excuses on why things were getting crazy instead of saying ‘I own it, it’s my fault,’” Legette-Jack said. “We got to get better.”

Published on February 14, 2025 at 12:01 am

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32