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In its most recent game against Wagner, Syracuse finally got off to a strong start en route to an easy 83-53 win over the Seahawks to remain undefeated at home. On Sunday, the Orange welcomed Wake Forest to the JMA Wireless Dome in the third game of a four-game homestand and their first Atlantic Coast Conference opponent of the season.

It was a back-and-forth game in the first half as the largest lead was six points, held by the Demon Deacons midway through the second quarter. Dyaisha Fair’s 13 first-half points kept Syracuse close, trailing just 32-30 in halftime. Despite a 10-3 WFU run to start the third quarter, SU countered back, cutting the deficit to 44-43 as the game entered the fourth quarter.

It went down to the wire as both teams kept taking the lead from each other in the final frame. But Dyaisha Fair’s 11 fourth-quarter points, along with a couple of clutch plays from Asia Strong, secured SU’s four-game win streak and a perfect record at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Here are some observations from SU’s (9-2, 1-0 ACC) 67-58 win over Wake Forest (8-4, 0-2 ACC)

Down to the wire

Syracuse hasn’t been in too many close games in the fourth quarter this season. Against tougher teams like Purdue and Penn State, SU had either trailed or completely fell apart. The Orange’s contest against Yale was the only game previous to this one where the matchup went down to the wire.

Besides a minute, where SU led 32-30, the Orange had always trailed. But after an Asia Strong jumper, Syracuse got the lead back again as part of a run where it would end up leading 49-46. A Dyaisha Fair fast-break layup forced Wake to call a timeout with 7:29 to go.

With 2:30 remaining, Fair matched up one-on-one with Kaia Harrison, driving down the lane and converting the and-one as SU led 55-53. Fair also drained two free-throws after Wake had responded with a 3-pointer. She went on a personal 7-0 run as SU developed a 59-56 lead. And following a Strong rebound-and-score, Syracuse pulled away, remaining undefeated at home.

Demon Deacons down low

Early on, Wake Forest found success in the paint. Similar to SU’s game against Purdue, the Demon Deacons went inside to get a bulk of their scoring. On the last WFU basket in the first quarter, Elise Williams possessed the ball on the right wing, dishing the ball down low to Demeara Hinds, who worked against her defender and scored the layup. Wake Forest finished with 20 points in the paint during the first 15 minutes.

Hinds similarly had her way inside on the opening possession of the second quarter. On another play, the Demon Deacons quickly swung the ball before finding Alyssa Andrews for an easy two. Wake didn’t have too much success from deep to start, converting on 2-of-6 early on, but a second 3 forced head coach Felisha Legette-Jack to call a timeout.

Harrison received the ball down low, but as multiple Syracuse defenders closed in on her, she dished the ball back to an open Olivia Summiel for a bucket — part of a 10-3 WFU run to start the third quarter. Then on another play during the run, Summiel pump-faked, causing Hyman to bite. This opened up Williams in the paint as Wake developed an eight-point lead early into the third quarter.

As SU built a three-point lead in the fourth, Wake went back to where it was comfortable, finding Summiel down low. Summiel found an opening on the right for a layup. Then on the next possession, Harrison drove down the right side of the lane, securing the and-one off a reverse layup as WFU went up 51-49.

No success from deep means score inside

It’s been a common theme for Syracuse to struggle beyond the arc as a team. To counter poor play from the perimeter, SU usually went inside, utilizing Dariauna Lewis and Strong or driving inside. On one play, Georgia Woolley drove toward the baseline, missing her initial layup. However, she grabbed the rebound, and drew a foul on the second attempt.

In the second quarter, Woolley mimicked the same play, but successfully converted. Alaina Rice also drove down the lane, creating contact, and headed toward the charity stripe. Syracuse finished 3-of-14 in the first half from deep and all three makes came courtesy of Fair.

On the left wing, Teisha Hyman could’ve pulled up from deep if she wanted, too. But she saw a lapse in the Demon Deacon defense, where no one was defending down low. So, Hyman blew by Harrison to score an easy bucket. Strong missed a corner 3, but Cheyenne McEvans grabbed the rebound and scored the putback with a foul, though she missed the free throw.

Fair knocks down No. 250 in her career, clutch 4th quarter

After Williams scored a 3 on the opening possession of the game, it only made sense that Fair would respond. She drained a 3, knocking down her 250th 3-pointer of her career. She also added another from the right wing later in the first quarter. To give Syracuse its first lead of the game, she knocked a 3 from the left wing to make it 30-29. Fair was 3-of-6 from deep in the opening 30 minutes.

With a jumper from the right side of the lane in the second quarter, Fair continued her streak of scoring double-digits in each game this season, notching 13 points by halftime. By the game’s end, she finished 7-of-19, recording 25 points with 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter. Fair came up clutch in the end, going on a personal 7-0 run to give Syracuse a 59-56 lead as the game approached the final 90 seconds.

Published on December 18, 2022 at 2:42 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini