UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team opened up its exhibition slate on Monday night with an 88-60 loss against the UConn Huskies at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Believe it or not, a 28-point loss showed improvement for the Orange. After all, they were beaten 98-45 by the Huskies in the Round of 32 of March’s NCAA Tournament.
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There’s lots to dissect from this performance, but let’s take a look at three of the biggest things that stand out.
One one hand? Syracuse showed improvement in this performance against the Huskies. On the other, how close could they have gotten if their best player had played to her ability? Izoje, who was the ACC Rookie of the Year last season, had just seven points in 31 minutes. On top of that, she was only 2-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-7 at the foul line.
She did have a team-high eight rebounds, but after the game, head coach Felicia Legette-Jack spoke about her tendency to fade away on her shot. Legette-Jack says the fadeaway allowed her to get her shot off, but it limited her ability to draw contact and get to the foul line.
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Undoubtedly, that’s something that Izoje will work on. And remember, this is probably the best opponent that Syracuse will play for the next several months. Things will get better.
Part of the reason that Syracuse was able to play closer with the Huskies was the play of a pair of transfers: Tyi Skinner and Emely Rodriguez.
Skinner, who joined the program after stints at Delaware, Arizona State and SMU, was integral in helping the Orange handle ball pressure and Legette-Jack emphasized that after the game. She had 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
Iowa guard Emely Rodriguez (21) brings the ball down court against the Evansville Purple Aces Nov. 9, 2025 during a women’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rodriguez, who transferred in from Iowa, had a team-high 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting. She scored her 14 points in just 20 minutes, and she added four rebounds. She’s dealt with some nagging injuries in the preseason, so she she should look even better when she’s fully healthy.
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Sarah Rambus, who transferred in from Oregon, had just two points. She added six rebounds and played better than her final stat line indicates.
One of the other things that Legette-Jack spoke about after the game was the need for more assists out of the guards. That point rings true when you see that SU had only eight assists in total vs. 17 turnovers.
