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Georgia Woolley was anointed as Syracuse’s leader entering the 2024-25 season.

In the minutes following Syracuse’s season-ending loss to No. 3 UConn in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was asked who would pick up the mantle of Dyaisha Fair as the Orange’s No. 1 option. Her answer was Woolley.

“(Fair) passed the torch right in front of your eyes. Her name is Georgia Woolley, and she’s ready,” Legette-Jack said on March 25.

Before the season began, at ACC Tipoff, Legette-Jack doubled down on Woolley’s role. Legette-Jack said Woolley had been the “Robin to Dyaisha’s Batman” but emphasized Woolley was ready to spearhead SU.

Despite a slow start for the Orange, Woolley leads the team with more than 15 points per game, has increased her 3-point shooting percentage by almost 10 points to 38% and is shooting nearly 90% from the charity stripe.

But, according to Legette-Jack, Woolley was nearing a breaking point in Syracuse’s (6-8, 0-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) 85-73 loss at Florida State (13-2, 3-0 ACC) Sunday. The Australian shot 2-of-16 from the field — 1-of-6 from 3 — and had nine turnovers. This amounted to 12 points — seven of which came via free throws — in 33 minutes.

“Georgia didn’t have her best game today,” Legette-Jack said postgame. “She probably shouldn’t have played today, but here’s a kid who, in order for her not to play, you have to put her in a gurney.”

Legette-Jack mentioned the loss to No. 13 Georgia Tech Thursday “took a lot out of” Woolley, when she recorded 22 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes. The head coach also stressed the Brisbane native is “going to get better” and praised Woolley’s resilience amid not playing at 100% health.

During the offseason, Woolley said she aimed to improve her defense. She pushed herself to guard quicker, taller players with different skill sets than her. Woolley embraced the challenge of locking down the opponent’s best player.

Woolley’s defensive assignment couldn’t have been much tougher than it was Sunday. She was tasked with guarding Florida State’s Ta’Niya Latson, who averages an NCAA-high 28.2 points per game. Despite totaling 25 points, Latson went scoreless in the second quarter and had nine turnovers.

The first of those turnovers was one of Woolley’s four steals when she intercepted a Latson inbounds pass. But her efforts on defense failed to translate on offense early. Woolley had four first-quarter turnovers. First, she traveled with 7:52 left in the first quarter. Then, the senior’s pocket was picked by Latson, who is a defensive force herself, averaging 2.5 steals per game. Another travel and an unlucky deflection followed.

With Fair’s exit and Syracuse’s continual search for a reliable point guard after starting three different players at the position so far this season, Woolley has stepped up to be SU’s primary ball handler, which she also mentioned she aims to improve. There have been occasional turnovers, but she understands that’s part of the role.

Woolley is always trying to fine-tune her jumper, she noted during the preseason. But for all her repeated efforts in Tallahassee, hardly anything she put up dropped. She went 0-for-5 in the first half and kept shooting to start the second.

“If she gets one of those shots to fall that are her normal shots, we’re in a different position,” Legette-Jack said of Woolley’s early misses.

The Brisbane native finally cashed in on her ninth attempt of the game — a layup to tie the score at 41-41 at the 6:45 mark of the third.

Woolley followed her first make with an open corner 3, but it rimmed out. She didn’t let up, driving inside to earn a foul at the 5:31 mark. Woolley took advantage of her trips to the charity stripe, going 7-for-7.

Entering the fourth quarter shooting 1-for-11, Woolley again uncorked an open 3 from the top of the arc. This time, her shot connected, cutting SU’s deficit to 60-55 with 9:31 left in the game. However, she couldn’t build off it, missing her last four shots.

The guard didn’t let her offensive struggles weigh her down. Woolley secured two vital steals down the stretch, jarring the ball away from Latson and pouncing on an FSU errant pass. With Syracuse within striking distance with a single-digit deficit late in the fourth quarter, the offense ran through Woolley. But she couldn’t knock down a 3 or an off-balance lay-in. Instead, she took a hard fall, again sacrificing her body for the team, even when the game looked all but sealed.

Before the season, Woolley noted she wants to lead by example. Though she wasn’t fully healthy, according to Legette-Jack, Woolley played with maximum effort even if her shots weren’t dropping Sunday. She set an example in that regard. That work rate is one of the reasons Legette-Jack picked Woolley to lead this SU team.

“She’s going to give everything to this institution… and it just wasn’t good enough today for her or for us,” Legette-Jack said.

Published on January 5, 2025 at 6:42 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal