Syracuse Women’s Basketball Tops Canisius 96-72 in High-Scoring Affair

Syracuse Women’s Basketball coach Felisha Legette criticized her team’s defensive effort in the fourth quarter of Friday’s win over UAlbany. Tuesday, with a chance to bounce back against Canisius, the Orange surrendered their most points in a game since last year’s Thanksgiving tournament. 

Luckily for SU, though, in a 96-72 win over the Golden Griffins, the Orange offense exploded for the third-highest scoring total in the Coach Jack era.

“We’re pretty athletic. We’re pretty good,” Legette-Jack said. “We can score the ball if we remember what way we score the ball. I think we can score the ball, but I concentrate on defense. Them giving up that many points bothers me more than anything.”

Syracuse was led by Texas transfer Leila Phelia, who scored 22 points, her most in a game since March 8, 2024 when she played for Michigan.

“It definitely feels pretty good,” Phelia said postgame. “I went to back to my mid-range game. My game — I’ve never been a three-point scorer and I feel like I was trying to be like Sophie [Burrows] or Maddie [Potts]. So I had to take a couple of steps back.”

Next up for SU: a chance to start 4-0 for the first time in three seasons when it battles Wagner on Sunday. Tipoff in that game is set for 2 p.m. Follow @KleinJake_ on Twitter for updates.