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Dyaisha Fair trotted back down the court, nodding her head. She got into a defensive stance and clapped emphatically. 

Syracuse was now up 20 with 15 seconds left before halftime. But the Orange weren’t always this comfortable. After the first quarter, SU led Seton Hall by just two points and was locked in a defensive battle, shooting a measly 33.3% from the floor.  

Fair brought the ball up the court and maneuvered through to the center of the floor before throwing a cross-court pass to Georgia Woolley in the right corner. Then she relocated just a few paces away to the wing. Woolley pump-faked but her defender didn’t bite and she kicked back out to Fair. The pass was low and bounced awkwardly but Fair collected the ball and immediately shot it. Seton Hall’s Victoria Keenan stuck out a hand to contest, but it was too late. 

Fair canned the jumper — an exclamation point on a Syracuse offensive explosion in the second quarter. Her basket capped off a dominating 26-8 run that gave the Orange a 35-15 lead heading into the second half. From there, Syracuse (20-12, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) never looked back, consistently building on its advantage to beat Seton Hall (18-15, 10-10 Big East) 72-54 in the 2nd round of the WNIT Tournament.

After scoring a game-high 24 points in Syracuse’s defeat of Kent State in the first round, Fair suffered an ankle injury just three minutes into the opening period against the Pirates. Although she reentered the game shortly after, Fair didn’t notch a single field goal for the remainder of the quarter, her injury clearly bothering her. By halftime, she had eclipsed double-digits. 

Alaina Rice sprinted back in transition, quick enough to steal possession from Lauren Park-Lane. She circled around the backcourt and looked up to see Fair streaking down the right sideline. Rice threw forward an outlet pass which Fair caught in stride just inside the 3-point arc before dribbling once and stopping. She had just one defender in front of her, opting to shoot the open mid-range jumper. Fair’s make gave Syracuse a 18-7 lead with 6:47 remaining. 

Finishing the game with nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds, Dariauna Lewis scored the quarter’s first basket. SU passed the ball around the perimeter, unable to find an opening before Lewis caught the ball at the top of the key. She jabbed once, twice, then performed a quick right-to-left crossover, momentarily losing Sidney Cooks. Two steps later and Lewis was at the cup, converting an aggressive left-handed layup. 

On the next possession, the Pirates attempted a cross-court find but Teisha Hyman jumped the passing lanes, collecting the errant attempt and sparking a two-on-one fast break attempt. With Woolley alongside her, Hyman executed perfectly, dishing to Woolley for an uncontested bucket. 

Seton Hall struggled to find the mark. While Syracuse’s defensive pressure forced turnovers, quick one-shot possessions and run-outs on the other end, the Pirates didn’t score a field goal until four minutes in when Park-Lane went untouched to hit on a driving right-handed layup. But what followed was another 9-0 burst which spanned until two minutes before the halftime break. 

Immediately after Park-Lane’s score, Fair grabbed the rebound and heaved a pass to Woolley leaking out behind Seton Hall’s guards. Woolley brought the ball down and avoided Mya Bembry, who trailed in quick pursuit, for another efficient two points. She finished the contest with 19 points and five assists. 

A couple of trips later, positioned near a crowded right wing, Lewis swung to Woolley who then passed to Fair. Without much room to operate, Fair gave the ball back to Woolley behind the arc. Yet Woolley didn’t hesitate, hoisting a shot over Bembry to make it 23-9. 

For the quarter’s final two minutes and change, Fair took over. After Woolley missed a look from three in the left corner, Asia Strong corralled the offensive rebound and found an unmarked Fair on the opposite side. Shooting over an incoming Amari Wright who sprinted forward to close out, Fair buried the jumper to push SU’s advantage up to 18. Her ankle looked better, and her stroke looked fluid. In response, Seton Hall strung together two quick buckets. But the Pirates couldn’t come back as the Orange used its strong second quarter to punch their ticket into the Super 16.

Published on March 21, 2023 at 5:55 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff