To support student journalism and the content you love, become a member of The Daily Orange today.

Dyaisha Fair bided her time against Pittsburgh’s Aislin Malcolm.

She strung together a few between-the-leg dribbles as she retreated fluidly behind the arc. Now near the Syracuse bench, Fair suddenly side-stepped to her right and put up a fallaway 3-pointer over Malcolm’s outstretched arm. The jumper fell for her first 3-point make of the contest after finishing the first half with just two points.

In the third and fourth quarters, Fair totaled 10 and 12 points, respectively, completely flipping the script following a slow start. But before Fair got going with her team-best 24 points, Georgia Woolley kept the Orange consistently within reach with 23 of her own.

Both Fair and Woolley’s impressive offensive performances helped Syracuse (11-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) overcome a sloppy latter end to the second quarter to defeat Pittsburgh (7-8, 0-4 ACC) 89-71. The win marked SU’s 11th win of the 2022-23 campaign, matching its season total in victories from last year in 14 fewer games.

Syracuse came into the New Year undefeated at the JMA Wireless Dome, boasting a perfect 9-0 record. But against No. 6 NC State, the Orange dropped its first game at home despite 23 points from Woolley.

She started the game red-hot against Pittsburgh, though, leading all scorers with nine points after the first quarter.

“That was my mindset. Just compete,” Woolley said. “Go after everything and just keep that same mindset and you’re just going to get good results.”

Facing a 2-3 zone, Fair opted to pass inside to Kyra Wood in hopes of freeing up the SU offense. Located at the lower block, Wood caught the ball with her back facing the basket and was immediately swarmed by Pitt defenders. Looking to pass, Wood spotted Woolley open on the left wing and swiftly kicked the ball out. Woolley set her feet and launched from range to hit her first 3-pointer of the night.

Positioned at the top of the key, Woolley pump faked from range and drove as her immediate defender flew by. Taking a couple of pound dribbles inside, Woolley attempted a long 2-pointer that dropped toward the end of the first.

Although Pittsburgh started the game converting on its first three offensive possessions, it went cold with around 7:30 left in the opening period. Turnovers led to run outs for the Orange as Wood, Fair and Woolley enjoyed easy layups in transition off of steals.

“You just want to go out there and do all the things — sometimes the things that go unnoticed that is gonna bring the team together,” Woolley said.

However, Malcolm’s sharp shooting from beyond the arc and Liatu King’s dominant inside presence propelled Pittsburgh to a 19-2 run to conclude the first half.

Malcolm, who totaled three three-pointers in the second period alone, hit on all of her attempts, including one from the right corner with 2:20 left. Off of an Amber Brown assist, Malcolm showed no hesitation in canning a jumper that would give the Panthers’ their first lead since halfway through the first quarter.

Instead of looking for its forwards inside, the Orange settled for the outside shot in hopes of getting back into the game. A Woolley miss, sandwiched between two Alaina Rice misses led to a dropped defensive assignment on the other end. Left open in the left corner, Malcolm hit an uncontested three-pointer to put Pittsburgh up 37-31.

“We want to play fast, we want to compete like that but there comes a time where you gotta be able to play the half court and we’re going to have to get better in that position,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.

On the Panthers’ final offensive possession, King gathered the rebound off of a missed inside opportunity and dished to a cutting Brown with just a second remaining. Going to her right, Brown put up a layup that trickled around the rim before falling for her 10th point of the game, securing a 39-33 lead for the Panthers at the first half buzzer.

However, at the 7:31 mark during the third quarter, Teisha Hyman hit a big 3-pointer off of a Woolley drive-and-kick that sparked a Syracuse comeback.

“Just her being on the floor makes us better,” Legette-Jack said of Hyman despite her five total points. “She’s doing this point guard thing very very good.”

Then, Fair came alive. After totaling just two points in the opening 20 minutes, Fair ran the length of the floor, hesitating slightly as she neared the heavily manned Pittsburgh paint. Losing the ball momentarily, Fair spotted an open Woolley in the right corner and swung a pass out to the perimeter. Woolley hit the three-pointer with a little under five minutes in the third to tie the game up at 45 apiece.

After going scoreless in the second period, Fair exploded for 10 points in the third while Woolley had upped her grand total to 21. Woolley also by boxed out on the offensive boards to grab a missed three-point attempt and lay the ball up with ease. Two more inside buckets, courtesy of Cheyenne McEvans, helped SU go into the fourth quarter with a 57-51 lead.

“In the second half we punched,” Legette-Jack said. “The punch was very obvious that it was a major difference from the first half to the second.”

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Wood started to put on a show of her own. Off of a Pittsburgh inbound pass, Wood extended her arm to block a Maliyah Johnson shot attempt before sprinting down the floor. Lewis collected the loose ball and shoveled an outlet pass in front of the Panther defense which hit Wood perfectly in stride. Taking two steps, Wood laid the ball in to extend the Orange lead to 11 points 72-61.

From there, the Syracuse lead continued to balloon comfortably, fueled by the Orange’s patented quick-pace offense. Recording its 11th steal of the game, Fair picked up the ball, initiating a two-on-one fast break with McEvans running alongside her. From under the basket, Fair passed to McEvans for a wide-open layup.

“It’s just our time, our story, our way, and we’re coming.” Legette-Jack

Published on January 5, 2023 at 8:35 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff