Syracuse Women’s Basketball Falls Short Against Louisville 72-62
By Adam Hipsky | @adamhipsky
Syracuse Women’s Basketball entered the KFC Yum! Center looking to do something that hadn’t been done in program history, win in that building. That had to be done though against a Louisville team that has been red hot. The Cardinals entered the game winners of six straight including five in a row versus league foes.
One player that was particularly interested in ending UofL’s streak was guard Sophie Burrows. The sophomore scored the team’s first 10 points and sent the ‘Cuse into the first quarter break trailing by six. Forward Kyra Wood stepped up to help Burrows, providing some timely baskets to give SU just a three-point deficit at the half.
Similar to the start of the first quarter, Louisville came out of the third quarter gate’s firing. The Cardinals went on three runs of six points or more unanswered. The offensive prowess gave Louisville a game-high 15-point lead midway through the third period. While things looked bleak for the Orange trailing by double digits, a late run capped off by back-to-back triples from Georgia Woolley and Burrows kept SU in the game with 10 minutes to go.
Into the final quarter, fatigue started to play a factor for both sides. Syracuse went on two separate two-minute scoring droughts but stayed in it with the lack of output on the other side. SU locked down on the defensive side, holding Louisville to an eight-minute span without a field goal. The ‘Cuse never capitalized, losing the final quarter by two and sending them back to the Northeast with a loss.
For the Orange, the loss marked another tough result in a hostile environment, but the fight they showed—especially on the defensive end—proved they could compete with one of the ACC’s best. Burrows’ breakout performance and Wood’s steady presence were bright spots, offering optimism as Syracuse looks ahead to its next matchup with Boston College. While history wasn’t made in Louisville, the Orange left knowing they had a team that could compete into the bulk of conference play.
