Syracuse Women’s Basketball Flattened in Overtime by North Carolina 77-71
By Jared Valentin | @JaredValentin_
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — With under four minutes left in the fourth quarter, Syracuse women’s basketball (16-4, 6-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) was down by eight to North Carolina (17-5, 6-3 ACC). SU couldn’t get anything going in the frame and had all of its five points from center Uche Izoje. Then, a much-needed run followed. The Orange scored eight straight to force overtime. However, that was all the gas Syracuse had left as UNC had the first seven points in the extra period to secure the victory at home.
The dynamic duo of forward Nyla Harris and guard Lanie Grant led the way for the Tar Heels. Harris scored a team-high and season-best 21 points, while Grant recorded 17 points and five threes. The sophomore began her day with three straight makes from long distance. In overtime, that duo continued to thrive. The pair combined for all but two of North Carolina’s points in the extra period.
Individually, the Orange got the bulk of their scoring from Izoje. The five-time ACC Rookie of the Week shined with a career-high 27 points. Nine of those came in the fourth quarter during a late rally to help Syracuse force overtime. The freshman also added 12 rebounds and earned her third consecutive double-double and ninth of the season.
Despite the loss, today’s contest marked Orange guard Laila Phelia’s return. The senior didn’t play against Stanford (15-5, 4-3 ACC) due to an injury but finally took the court against the Tar Heels. In her first game back, Phelia struggled to find her groove. The guard had six points, shot just 2-13 from the field and went 0-4 from beyond the arc.
Syracuse returns home and can bounce back when it welcomes Georgia Tech (8-12, 3-5 ACC) Thursday evening. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. EST from the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y. For all coverage of the second-half of SU’s season, follow @JaredValentin_ and @mhoffnyc on X/Twitter!
