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Heading into Syracuse’s road contest against Stanford, Sophie Burrows averaged 21.6 points over the last three games, leading the Orange to two wins.
In SU’s last game, starter Izabel Varejão was limited to four minutes due to illness, and Burrows stepped up beyond scoring, pairing her 15 points with 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season.
But against Stanford, Burrows scored just two points in the first half on 1-of-6 shooting. With the Orange combining for 29% shooting, the Cardinal built a 41-26 halftime lead behind 7-of-15 shooting beyond the arc. SU tried to keep pace but shot just 23% from 3.
After falling behind early, Syracuse (10-14, 4-9 Atlantic Coast) couldn’t climb back, falling 79-58 to Stanford (12-12, 4-9 Atlantic Coast). The Orange entered the contest on a two-game winning streak, pairing two wins together for the first time in conference play. But Stanford’s seven first-half triples propelled it to a 17-point halftime lead, and it had five players reach double figures, halting SU’s winning streak.
SU’s slow start in its last game carried over to its contest against Stanford. The Orange missed their first six shots from the field before Kyra Wood made a free throw.
Syracuse created open looks for Georgia Woolley and Varejão from 3, but they failed to convert. Meanwhile, Elena Bosgana scored six early points to lift the Cardinal to a 10-5 lead midway through the first quarter.
Bosgana, who entered averaging 11.9 points per game, was pushed into Stanford’s lead scoring role with Nunu Agara missing her second-straight game due to injury.
One of SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s early adjustments included sitting Woolley at the 5:23 minute mark of the first quarter after she committed two turnovers. However, without its top scorer, Syracuse struggled to slow down Stanford.
Along with Bosgana’s 3-of-5 shooting start, Stanford went on an 18-8 run behind Brooke Demetre’s three 3s and a triple by Chloe Clardy. SU shot just 3-of-9 during the stretch.
Woolley hit two free throws in the final minute of the first, but Stanford already built a demanding 27-13 lead by the end of the frame.
Down by 14 early in the second quarter, SU tried to shoot its way back into the contest, but it continued to lack touch from long range. Madeline Potts nailed two 3s off the bench, but Woolley, Burrows and Dominique Camp combined to go 1-for-6 from 3 in the quarter.
During a sequence under the five-minute mark, Camp corralled a defensive rebound, and Woolley forced a 3 early into the possession, but it missed. Varejão snared the board and found Burrows for 3, but her triple missed too.
Two games ago, against Virginia Tech, Burrows made a career-high eight 3s to lead SU to a 93-87 victory. But Burrows couldn’t find that same success in the first half against the Cardinal. And Woolley, who entered second on Syracuse in total 3s made, shot 1-of-4 from beyond the arc early on.
On the other side, Stanford’s second and third scorers Bosgana and Demetre combined for 20 points in the first half and carried their success into the third quarter. The duo scored the Cardinal’s first four points of the frame as they maintained a double-digit lead over the Orange.
Woolley tried to cut into SU’s 14-point deficit, hitting her second 3 of the game around the six-minute mark of the third, but Tess Heal matched it 20 seconds later.
The closest SU came to Stanford was 11 points. The Cardinal kept the Orange at a distance by torching the net from deep. Behind strong ball movement, Stanford found Bosgana and Clardy for 3s on the right side of the arc.
Entering the fourth, Syracuse stared at a 14-point uphill battle and continued struggling to cut the deficit. While the Cardinal stretched their lead to 64-46, the Orange missed their first four shots to start the quarter.
SU couldn’t keep up with Stanford’s balanced scoring attack. With about six minutes left, the Cardinal had five scorers in double figures, while Woolley was SU’s only player with more than 10 points.
Stanford led by as much as 21 in the fourth quarter, and Burrows continued to struggle, emphasized by her 0-for-2 trip to the free throw line in the final minutes. Woolley scored six points in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to combat the Cardinal’s multi-faceted attack.
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