Syracuse, N.Y. — The pregame jitters were swirling through Laila Phelia’s head.

It’d been 322 days since she laced up her shoes, took the floor and faced an opposing team. She was nervous.

Phelia was anxious about getting into a flow. It only took her 43 seconds to find it, though, after she drained a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer.

“After I saw a shot go in,” Phelia said, “I was like, ‘OK, I got it.’ ”

Phelia shone in her return to the court and unofficial Syracuse debut, notching 17 points while making a game-high three 3-pointers in the Orange’s 98-62 exhibition win over Daemen.

The 6-foot guard spent last year at Texas, where she missed most of the campaign with an eye injury .

Before spending a season with the Longhorns, Phelia was a 2023-24 All-Big Ten first-team selection and a

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