Syracuse Sneaks Past Auburn 66-60 for Overtime ACC/SEC Challenge Win

A night after Syracuse Men’s Basketball fans stormed the court following the Orange’s big win in the ACC/SEC Challenge against No. 13 Tennessee, it was up to the SU Women to hold up their end of the bargain.

The Orange did.

The ’Cuse eked out a 66-60 overtime win over Auburn Wednesday. SU went 0-16 on three-point attempts, but won the game with a stifling defensive effort.

“We knew it was going to be a closer game,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “It was just a matter of when we were going to get our wind. We didn’t know we were going to go 0-16 from the outside, but defensively, when you play that hard, that other stuff doesn’t take place.”

SU’s star — Texas transfer Laila Phelia, who leads the team with 13 points per game — made just two shots in regulation. But when it mattered most in overtime, Phelia came up with five huge points to lift the Orange.

“She struggled a little bit, but then that fire came,” Legette-Jack said of Phelia. She went right face-first into that fire. I’ve never seen Laila bring the ball up the floor. She demanded the ball and she hit two big buckets.”

SU is 7-1 and now has a Big 12 win and an SEC win on the resumé. Next up? The ACC opener in Dallas Sunday against SMU. Tipoff from Moody Coliseum is set for 3 p.m. ET. Follow @CitrusTVSports on X for updates.