SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Interstat) — Izoje Uche scored 21 points and grabbed four blocks to lead Syracuse to an 82-72 victory over Florida State in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s basketball game Thursday night at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange, improving to 12-2 overall, used a dominant first quarter to establish a lead they would never relinquish in front of an announced crowd of 2,713. Syracuse raced out to a 26-14 advantage after the opening period, fueled by an aggressive defense and efficient transition play. The Seminoles, who fell to 5-10, spent the remainder of the game trying to close the gap but could not overcome the early deficit.

Uche, a 6-foot-3 forward from Delta State, Nigeria, was a force on both ends of the floor, adding four offensive rebounds in her 29 minutes. Her presence inside altered numerous Florida State shot attempts and provided a consistent scoring option for the Orange. Dominique Darius complemented Uche with 19 points and five assists, while Sophie Burrows filled the stat sheet with 12 points, five assists, two blocks and two steals.

Florida State was led by Solè Williams, who matched Uche’s game-high 21 points and added four assists. Emma Risch contributed 15 points for the Seminoles, and Allie Kubek added 12 points and four assists. The visitors showed resilience, cutting a 15-point second-quarter deficit down to six points on multiple occasions in the second half, but each rally was met with a decisive response from Syracuse.

The most critical sequence of the game occurred late in the third quarter as Florida State threatened to make it a one-possession game. Trailing 60-54, the Seminoles had multiple opportunities to cut further into the lead but came up empty on several contested shots near the rim. Syracuse then capitalized with a swift 6-0 run, capped by a Burrows layup off a Darius assist with 46 seconds left in the period, pushing the lead back to 12 and effectively stifling the Seminoles’ momentum for good.

Syracuse’s defensive pressure was a constant theme, forcing 18 Florida State turnovers, which led to 20 points. The Orange also controlled the interior, outscoring the Seminoles 44-30 in the paint and blocking eight shots.

The victory marked a successful start to the ACC schedule for Syracuse, which entered the game as a significant favorite according to predictive metrics. Florida State, struggling through a difficult non-conference slate, continued to search for consistency, though its effort in chipping away at large deficits showed signs of fight.

Syracuse next travels to face Wake Forest on Sunday. Florida State returns home to host Virginia on Sunday.