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After suffering a blowout loss to North Carolina on Jan. 4, Syracuse responded with a bounce-back win over Boston College Sunday. But as SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack noted postgame, it wasn’t a pretty showing.

The Orange shot 37.1% from the floor against BC, their second-lowest shooting percentage in a game after going 29.6% against the Tar Heels. SU needed to regain its offensive footing against Wake Forest Thursday — and it did.

Against the Demon Deacons, the Orange went 33-for-61 from the field. SU’s 54.1% mark from the field was its second-best shooting performance this season. With its refound offensive efficiency, Syracuse (13-2, 3-1 ACC) beat Wake Forest (4-12, 0-4 ACC) 77-56. Throughout the game, SU dominated the Demon Deacons, possessing a lead for nearly 34 of the game’s 40 minutes.

Although it had one of its most efficient games of the season, Syracuse’s offense was in disarray early on. On four of their first five possessions, the Orange were held scoreless, allowing Wake Forest to take a 4-2 lead three-and-a-half minutes into the game. But it wasn’t a lead the Demon Deacons held for long.

Despite missing her first shot from inside the arc, SU guard Dyaisha Fair, who entered Thursday leading the Orange with 19.6 points per game, grabbed her own offensive rebound before stepping back on the left wing and draining a 3. It was Fair’s first basket of a game-high 21-point performance. Over the next nearly four minutes, the two teams knotted the score at seven before the Orange ended the quarter on a 7-2 run, taking a 14-9 lead.

Through the first quarter, the Demon Deacons, who entered Thursday’s contest scoring the 266th most points per game in D-1, shot 3-for-12 and turned the ball over seven times. Although its offense didn’t light up the scoreboard, Syracuse took advantage of the Demon Deacons’ turnovers, scoring eight of its 18 points off turnovers in the first. The nine points allowed by the Orange were the third-least least they’ve allowed in the first quarter this season.

SU carried its late first-quarter run into the second, and then some. On three consecutive offensive possessions, Alyssa Latham, Alaina Rice and Kennedi Perkins each scored while the Demon Deacons’ embarked on an eventual 11-minute field goal drought. Though Fair missed a 3 on SU’s ensuing possession, Latham grabbed the offensive rebound — the Orange’s third of 11 offensive boards — and dished ahead to forward Saniaa Wilson, who scored an uncontested layup.

Trailing 22-9 with 7:27 left in the first half, Wake Forest called a timeout. But the Demon Deacons’ timeout couldn’t kickstart their offense, as they were held scoreless on their next four possessions. This allowed the Orange to extend their lead to 15 after Fair knocked down a pull-up jumper.

Wake Forest ended its field goal drought on a 3-pointer from Raegyn Conley with 4:29 left in the second quarter, bringing the Demon Deacons within 12. Despite dominating offensively throughout the second, Syracuse suddenly couldn’t get anything to fall, being held to just one point over the next two minutes.

Meanwhile, Wake Forest’s offense was getting into the paint with ease. Guard Elise Williams drained two free throws after getting fouled by Latham while graduate senior Alexandria Scruggs scored a left-handed layup on the ensuing possession.

After Syracuse turned the ball over on a shot clock violation, Kaia Harrison, who was shooting 18.8% on 3-pointers entering the contest, nailed a 3 from the left wing, cutting SU’s lead down to six. But on the other end, freshman guard Sophie Burrows, coming off a career-high 17-point performance against Boston College, responded with a 3 of her own. Over the final minute of the half, each team converted on a layup, as Syracuse took a 30-21 lead into the break.

The Orange began the third quarter much like they did the second. Wood scored the first four points of the half on a jumper and second-chance layup. Malaya Cowles, who led Wake Forest with 13 points, and Georgia Woolley, who finished with 15, proceeded to trade buckets over the next four possessions as SU held a 38-26 lead three minutes into the half.

Then, like it had done all game — and all season — Syracuse racked up points on second-chance opportunities. After Fair missed a mid-range jumper, Wood snatched SU’s seventh offensive rebound before converting on its 11th second-chance point — SU finished the game with 16 second-chance points compared to Wake Forest’s six.

With the Orange dominating inside, they hadn’t been aggressive from 3 against Wake Forest. That didn’t deter Burrows, though, as she buried a 3 from the top of the key to give SU a 13-point lead midway through the third.

Wake Forest and Syracuse traded baskets over the next two minutes, but unlike it did in the second, the Orange kept their foot on the gas to close the quarter. Over the last three minutes of the third, SU outscored the Demon Deacons 8-2 en route to a 16-point lead, their then-largest lead of the game.

In the fourth quarter, the Orange continued their dominance, beginning the frame on a 7-0 run. The run was the final knockout punch, as the Demon Deacons flailed attempting to cut into Syracuse’s lead and ultimately fell by 21 points.

Published on January 11, 2024 at 1:59 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon