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Syracuse entered its matchup with No. 13 Virginia Tech hoping to grab its first win over a ranked opponent this season. Without Asia Strong or Teisha Hyman, the Orange faced a tall task in Blacksburg. 

From the jump, Dyaisha Fair continued her stellar play as of late, despite hurting her left ankle against Louisville last time out. Along with Georgia Woolley, the two propelled Syracuse into a slim two-point lead heading into halftime. 

However, in the second half, VT shut down Fair for the most part. Elizabeth Kitley dominated inside, Georgia Moore commanded the point and Cayla King knocked down a couple of clutch 3-pointers to accomplish a complete turnaround in favor of the Hokies. 

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (14-9, 5-7 ACC) 78-64 loss to No. 13 Virginia Tech (18-4, 9-4 ACC):

Containing Kitley

Virginia Tech couldn’t get the ball inside to Kitley. Dariauna Lewis had done an excellent job of face-guarding her. After a couple of passes around the perimeter, the Hokies dumped the ball down low to Kitley but a combination of Lewis and Kyra Wood quickly swarmed her. Kitley forced a shot up, an attempt that was partially blocked by Lewis, and failed to hit any part of the basket. Then, Fair gathered the ball, pushed up the open floor and hit Woolley for an open corner 3— a much-needed five-point swing to help Syracuse go up 17-7 with 2:09 left in the first quarter. 

By the end of the first quarter, SU had held last year’s ACC Player of the Year to zero points and just three rebounds. Kitley would eventually get on the board with a little under nine minutes to go in the second period, part of a 9-0 run. 

However, Kitley went on a short four-point spurt, hitting on back-to-back possessions from the mid-range. 

Nearing the end of the first half, Virginia Tech had built some momentum and trailed by just two with 1:35 to play. The Hokies handed the ball to Kitley with Saniaa Wilson as her immediate defender. Holding her hands up high and standing her ground, Wilson forced Kitley out of the paint forcing her to turn the ball over and commit a shot-clock violation. 

Although it didn’t look like it, Kitley had recorded a double-double with just over three minutes left to play in the game. Despite going 2-6 from the line, she finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Although the roughhousing with Lewis and Wilson looked like it troubled Kitley — it clearly did not. 

Fair continues building her resume

Fair is the reigning ACC Player of the Week. She’s recently also been named to the 10-player shortlist for the Nancy Lieberman Award — given to the nation’s best point guard. Although Syracuse doesn’t have the best record in conference play, Fair showed why she’s been one of the best in the conference.

Finishing the first half with 12 points to lead all scorers, Fair notched her 23rd-straight game in double-figure points and her 10th 20-plus point game this season. 

Up just 2-0 with 7:42 left in the first quarter, Fair took two dribbles back toward the right corner, stepping behind the three-point line. With Kayana Traylor’s hand in her face, Fair hoisted a high-arcing shot that dropped through. The make meant that Fair had made 14 of her last 18 shots from the perimeter. 

Driving against Taylor again in the second quarter, Fair’s quick first step gave her momentum. Ahead of Taylor, Fair drew contact before putting up a teardrop that nestled into the net off of the glass as a whistle blew for a foul. Fair converted the three-point play at the line. 

Fair struggled to get going in the third quarter but scored her first second-half points with about three minutes remaining in the third. Catching Cayla King off guard, Fair reached in and stole the ball from King before going coast-to-coast, giving Syracuse a 48-46 lead. In a tough spot on the left wing, Fair hit one more three to bring her total to 20 points on the night. However, it was too little, too late.

Where’s the help?

Woolley recorded 3 three-pointers in the first half alone. First, she realized she was uncontested at the top of the key. Despite standing several steps behind the line, Woolley didn’t hesitate to shoot and make from range. Her next two threes came from each corner. 

Early in the second half, Fair struggled to get going but Woolley offered help. Facing Traylor on the left wing, Woolley drove inside, using a veer-step to knock Traylor off-balance before banking in a layup, drawing an and-one opportunity. 

Although Kennedi Perkins drew back-to-back three-point opportunities and looked comfortable and confident with the ball in her hands, the freshman guard committed two costly turnovers and a needless foul on VT’s King mid-way through the fourth quarter. 

Alaina Rice had nine points but shot just 5-10 from the field. Syracuse’s bigs combined for just eight points. Woolley finished with 18, but the Orange simply needed a little more. With 1:11 left in a game already out of reach, Rice hit two pretty-looking layups to help the Orange draw within nine. 

Keeping the lead

A Fair layup gave Syracuse its last lead of the third quarter through a driving layup with 3:28 remaining. Virginia Tech started the fourth quarter with a 52-50 lead. 

Then, Taylor Soule hit a running layup before Wood missed two point-blank looks inside. Syracuse was given another chance to trim the Hokie lead when Kitley missed two free-throws. However, Perkins missed a three from the right wing before Georgia Amoore hit an in-rhythm three from the left wing. 

With the score now at 57-50, Perkins fouled King on a deep three-pointer. King hit all of her free-throws to generate VT’s largest lead of the game. Then, Soule stole the ball and drove to cash in on an uncontested layup. 

Reeling on defense, Syracuse didn’t do any favors on the offensive end. Missed shots and turnovers saw the Orange fall into a 13-point hole before King hit again in the left corner. The Hokie lead lept back up to 16 with just over four minutes left in the contest.

Published on February 2, 2023 at 9:21 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff