Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said her expectation is “always to win a championship.”
In her first two years at the helm, the Orange won at least 20 games, while her 2023-24 squad made the NCAA Tournament.
Legette-Jack’s third season was different, however, as SU won just 12 games. But now, after revamping its roster over the offseason, SU is already 25% of the way toward topping last year’s win total.
Syracuse won its third straight game to remain undefeated, defeating Canisius 96-72. The Orange forced a season-high 28 turnovers, converting those into 39 points.
Meanwhile, they shot a season-best 53.6% from the floor, with guards Laila Phelia and Dominique Darius leading the way with 22 and 21 points, respectively. The Orange’s 96 points were their most since scoring 108 against Niagara in last season’s opening game.
Phelia’s 22 points were her most since she scored 23 for Michigan against Michigan State on Feb. 18, 2024. Darius’ 21 marked a career high.
Despite Canisius winning the 3-point battle — making 7-of-14 shots from beyond the arc to SU’s 3-of-9 — and shooting 52.2% from the field, turnovers plagued the Golden Griffins throughout the night.
Syracuse led by as many as 27 in the second quarter, but saw its advantage shrink to 13 a minute into the fourth quarter. From there, though, SU closed the game on a 24-13 run, securing a 24-point win.
Like it did in the season’s first two games, the Orange took a quick lead and never relinquished it. Phelia propelled Syracuse in the early going, scoring nine points in the first three-and-a-half minutes to give SU a 13-2 lead and forcing Canisius to call a timeout.
Phelia, a graduate transfer from Texas, topped her season average of 7.5 points in that stretch. The 6-foot guard averaged just 6.1 points in her lone season with the Longhorns, which was cut short due to a detached retina in her left eye.
Previously, Phelia was a 2023-24 All-Big Ten first-team selection and averaged 14.1 points per game across three seasons at Michigan.
The Orange continued to apply aggressive ball pressure on the Golden Griffins defensively, while attacking the interior offensively. It resulted in SU shooting 14-of-18 from the floor en route to a 32-11 lead after 10 minutes.
Just under two minutes into the second quarter, reserve guard Angelica Velez attempted Syracuse’s first three-pointer, draining it to give the Orange a 39-19 lead. After a defensive stop, Darius then drilled a three of her own.
Darius, a graduate transfer from USC, has scored in double figures in each of the Orange’s first three games, including 12 against Stony Brook in the season opener and 13 against UAlbany on Friday. She averaged 3.6 points across stints with USC and UCLA.
Though SU’s offense cooled down to close the second quarter, it retained a 53-34 lead at the half.
Syracuse and Canisius then went back and forth throughout the third quarter. Freshman Uche Izoje scored nine points in the frame, helping her finish with 17.
While Canisius scored the first four points of the fourth to cut its deficit to 72-59, Phelia got the Orange back on track by nailing two free throws before Darius assisted Journey Thompson’s bucket on the ensuing possession.
Darius and Phelia continued commanding SU’s offense, scoring its next seven points before Sophie Burrows canned a three-pointer, off a feed from Darius, to extend its lead to 86-63.
From there, the Orange held an over 20-point advantage, securing their third straight win to begin Year Four of the Legette-Jack era.
Canisius dropped to 0-3. The Orange play Wagner at 2 p.m. Sunday at the JMA Wireless Dome.