Fair, Strong provide second-half spark to give Syracuse’s offense life

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Asia Strong came into Syracuse’s matchup against Purdue with just three 3-pointers made. But against the Boilermakers, Strong scored 12 of her 18 points from behind the arc. 

Dyaisha Fair could muster up only three points in the first half. In the second, Fair went on a tear, finishing the game with 16. 

After ending the third quarter down by 18, Syracuse (5-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) went on a 16-3 scoring run but still fell to Purdue (7-1, 0-0 Big Ten), 87-78 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Trailing by double digits as early as the second quarter, an SU comeback effort led by Strong and Fair was unsuccessful, but highlighted a strong offensive performance in the second half.

Coming into the contest averaging 19 points per game, Fair hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left wing at the 8:49 mark in the first quarter. Her jumper gave Syracuse an early one-point lead.

After that, Fair struggled from the field, both inside and out, with Purdue’s Jeanae Terry staying one step ahead of her. When Fair got downhill or received a ball screen, she relieved herself of Terry, but was unable to find a way to get past the Boilermaker defense.

Strong also failed to get going in the early moments. Traveling calls and sloppy finishing around the rim saw Strong tally just four points going into the half. Frustrated early on, Strong picked up her first of a team-high six turnovers by barreling into her immediate defender — a clear charge.

Normally used to taking a shot at the elbow of driving hard inside for a layup, Strong struggled against Purdue’s size inside, rushing a lot of her movements toward the basket. Going into the half, Syracuse trailed by 18 points.

The Orange’s choppy play continued for most of the third quarter until around 2:31 remained. Catching the ball just slightly inside the arc, Strong started her dribble. Crossing the ball over swiftly between her legs from left to right, she stayed on the spot before suddenly driving toward the basket. It took Strong just two dribbles to get right near the rim, however, the strength of her defender had managed to push Strong a little off balance.

Still allowed a clean look at the basket, Strong threw up a layup that banked off of the opposing glass for two points. The ball rolled around the rim before ultimately dropping.

Around a minute later, Fair got a good look at the basket off of a straight-line drive. Going to her right, she created contact with the Purdue player in front of her and rose off of one foot. Hanging in the air, Fair waited for her defender’s outstretched contest to fade before tossing up a layup in close to record her second made field goal of the entire game.

For the remainder of that third quarter, Fair’s aggressive drives toward the basket sent her to the free throw line. She drove hard down the lane and was engulfed by the Purdue trees waiting in the paint; however, Fair was fouled hard in the process. Getting up and walking over to the free throw line, she hobbled slightly, struggling to put weight on her left foot but made both free throws.

From that moment onward, combined with a few spectacular moments from SU’s leading scorer Teisha Hyman, Strong and Fair found most of their success in the final quarter. The slight limp Fair possessed prior to the last quarter of play looked practically nonexistent.

Fair stood at the right wing and held the ball. After hesitating, she steadied herself and shot from behind the arc, holding her follow through as she saw her attempt go through the net. Fair’s make helped the Orange draw within 10 of the Boilermakers with 7:05 left in the fourth quarter.

A few minutes later, Fair drove once again, deep into the teeth of the Purdue defense. She drew a foul and hit both shots from the charity stripe to help SU to its smallest deficit since the first quarter.

Shortly after, a quick Purdue attack and a poor attempt at transition defense saw Abbey Ellis get an open look at three from the left wing. Wide open, Ellis canned the jumper to extend the Boilermakers’ lead back to eight.

Syracuse responded quickly, going to the exact same spot where Fair hit her second three of the game early on in the quarter. This time, Strong was the offensive contributor. Catching the ball on the right wing directly after Ellis’ make, not a moment of hesitation lingered as Strong pulled the trigger. Her shot fell through the net and Purdue’s lead was cut right back down to five.