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Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack teased Georgia Woolley Sunday. The head coach admitted that scoring comes first for the senior guard.

“If you pass it to her, she’s not passing it back to you, that’s for sure,” Legette-Jack cracked. “She’s a scorer. She’s going to put the ball in the hole.”

It’s a compliment for the Orange’s scoring leader, who’s averaging 15.9 points per game this season. But Legette-Jack also noted Woolley has broadened her court vision, dishing out nine assists in the Orange’s 83-65 win over Pittsburgh Thursday.

Woolley was again dictating SU’s offense Sunday. She served up six assists to go with her team-leading 19 points and four steals to guide Syracuse’s (12-17, 6-12 Atlantic Coast) 82-57 demolition of Boston College (15-16, 6-12 Atlantic Coast) in its season finale before the two teams meet again on Wednesday in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

“That’s a hard thing for her to do,” Legette-Jack said of Woolley’s facilitating postgame.

The head coach then motioned her hands outward as if she were playing a chest pass.

“Here, you take the ball. That’s like an assist!” Legette-Jack exclaimed. “If you don’t score, she’s not passing it back to you.”

Woolley has been more generous and said Sunday it was a result of “seeing the game a little bit more.” The guard noted she’s improved at dissecting defenses and finding open passing lanes as she’s seen more opponents this season.

Becoming a ball-handler has been a new role for Woolley in her senior season. During her previous three seasons in college — one at Buffalo and two at Syracuse — she played alongside point guard Dyaisha Fair, who’d primarily handle the ball.

However, this season, with Woolley taking up Fair’s mantle, her assists have increased. In 2023-24, her assist rate was in the 77th percentile nationally, while this season, it’s in the 87th percentile, according to HerHoopStats. She’s also significantly upped her assist/turnover rate from the 58th percentile a year ago to the 72nd percentile this campaign. Most of all, her usage has jumped from the 81st percentile to the 94th nationally.

The Brisbane, Australia, native has also been thrust into a larger role with SU still searching for production from its traditional point guards — Angelica Velez, Dominique Camp, Olivia Schmitt and Lexi McNabb — this season. Velez, Camp and Schmitt have all started games this season and have largely struggled to gain traction.

Woolley, though, deflected the credit for her increased facilitating, mentioning the “strong big group down low.” Finding Syracuse’s forwards and center was exactly how she got going Sunday.

After sinking a 3 from the top of the arc, she received the ball on the left wing. She feinted a shot, then dumped a pass over the outstretched arms of Kaylah Ivey to Kyra Wood, who converted the easy lay-in.

At the 6:12 mark, Woolley again thought about unleashing a 3 off a Wood screen. But instead, as two Eagles defenders closed in, she served a pass to Wood, who banked in the layup, forcing BC to call a timeout down 11-2 following an 11-0 Syracuse run.

Woolley operated again from just outside the 3-point arc, slicing up the Eagles’ defense by finding Izabel Varejão in a mismatch with a six-inch height advantage versus Ivey. Varejão brought down Woolley’s pass, turned and finished the close-range shot.

“I think that’s the reason that I’ve got more assists, is just taking a step back to see what the defense is doing,” Woolley said.

When Woolley reentered the game in the second quarter, she kept employing the same formula: find her teammates in the paint. This time, within the first minute of the quarter, she found Saniaa Wilson in the high post. Wilson turned her defender and got to the hoop for a banked-in layup.

With the Australian holding the keys on offense, she also showcased the defensive ability that’s been synonymous with her name throughout her collegiate career. Woolley hasn’t been afraid to put her body on the line to secure a stop or a steal. She wears a mouth guard and a leg brace to go with her scrappy playstyle that sees her frequently hitting the court.

Woolley found herself needing help from Sophie Burrows and Wilson to get back to her feet and sidled up the court after she fell out of bounds on the Orange baseline trying to keep the ball in bounds after she jarred it loose from BC’s Dontavia Waggoner.

“The best players get in the gym, and in the last three-and-a-half weeks, she’s been a fixture,” Legette-Jack said Sunday. “As much as she’s getting banged around and how sore she is, she’s still going to the gym. She’s done that, and she’s seeing the results.”

With six minutes left in the second quarter, Woolley jumped the passing lane to nab a steal but couldn’t cash in on the fast break layup. To begin the second half, as Burrows brought the ball past the timeline, Woolley raised her hands, calling for the pass. Burrows obliged, and Woolley quickly redirected a pass inside to Wood, who finished a layup on a mismatch.

After the assist, Woolley raced up to meet Ivey at midcourt. She got her hands on the ball, resulting in a jump ball, giving possession back to the Orange.

Woolley entered this season as a scorer. She was a reliable 3-point and mid-range shooter. She could get to the hoop. She could pester offenses with her aggressive defense and steals. But as the regular season concluded Sunday, she’s shown she’s expanded her game as a facilitator.

“Now she knows how to pass to people, too,” Legette-Jack said. “They can catch it and finish it too. So, it’s exciting to see her evolve.”

Published on March 2, 2025 at 8:51 pm

Contact Nicholas: njalumka@syr.edu | @nalumkal