Observations from Syracuse’s comeback win over No. 15 FSU: Fair’s 3-point explosion, bench steps up

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After defeating then-No.13 Notre Dame 86-81 on Dec. 31, Syracuse has had up-and-down results in its ensuing four games. Following SU’s win against the Fighting Irish, it was ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll — its first AP ranking under second-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack. The Orange quickly fell out of the top 25 when they lost their next game 75-51 against North Carolina.

Syracuse responded to its first conference loss with a 71-64 win over Boston College, but it shot 37.1% from the floor, its second-worst shooting performance of the season (only better than its 29.6% mark against UNC). The Orange then responded with a dominant 77-56 win on the road against Wake Forest, shooting 54.1% from the field – their second-best of the season.

Most recently, SU faced a 19-point third-quarter deficit against Clemson, but it mounted its largest comeback of the Legette-Jack era, beating the Tigers 83-82. In the fourth quarter, Syracuse star point guard Dyaisha Fair notched 14 points, becoming the 16th player in NCAA Division I history to reach the 3,000-point milestone.

Hosting No. 15 Florida State, the Orange looked for their second win against a ranked team this season. Dramatically, the Orange, once trailing by 18 in the third quarter, mounted their second straight comeback win, defeating the Seminoles 79-73.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (15-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) upset over No. 15 Florida State (14-5, 5-2 ACC):

Fair’s 3-point explosion

After missing her first three shots of the game, Fair got on the board when she canned a 3-pointer from the right wing with 1:48 remaining in the first quarter. She punished the Seminoles from the left wing two possessions later, tying the game 19-19. Then, after the Orange notched a defensive stop, Fair capitalized on her third consecutive triple, giving the Orange a 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Fair made 1-of-her-first-3 second quarter shots, but she again got rolling midway through the period. Florida State controlled a 12-point lead but Fair canned a pull-up 3, cutting FSU’s lead down to nine. Florida State grew its lead to 13 after Ta’Niya Latson nailed four consecutive free throws, but Fair’s fifth 3 of the game with 16 seconds remaining in the first half cut the deficit to 10.

Amid an 8-0 FSU run to start the second half, Fair got the Orange on the board, draining a step-back 3 from the top of the key 2:41 into the quarter. Fair didn’t score another point in the third, but she regained SU its first lead since the second quarter two minutes into the fourth. After receiving a pass from Sophie Burrows in the corner, Fair put the exclamation point on a 9-0 run to start the fourth quarter.

Then, in the final three minutes of the game, Fair converted on two more 3s, setting a program record with nine 3-point makes. 27 of Fair’s game-high 31 points came from triples.

Florida State’s core four

Entering its matchup with the Orange, Florida State’s 83.9 points per game ranked 11th in Division I, according to HerHoopStats. The Seminoles have been spearheaded by Latson (20.2), O’Mariah Gordon (13.8), Makayla Timpson (13.5) and Sara Bejedi (13.3) — who all average double-digit points.

Throughout the game, the Seminoles’ diverse scoring prowess was on full display. Timpson and Gordon notched Florida State’s first nine points, converting from opportunities near the basket and from 3. Then, Latson, who averages the third-most points per game in the ACC, got going, scoring the game’s next four points.

Then, Bejedi scored the Seminoles’ next four points, including a 3-pointer. Throughout the first half, the four scored 41 of FSU’s 46 points. In the second half, they continued their dominance, with Latson and Gordon kick-starting an 8-0 FSU run to begin the frame.

While the four combined for 65 points, with Latson leading the way with 22, it surrendered an 18-point lead, losing their second conference game of the season.

Syracuse reserves step up as Alaina Rice and Georgia Woolley struggle

On Nov. 25 against Iowa State, Alaina Rice scored a career-high 26 points while shooting 9-for-17 from the field. It marked Rice’s sixth consecutive game scoring in double figures, but she was held to under 10 points in eight of Syracuse’s last 10 games.

On Sunday, Rice’s 16 points were her third most in a game this season, and she carried that momentum into Thursday’s contest against FSU. In the first quarter, Rice picked up right where she left off, converting on a mid-range jumper and driving layup on her first two shots. Then, amid a career-best 3-point shooting season, Rice drilled a 3 from the left wing, notching seven of the Orange’s first nine points. But those were Rice’s last points of the game.

Meanwhile, Woolley, SU’s second-leading scorer entering Thursday’s contest, never really got anything going from the field. She attempted four shots in the first half, making two of them, but only attempted one shot in the second half. Woolley finished with six points.

A minute and a half into the third quarter, Legette-Jack opted to sit Rice, Woolley and Alyssa Latham in favor of playing reserves Kennedi Perkins, Burrows and Saniaa Wilson. The decision proved to pay off, as the trio of reserves, along with Fair and Kyra Wood, clawed their way from a deficit of as many as 18 into a six-point win. Fair’s 31 points led the way, but the implementation of this new lineup is what helped support her in the Orange’s stunning comeback win.