On a Sunday afternoon in Central New York, when Syracuse women's basketball raised awareness for breast cancer and remembered the life and legacy of former All-American guard Tiana Mangakahia, who passed away from this dreaded disease last September at the way-too-young age of 30, the Orange scored a four-point win over Clemson.
It wasn't an easy home victory on Play4Kay Pink Day, as the Tigers kept clawing back. Clemson, which trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, only led for 19 seconds in this Atlantic Coast Conference contest, taking a 54-53 advantage with 6:38 to go in regulation.
At halftime, we recognized local survivors and honored those no longer with us, including @Tianamanga with a special message from her parents in Australia 🩷 pic.twitter.com/htGtDG01ko
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) February 15, 2026
The 'Cuse, meanwhile, led for 39:29 and dominated the Tigers on the glass, and Syracuse women's basketball hung on for a 68-64 triumph against Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome before an energetic home crowd.
The Orange won this game for Tiana. We love you, T.
Orange get the job done ✅ pic.twitter.com/CSMDQIZ3NT
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) February 15, 2026
What kept the Tigers in this game is that they shot much better from the field than the 'Cuse, and Clemson also held sizable edges in bench points and points off turnovers. Syracuse women's basketball (21-5 overall, 11-4 in ACC), which has an NCAA NET ranking of No. 38, notched a quadrant-two success over the Tigers (18-9 overall, 9-6 in ACC), a team that checks in at No. 40 in the NET.
This hits close to home, family. Syracuse women's basketball (20-5 overall, 10-4 in ACC) will host Clemson on Sunday at 2 pm. ACC Network Extra. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink. Thread 1/2 🩷🔽
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) February 15, 2026
Early Sunday morning, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme published his latest projections for the 2026 NCAA Tournament. He has the Orange as a No. 9 seed.
Syracuse women's basketball picked up a solid victory over Clemson on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers connected on 49.1 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from beyond the arc and 66.7 percent from the free-throw line. The 'Cuse made 36.8 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from downtown and 87.5 percent from the charity stripe.
In other statistical categories, Syracuse women's basketball led 46-27 in total rebounds, 18-1 in offensive rebounds, 28-26 in defensive rebounds, 3-1 in blocks and 14-0 in second-chance points. Conversely, Clemson led 15-8 in assists, 11-10 in turnovers forced, 39-9 in bench points, 9-6 in fast-break points, 5-4 in steals and 12-4 in points off turnovers. Each team had 40 paint points.
Junior guard Sophie Burrows was tremendous, scoring a team-high 19 points and corralling a SU-high 16 rebounds. Senior guard Laila Phelia tallied 17 points and was 7-of-7 from the free-throw line. Freshman center Uche Izoje, a leading candidate to win the ACC's rookie of the year honors in the 2025-26 campaign, added 11 points and six boards.
Syracuse women's basketball has the rest of the week off before heading to N.C. State on Sunday, Feb. 22. The Wolfpack are currently playing at Notre Dame this afternoon. The Orange, N.C. State and North Carolina are in the hunt for the ACC's No. 3 and No. 4 spots, behind Duke at No. 1 and Louisville at No. 2.