Syracuse Women’s Basketball beats Pittsburgh 83-65 to secure ACC Tournament bid

SYRACUSE, NY – After crunching the numbers, it’s official. After starting conference play just 1-7 Syracuse women’s basketball (11-17, 5-12 ACC) is headed to the ACC Tournament. SU clinched its spot with an 83-65 win over Pittsburgh (12-18, 4-13 ACC) on Thursday. Leading up to the game, Orange head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she wanted more out of her seniors, but in the end, it’s actually what the veterans didn’t do that made all the difference.

“You know what? The biggest thing I saw the seniors do was surrender to a freshman,” Legette-Jack said. “Shy [Hawkins] got the ball. They gave her the ball and got the heck out the way, and let her do what she had to do. They started going to a freshman. They’re understanding, ‘let us see how we can get something out of this rookie,’ and she stepped up. They showed that they trusted her, and she responded accordingly.” 

“Regardless of who leads the charge, Syracuse has one more game in the regular season when it hosts Boston College on Sunday. The Orange are playing for seeding and could work their way up to 12th in the ACC, and also have a chance to avenge their worst loss of the season. Reporting from the JMA Wireless Dome, I’m Tyler Aitken, CitrusTV Sports.