Syracuse holds off Florida State 82–72 for its first home ACC win of the season
Syracuse holds off Florida State 82–72 for its first home ACC win of the season
By Milo Hoffman | @milo_hoff
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After a disappointing 20-point defeat at the hands of Duke to begin the home ACC slate, Syracuse (12-2, 2-1 ACC) responded against Florida State (5-10, 0-3 ACC) 82-72. SU opened up a 26-14 lead in the first quarter, but the game grew uncomfortable for the Orange, and the Seminoles were within three come the fourth.
Uche Izoje was the focal point of SU’s offense with 21 points and a career-best 17 rebounds. Perhaps the most impressive part was that seven of those boards came on the offensive end, which kept possessions alive for the ‘Cuse. That was vital, as SU shot just 37% in the second half and 25% from three for the game.
Makes from downtown have been hard to come by all season for the Orange, with a 27% clip, the worst in the ACC. A big reason for that has been the struggles of junior Sophie Burrows. Last season, Burrows shot nearly 40% from deep and was poised to be a lethal shooter again this year, but the guard finds herself hitting just 21% of threes.
Against Florida State, coach Felisha Legette-Jack didn’t start her captain for the first time this season, and it paid off. Although Burrows wasn’t back to her normal knockdown shooting ways with just one three, the Australian impacted the game in other areas.
“She’s more than a shooter,” said coach Jack about Burrows, “she is a complete player.”
12 points, eight rebounds, and five assists was Burrows’ stat line, some would say triple-double watch. The junior made it a point to find Uche Izoje in the paint numerous times on high lob passes or low bounce feeds.
“She’s such an amazing athlete,” said Burrows about Izoje, “I kind of just throw it up there and she gets it… I wish I could do that.”
The Seminoles inched within three points in the fourth quarter, led by guard Sole Williams with 21 points. Williams found a living driving to the hoop, simply too fast for everyone else on the court. FSU nailed a couple of timely threes, spearheaded by guard Emma Risch, who had four trifectas of her own.
Although the Orange led for the entire game, the Seminoles would not go away, but a few key buckets down the stretch for SU helped seal the deal en route to its first home conference victory of the season, a nice way to ring in 2026.
Next up for Syracuse is a battle with Wake Forest (12-3, 2-1 ACC) on Sunday, January 4th down in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Tip-off is set for noon. For game updates, follow @JaredValentin_ on X.
