Syracuse women's basketball found itself in a dogfight with fellow Empire State team Siena through the first quarter and into part of the second quarter. Then the Orange extended its lead to 12 points at the break and outscored the Saints by another dozen points in the second half to come away with an 82-58 triumph at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday evening.
With this non-conference win, the 'Cuse improved to 3-0 overall in the early stages of the 2026-27 season. Next up, Syracuse women's basketball will host New York state program Canisius on Sunday, Nov. 15, at 7:00 pm EST, with television coverage on the ACC Network. SU's first two victories were over Sacred Heart and Cornell, with each game at home and the Orange allowing just 48 points to both opponents.
The Orange was able to defeat Siena (1-3 overall), a member of the Metro Conference, by having large advantages in points off turnovers, paint points and fast-break points. Both teams shot under 30 percent from beyond the arc.
Following Wednesday's result, Syracuse women's basketball moved to 7-4 in its all-time series with the Saints. The Orange has also captured four straight conquests against Siena.
Syracuse women's basketball has won three games in a row by wide margins to start the 2026-27 season.
On Wednesday night, the 'Cuse made 43.5 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from downtown and 77.3 percent from the free-throw line. Siena, conversely, connected on 36.4 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from 3-point range and 54.5 percent from the charity stripe.
In other statistical categories, Syracuse women's basketball led 42-39 in total rebounds, 21-12 in assists, 22-14 in turnovers forced, 24-15 in bench points, 6-1 in blocks, 17-9 in fast-break points, 9-8 in steals, 35-10 in points off turnovers, 42-26 in paint points and 12-8 in second-chance points. The Orange committed 24 fouls. The Saints had 17 fouls.
For Siena, sophomore guard Francesca Schiro paced the Saints with 16 points. Redshirt junior guard Nicole Melious had 12 points, while sophomore guard Kaiya Rain Tucker added 11 points.
Syracuse women's basketball sophomore center Uche Izoje had a team-high 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Izoje, the Atlantic Coast Conference's rookie of the year in the 2025-26 campaign, also tallied 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal.
Junior guard Emely Rodriguez, a transfer from Iowa, had 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Fifth-year guard Tyi Skinner, a transfer from SMU, contributed 11 points and three assists.
Senior forward Sarah Rambus, a transfer from Oregon, added nine points and four rebounds. Senior forward Jaleesa Molina, a transfer from Temple, had eight points, five rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals.
The 'Cuse will see its competition intensify soon. The Orange travels to Harvard on November 18. Syracuse women's basketball will then play three games around the Thanksgiving holiday in the Puerto Rico Shootout, including contests with Wisconsin and Auburn.
On December 3, the 'Cuse will host Oklahoma at the Dome in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge. The Sooners are 3-0 overall and ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll.
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