Syracuse University
23-7,12-6ACC
California
19-14,9-9ACC
Orange Advance to Ally ACC Tournament Quarterfinal Round
3/5/2026 7:53:00 PM | Women's Basketball
DULUTH, Ga.-Â The No.7 seed Syracuse women's basketball team (23-7, 12-6) opened up postseason play in the second round of the 2026 Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament by taking down the No.10 seed California Golden Bears (19-14, 9-9) with a final score of 70-59. Uche Izoje recorded her 14th double-double of the year as Laila Phelia and Sophie Burrows combined for 30 points to advance to the Quarterfinal Round.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orange jumped out to a 23–7 lead after the first quarter thanks to strong defensive play. Syracuse relied heavily on its defense throughout the opening period, holding the Golden Bears scoreless for the first two minutes of the game and again during a stretch that lasted for over six minutes. The Orange forced eight turnovers and added a block in the quarter.
Izoje led the way offensively in the first quarter with eight points, while guard Burrows added six.Â
Izoje opened the scoring for the Orange in the second quarter, but Syracuse would be held scoreless for more than two minutes until Phelia found Olivia Schmitt open in the corner for a three, pushing the lead to 17. Phelia later knocked down a tough jumper to extend 'Cuse's advantage to 21 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half.
Syracuse carried the momentum into the locker room after Izoje delivered a phenomenal block that led to Phelia burying a deep three, sending the Orange into halftime with a 37-16 lead.
Izoje and Phelia both reached double figures in the first half, with Izoje leading all scorers with 12 points and Phelia adding 11.
Coming out of the break, Phelia grabbed an offensive rebound and finished strong to open the second-half scoring for Syracuse. A few possessions later, she found Sophie Burrows, who knocked down a fadeaway three with the shot clock winding down to push the SU lead back to 20.
'Cuse ended a 9–0 Golden Bear run thanks to two free throws by Shy Hawkins. California later cut the lead to 10, but Hawkins responded again, knocking down two more free throws to push the Orange advantage back to 12.
After trading buckets late in the quarter, Syracuse held a ten-point advantage heading into the final 10 minutes of play.Â
California opened the final quarter of play by chipping into the 'Cuse lead, but Phelia got to the line and converted on both to push the Orange advantage back to eight. Coming out of a timeout and leading by five, Izoje stopped the California momentum by knocking down jumpers on back-to-back possessions to increase the SU lead back to nine.Â
After the Golden Bears cut their deficit down to four, Izoje came up big for the Orange, converting an and-one off of an offensive rebound, giving 'Cuse a seven-point lead with just under four minutes remaining. That seven-point lead would hold until Burrows broke the press and found Phelia open for a layup with 50 seconds to go to increase the Orange lead to nine. Syracuse was able to seal the win with strong free-throw shooting in the final seconds, ending with a final score of 70-59 in favor of the Orange.
OF NOTEÂ
- The win is Syracuse's first ACC Tournament win since March 5, 2021 when the team beat Florida State 68-67.
- The victory is also the first ACC Tournament win for head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.Â
- Uche Izoje recorded her fourth straight double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
- Izoje is the first SU player to record a double-double in the ACC Tournament since Kamilla Cardoso on March 5, 2021.Â
- Syracuse is now 2-2 all-time against California and 1-0 against the Golden Bears in the ACC Tournament.
- Sophie Burrows recorded her 16th straight game scoring a 3-point bucket.
- California was held to its season low in points in both a first quarter and a first half against the Orange.
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UP NEXT
The Orange will face No. 2 seed Louisville in the Quarterfinal Round of the Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 6. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, and will be televised on ESPN2.
For more on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow @CuseWBB on social media.
