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Following Syracuse’s 79-57 win against Northeastern Monday, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said inserting Saniaa Wilson into the game helped SU “create a foundational shift in energy.”

Wilson, a backup forward, only played 16 minutes against the Huskies, but she was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and registered +9 plus/minus. Wilson first entered the game with under three minutes remaining in the first half and scored layups on back-to-back possessions. She then closed the final six minutes of the first half, helping the Orange go on a 12-6 run to take a five-point lead into halftime.

Despite beginning on the bench, Wilson started the third quarter and scored SU’s first points of the second half, helping ignite a dominant final 20 minutes where the Orange outscored Northeastern 47-30.

“(Wilson) doesn’t talk a lot, but when she said that (she wanted to take command offensively) it gave me chills,” Legette-Jack said following Syracuse’s win against Northeastern. “I’m thinking like, this kid is taking some ownership with this team.”

In Syracuse’s (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 82-62 win over Ohio (2-5, Mid American Conference) Saturday, Wilson made an even bigger impact. With SU center Izabel Varejão not making the trip to Ohio due to an illness, the Orange needed to fill her vacated minutes. Kyra Wood started alongside Alyssa Latham, but Wilson’s season-high 20 minutes off the bench led the Orange’s frontcourt. Wilson made the most of her opportunity, scoring a career-high 18 points on a perfect 5-for-5 from the field while knocking down 8-of-10 free throws.

Wilson entered the game with 1:58 remaining in the first quarter and made an instant impact. On Wilson’s first offensive possession, Syracuse ran a horns set with Sophie Burrows and Wilson traveling up to the 3-point line as Dyaisha Fair brought the ball across the court.

Fair dumped the ball off to Wilson at the top of the key before she quickly fed Burrows, who gave the ball right back to Fair on the right wing. As Fair corralled the pass, Wilson cut to the rim and was helped by a blindsided pick from Georgia Woolley to free up space and give Wilson a mismatch with Ohio guard Bengisu Alper in the paint.

With her height advantage, Wilson posted up on the smaller defender and received a pass from Fair on the right block. Needing defensive help, Bailey Tabeling rotated into the paint to stop Wilson, but she fouled her as she attempted a layup. Wilson proceeded to knock down both of her free throws, setting the tone for her dominant offensive day.

On the Orange’s two ensuing offensive possessions, Wilson stayed aggressive. After receiving the ball near the free throw line, Ohio forward Emma Barnett immediately pressed up on Wilson which allowed Alaina Rice to cut to the rim and convert an easy layup. Then, after Rice missed a fast break layup, Wilson grabbed an offensive rebound over three Ohio defenders and finished easily at the rim. In Wilson’s limited first quarter playing time, the Orange went on a 6-0 run to close the quarter with a five-point lead.

Throughout the second quarter, which included a stretch where Syracuse missed nine consecutive shots from the field, Wilson was a bright spot. With Latham in foul trouble, Wilson played the entirety of the second quarter, registering five points and three rebounds. But the Orange carried a narrow 41-40 lead into halftime despite Wilson’s performance.

In the third quarter, Wilson only attempted one shot from the field in her four minutes on the court, though she completed a 3-point play after finishing a contested layup at the rim. Wilson’s ensuing free throw gave Syracuse its then-largest lead of the game at 64-44.

The Bobcats tried chipping away at their deficit in the fourth quarter, cutting Syracuse’s lead down to 13 points. But as Ohio cut Syracuse’s lead down, the Orange fed Wilson down low, who bulldozed her way to the rim with under five minutes remaining before getting fouled. Wilson converted on both of her attempts from the charity stripe.

On the ensuing possession, Wilson pulled down a defensive rebound that set up a Fair 3-pointer. Then, after notching another defensive stand, Fair pushed the ball down the court and penetrated the paint. Ohio’s Monica Williams initially put her body on Wilson in the paint down low, yet she had to leave her assignment to contain Fair.

As Fair neared the free throw line, she whipped a no-look pass to Wilson wide-open down low — the nail in the coffin for Ohio, which at the time trailed by 20 points with under four minutes remaining in the game.

“Everybody on our bench can come in the game and be efficient and effective,” Wilson said after SU’s win over Northeastern.

Published on December 9, 2023 at 5:30 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon