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Pittsburgh opted to press Teisha Hyman near half court. 

The Panthers were down by 19 and just seven minutes remained in the game. Hyman passed to Dyaisha Fair, positioned several steps behind the 3-point arc on the right wing. 

Fair stood, motionless as the Pitt defense morphed into a zone. Suddenly, Channise Lewis left her post at the top of the key to pressure Fair. Instead of coughing the ball up or retreating to swing possession around the perimeter, Fair launched from deep, canning the jumper. 

Trotting back on defense, Fair shrugged her shoulders, imitating Michael Jordan’s celebration after Jordan’s sixth-made 3 in a finals game against Portland. Tonight against Pitt, that make gave Fair seven. 

About a month ago, in Syracuse’s home victory over Virginia, Fair notched a season-high 36 points, including a program record-tying eight triples. In the Orange’s final game of the regular season, and on a night where Syracuse was without its Georgia Woolley, Fair finished just one shy of repeating that feat, producing a game-high 23 points in SU’s (18-11, 9-9 Atlantic Coast) dominant 85-55 victory over Pittsburgh (10-18, 3-14 ACC). 

“Just keep shooting,” Fair had said after the game against the Cavaliers. “That’s pretty much all she’s [Felisha Legette-Jack] been telling me for the last week and when I came into this one I just kept telling myself, ‘just keep shooting.’” 

At the 7:16 mark in the opening quarter, Fair’s first 3 of the game came several steps from behind the arc. Dariauna Lewis held the ball near the top of the key but had nowhere to go. Isolated, she pivoted a couple of times before realizing Fair was right behind her. Dariauna Lewis simply turned and dumped the ball off. Fair didn’t hesitate to launch and hit, giving Syracuse an early 9-5 lead. 

Later, she dribbled toward the middle of the floor before suddenly stepping back, scoring over Pitt’s Marley Washenitz. As the rest of the opening half played out, Fair continued her streaky shooting, producing a total of four made 3s. 

Halfway through the second quarter, Syracuse faced a 1-2-2 zone and positioned Rice up top as the facilitator. It didn’t take her long to find Fair on the left wing. With no one around her, Fair calmly set her feet and shot over an incoming Lewis, converting on a perfect swish. The bucket gave her double figures for the 29th time this season. 

The second-leading scorer in the ACC averaging 20 points per game, Fair has Syracuse primed for a position to sneak into the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. According to Charlie Creme’s ESPN’s Bracketology, Syracuse is currently a part of the ‘Last Four In.’ Today’s win over the Panthers, fueled by Fair’s brilliance, and a potentially deep run in the upcoming ACC Tournament to tip-off postseason play could help the Orange stamp a place in the competition. 

Fair didn’t attempt a single 2-pointer in the first 20 minutes of play and only missed three shots. Her only shot inside the 3-point arc resulted in a make with 3:35 remaining in the third quarter. Avoiding Pitt’s Dayshanette Harris, Fair came off of a screen and was met by Emy Hayford. Like anyone who had witnessed the shooting clinic put on by Fair in the first half, Hayford played up on her, and was taken aback as Fair drove past Hayford, arrowing toward the basket. 

Nearing the paint, Fair saw Gabby Hutcherson shift over from the weak side to help. And so, Fair leaned backward instead of challenging Hutcherson, settling for a pull-up jumper near the short corner on the right side of the floor. She nailed it. 

Prior to that play, which resulted in her first basket of the second half, Fair never pushed the issue. A self-described “pass-first point guard,” she always let the game come to her. 

Nearing the end of the penultimate period, and retrieving possession off of one of Pitt’s 20 total turnovers in the contest, Fair sprinted the other way before slowing down despite having just one opposing defender to beat. Instead of attempting a layup over Avery Strickland, who held a five-inch advantage over her, Fair retreated back behind the perimeter on the right wing. Strickland leaned forward to contest but it was too late. Fair made the bucket, opening up an 18-point edge for the Orange going into the final quarter. 

Another breakdown in the already distressed Pitt defense left Fair wide-open for a shot in the right corner — her sixth make mere minutes into the fourth. Catching the ball in rhythm, Fair let go a shot as Lewis closed out. The net snapped, the visiting bench cheered and the lead continued to swell.

Published on February 23, 2023 at 9:47 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff