Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.

Last Sunday, SU jumped from playing the worst team in the ACC (GT) to playing the league’s best in the No. 13 ranked Duke Blue Devils. The Orange kept affairs close in the first half and trailed by just five points after the opening 20 minutes. 

Then, a stagnant offensive start to the third for SU saw the Blue Devils take a 13 point lead with 6:01 remaining in the quarter. Although Syracuse drew within two with nine minutes left in the game, sparked by a 11-4 run to end the third quarter, Duke pulled away in the dying embers as the Orange failed to convert down the stretch. 

Despite the 62-50 scoreline, the game seemed a lot closer. Alaina Rice led Syracuse with 15 points and Dyaisha Fair added 12 in the losing effort. 

Tonight, against Virginia, the Orange headed into the break up by a measly two points. However, strong defense to start the third, as well as a season-high 36 point total from Fair and a program-record eight threes, helped Syracuse back into the win column. 

Here are some observations from SU’s (14-7,5-5 ACC) 90-72 win over Virginia (14-7,3-7 ACC): 

Saniaa Wilson’s First Start

Saniaa Wilson got the nod for her first career start today, taking the court with Kyra Wood at the power forward and center positions. Despite missing from close-range during SU’s first offensive possession, she impressed in limited time, recording two points and five rebounds in just four minutes of play in the first quarter. 

To start the second quarter, with two minutes gone by, she muscled her way inside for a hard-earned layup. By the end of the first half, Wilson had recorded six boards in seven minutes. 

On the opening possession of the third quarter, Wilson corralled a rebound inside off of a Georgia Woolley miss, kickstarting a second opportunity for Syracuse. A few passes later, Wood spun to hit a layup. After Virginia’s Sam Brunelle converted a three-point play the next time down, Wilson’s hustle inside forced the Cavaliers to cough up the ball. Possession was picked up by Fair who hit her fifth 3-pointer of the night, increasing the Orange lead to 46-42. 

It’s Not Fair

Fair stood near the left corner and waited for the Virginia defense to shift. Once it started moving, Woolley also cut toward the middle. Waiting for precisely the right moment, Fair suddenly shoveled a swift, underhand pass into the paint where Woolley was. Woolley caught the ball and swished a mid-range jumper. 

After Virginia chewed away at SU’s seven-point lead early in the second quarter to tie things up at 29 apiece, the Cavaliers took the lead off of a McKenna Dale 3-pointer soon after. On the ensuing Syracuse possession, it was Fair who calmly caught the ball on the left wing before knocking down her third 3-pointer of the contest. 

With four minutes left in the game, Virginia started to utilize a full-court press. Down 80-69, it didn’t have much of a choice. After Syracuse seamlessly broke down UVA’s defensive scheme, Fair held the ball at the left wing. Stepping back, she hit her seventh 3 of the night which gave her 31 points. On the next possession, she hit from the top of the key to bring her tally to 34. 

Before leaving the game with just about a minute to play, Fair had totaled 36 points, just shy of her career-high of 40 points which she accomplished during her time at Buffalo. 

Have A Game, Alaina Rice

As aforementioned, Rice came into tonight’s contest against Virginia finishing with a team-high 15 points against Duke last Sunday. 

Rice came out firing to start the first quarter, scoring Syracuse’s first points against the Cavaliers. Noticing a hole in the Virginia zone, she called for the ball on the right wing, received the pass, and didn’t hesitate, knocking down a shot from deep. 

At the end of the opening 10 minutes, Rice streaked down the floor, beating Yonta Vaughn in the process. Nearing the basket, with Dale manning the paint, Rice willed up a left-handed layup high off the glass and in as she fell to the ground. Her make gave Syracuse a 19-14 lead. 

With 5:21 left in the third quarter and the Orange led by six. Fair held the ball at the top of the key, probing the defense before spotting a wide-open Rice. Though she stood several steps behind the perimeter, Rice fired away to hit the 3-pointer. 

With just two quarters of play in the books, Rice had already produced back-to-back 15-point games. By the end of SU’s win against Virginia the shooting guard tallied 18 points on 7-11 shooting from the field. Defensively, Rice added one black and two steals. 

Putting On The Clamps

Despite going into the break with just a slender two-point lead, midway through the third quarter, Syracuse had built up a 51-44 advantage. This was fueled by hard-nosed, fly-around defense. 

With 7:54 to go in the period, Brunelle hoisted up a shot from the right elbow as the shot clock expired. But Wood was already there to stuff her attempt. Rice got her hands on the loose ball and looked up to see that Fair was already ahead of the pack. Sending an outlet pass streaking down the floor, Fair caught the ball in stride and finished through contact to give SU a 51-42 lead. 

A few minutes later, Asia Strong recorded a block. UVA’s Alexia Smith was left unmarked on the left wing and drove toward the basket. Beating Dariauna Lewis to the paint, she rose up for a right-handed layup but Strong swatted her shot out of bounds with 3:39 left to play in the third. 

In Virginia’s last offensive possession of the quarter, Fair suffocated Taylor Valladay, causing the point guard to give up the ball for her fourth turnover of the contest. Fair then headed down the middle of the floor, crossing the timeline, before delivering a sharp, no-look dime to Strong positioned diagonally to her left. The pass faked out UVA’s Camryn Taylor and left Strong with a wide-open layup. 

Going into the fourth, Syracuse held a 65-58 lead and had compiled three blocks, three steals, and 19 points off of Virginia turnovers. The Orange’s total for the quarter was 24.

Published on January 26, 2023 at 9:08 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff