Syracuse hangs on, ends losing streak with 79-72 win over Boston College
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Dyaisha Fair stared down Taina Mair near the top of the key with 6:05 left in the fourth quarter. After jumping out to a quick start, she only had 11 points entering the fourth quarter, far below her regular-season average. But she looked comfortable with Mair as the lone defender in front of her.
Fair rose up and knocked down a clutch 3-pointer to put Syracuse up by 11, 65-54.
“That’s what I’m used to,” head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. “She’s always been a fourth-quarter person.”
Seeking just its second win in the last seven games, Syracuse (15-9, 6-7 Atlantic Coast) dominated in the early going against Boston College (14-12, 4-9 ACC). Despite an inspired run late in the game led by BC’s Maria Gakdeng and Mair, the Orange hung on, powered by near-perfect free-throw shooting and all-around scoring to win, 79-72.
Boston College came into today’s game having lost five of its last six games. Other than a statement victory against Pittsburgh, the Eagles hadn’t won since falling to the Orange at home just about a month ago.
In Syracuse’s last game, its injury-plagued squad couldn’t get the job done against No. 13 Virginia Tech on the road a couple of days ago. Despite leading at the half against the Hokies, Syracuse seemed to run out of steam in the fourth quarter. Tonight, it was the final period that pushed SU past a late BC run, securing a return to winning ways.
Syracuse started the game efficiently. After a few offensive trips, Alaina Rice put the Orange on the board with a go-ahead 3-pointer from the left wing.
On the very next possession, Fair dribbled into Eagles territory, biding her time and waiting for her teammates to join the attack. Isolated on the right wing with no reinforcements, Fair pulled up for 3 and cashed in the jumper.
A few possessions later, Georgia Woolley barely grazed the rim on a jumper but Dariauna Lewis was in prime position to clean up. On the next trip down, receiving the ball at the top of the key, Woolley connected this time from behind the arc, giving Syracuse a 11-2 lead and forcing a BC timeout.
“(Fair) was able to control her energy in the first half,” Legette-Jack said. “Georgia and Alaina did a tremendous job of really taking that pressure off of her.”
The Eagles came out of their discussion with a 10-0 run fueled mostly by inside buckets from Gakdeng, who totaled double-digit points in each of her last three games. Then, T’Yana Todd hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to bring Boston College within four.
Saniaa Wilson smothered Ally VanTimmeren’s attempt, sending the shot right back at her. VanTimmeren tried again, but her shot trickled off the back rim, and Fair corralled the rebound. Then, she was off to the races. Speeding down the court, Fair gave her defender a bump, sending her to the ground, and hit an uncontested right-handed layup to give Syracuse a 19-17 lead.
Before the first quarter buzzer sounded, Fair hit a couple of free throws and Rice contributed a deep 3-pointer, steps behind where she hit her first of the game.
Both teams began the second quarter sluggishly, combining for just four points in the opening two minutes. At the 7:10 mark, Fair put together a dribbling clinic on the right wing before passing to Woolley. Woolley pump-faked and watched her defender fly by before stepping into a mid-range jumper. She would score on Syracuse’s next two offensive trips and finish the quarter with a game-high 18 points in just 15 minutes of play.
The free-throw discrepancy between BC and SU presented itself in the latter half of the second quarter. Earning four trips to the line herself, Woolley went a perfect 8-8. Syracuse went 11-12 as a team, while the Eagles only visited the charity stripe once.
With about four minutes left in the half, Syracuse started to draw away. As the Orange continued to convert from the free-throw line, Boston College couldn’t provide a response. SU swarmed BC’s bigs on the defensive end, stealing the ball from the Eagles at the high post or forcing missed shots before getting out in transition.
“Our defense was a spark for us in the second quarter, and we just tried to figure out how to play off of that,” Fair said.
In the right corner, Fair crossed over before a hesitation helped her get past her defender. Then, she bumped into her to draw a foul with 51 seconds left in the half.
Fair hit both of her shots to surpass 2,500 career points, becoming just the second active Division-I player with that point total. Syracuse would tack on one more layup, off a spin move from Lewis, to enter the halftime break with a 15-point lead, 45-30.
“I don’t want to say it doesn’t mean anything, but I think it was impressive for me, sitting at five-foot-five. That might be the best way to describe it,” Fair said.
Opening the third quarter, Lewis went back to post in the low-block, demanding the ball. Grappling with Gakdeng, she finally received an entry pass and performed a series of pump-fakes before catching her in the air. Lewis bumped into Gakdeng and threw up a shot with her left that banked in, earning an and-one opportunity, which she made.
Although Lewis has struggled recently, unable to score in double figures since Syracuse’s away loss to Georgia Tech in mid-January, she finished with 15 points on 7-12 shooting from the field — her most since Syracuse beat Yale on Dec. 4.
But shortly after, a Boston College scoring run ensued, led by Mair. First, Mair swished a mid-range jumper, and on the very next play, she hit a three from the right wing. A couple of Syracuse makes helped the Orange maintain their lead, but Mair hit on a layup before assisting Gakdeng for two more buckets inside. SU’s once double-digit lead had been trimmed to eight.
On one of her slashes to the basket, Mair made a tough up and under layup, avoiding Syracuse’s bigs inside. Frustrated that she didn’t receive a foul call, her complaints to the officials earned her a technical foul. However, Lewis was whistled for a tech immediately after, despite the lingering confusion that followed the call.
Syracuse started the fourth quarter up by 10, and the score stayed that way until BC’s Ava McGee scored near the basket at the 7:55 mark. The Orange were quick to answer, however, as Kyra Wood laid it in to, once again, take a double-digit lead.
For the rest of the final period, Syracuse continued to push the pace, playing disciplined basketball even when the Eagles were able to get Gakdeng an easy look inside. The BC big put up a valiant effort, finishing with a team-high 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Mair and Todd chipped in with 16 and 17, respectively.
“For me, we got this game, (and) we won this opportunity. Let’s enjoy it for 24 hours, and let’s get to work tomorrow and figure out how we’re going to beat North Carolina,” Legette-Jack said.
Including her three-point make over Mair, Fair poured in 14 points in the fourth quarter, finishing with a game-high 24 points. Woolley also produced 20 points, cooling off a little after her productive first half, but still joining Lewis as the third Syracuse scorer in double-digits.
“You’ve got a fresh Dyaisha in that fourth quarter,” Legette-Jack said. “It’s go-time.”
Fair’s historic night was capped off perfectly. Crossing the ball back-and-forth with Todd defending, Fair put on a burst of speed, beating Todd to the middle of the paint. She then rose near the restricted area and was forced to double-clutch in mid-air as BC’s Andrea Daley came to help. Fair flung the ball high over Daley’s outstretched arms, banking her shot perfectly into the net. Her bucket helped ice the game as SU’s lead grew to 11 with just over two minutes remaining.
“They’ve got good players and we’ve got Dyaisha,” Legette-Jack said.
