Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Unlike Syracuse’s point guard position, its frontcourt remained mostly intact entering the season.

In the backcourt, Dyaisha Fair — the third-highest scorer in NCAA women’s history — was selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft. But Syracuse returned three veteran post players in Kyra Wood, Izabel Varejão and Saniaa Wilson. Meanwhile, it added Journey Thompson through the transfer portal.

However, in recent games, SU’s frontcourt hasn’t performed to head coach Felisha Legette-Jack’s standards.

“We’re grossly underachieving (at rebounding) in my opinion,” Legette-Jack said on Feb. 19. “We’re averaging 30 something rebounds the last four or five games. We’re a 44-to-45 rebounds per game (team).”

Syracuse (10-17, 4-12 Atlantic Coast) has struggled to corral rebounds — ranking 159th nationally with a 50.7% rebounding rate, per HerHoopStats — and score in the paint this season. It’s been at the forefront during SU’s current four-game losing streak, where it’s been out-rebounded 164-134 and outscored in the paint 154-92.

At third-to-last in the conference standings with two games left, the Orange’s chances of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament are up for grabs, with three teams not qualifying. They finish their season against Pittsburgh and Boston College, which both sit within a game of them.

While SU returned most of its frontcourt this season, it lost leading rebounder Alyssa Latham to the transfer portal. Latham averaged 7.0 rebounds per game, but Syracuse retained two of its next three best rebounders in Wood (6.8) and Georgia Woolley (4.8).

Lily Zuckerman | Design Editor

The Orange have shown flashes of rebounding dominance this season, but for most of conference play, they haven’t matched their opponents. In early January, rebounding discrepancies proved crucial against SMU and then-No. 13 Georgia Tech.

Entering its final two games, Syracuse ranks in the bottom five in the ACC in defensive rebounding and rebounding margin.

SU went on a two-game winning streak at the start of February, but its struggles on the glass resurfaced since then. At the start of its two-game West Coast road trip, Syracuse fell to Stanford, which sat in the bottom half of the ACC standings, while its leading rebounder Nunu Agara missed the game with an injury.

The Orange still failed to win the interior battle. Syracuse got off to a slow start, trailing by 14 points after the first quarter while being outscored 6-0 in the paint.

SU entered the game ranked second in the ACC with 15.2 offensive rebounds per game, per HerHoopStats, but tallied 11 in the contest. Stanford ranked top-three in defensive rebounding and snatched 34 versus Syracuse, three fewer than SU’s total tally.

Wood, who leads the Orange in double-doubles this season (six), had her fourth-fewest rebounds (four) and attempted her second-fewest field goals (four) against Stanford. Varejão, who played just four minutes in SU’s previous game against Wake Forest, recorded just five boards.

Three days later against Cal, Syracuse won the rebounding battle 37-35, a significant step forward considering the Golden Bears ranked top-70 in the nation in total rebounding rate. However, a new problem arose. SU was outscored by 12 points in the paint, a crucial difference in its six-point loss to Cal.

Syracuse again got little production from Wood and Varejão, but Wilson stepped up off the bench. Wilson scored five points in seven minutes, knocking down three free throws in the second half.

Shortly after returning from California, Legette-Jack recognized Wood’s lack of production.

“She didn’t play her best basketball this week,” Legette-Jack said on Feb 19. “She knows that, but she got really frustrated about misses, and that’s not what she does.”

Though Wilson and freshman Keira Scott have provided frontcourt depth in ACC play, Thompson’s minutes have significantly decreased over the last two months.

Legette-Jack said other frontcourt players have impressed her more at practice, and Thompson needs to refine her outside shot and defense. Thompson averaged 21 minutes a game last season at Arizona State but has played six minutes per game over SU’s last four contests.

In Syracuse’s last two games, its weaknesses were even more glaring. Against then-No. 9 North Carolina, the Orange were outrebounded 40-26 and were doubled in points in the paint (40-20).

They let Tar Heels forward Maria Gakdeng dominate, as she netted a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double.

“We knew coming into the game that she was going to be dominant down there,” SU guard Sophie Burrows said of Gakdeng. “But I don’t necessarily think we followed the game plan as well as we could have, letting her get that deep seal down low.”

Syracuse matched UNC during the second half, but Varejão and Wood each attempted just one shot in the third quarter, making it impossible for the Orange to climb back.

In SU’s most recent game, its issues were compounded. Then-No. 11 Duke dominated, outscoring Syracuse 42-14 in the paint. Additionally, the Orange allowed their most rebounds (48) since surrendering 54 to Notre Dame on Dec. 8, 2024.

Now, Syracuse has two games to improve its performance down low as it aims to make the postseason.

“We gotta figure out why (Wood) and (Varejão) are struggling so much,” Legette-Jack said after SU’s loss to Duke. “We got to be a little more personal, pride especially when it could be their last two-to-three games to play.”

Published on February 24, 2025 at 9:21 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32