Observations from SU’s comeback win over Yale: Dyaisha Fair carries, free-throw shooting

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In its first matchup against Big Ten opponent Penn State, Syracuse blew a 21-point lead to lose by double digits. But against its first Ivy League opponent, the Orange battled back from a double-digit deficit. 

As SU continued its road slate, it traveled to New Haven, Connecticut, to face Yale. Even with the lesser opponent, the Orange put on one of the worst shooting displays in recent memory in the first half. Syracuse made only six shots from the field as Dyaisha Fair scored her first two points on free throws in the final two minutes. 

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs made half of their shots in the first half, holding a 12-point lead at halftime. The Orange were in danger of losing their first game to an Ivy League opponent since 2004. 

Fair got going in the third quarter, nailing 3-pointers and layups while controlling the pace of the entire game. Fair’s 15 second half points brought SU back into the game. And with a quick pass to Dariauna Lewis, who made a layup, the Orange had a 60-58 lead with over a minute to go. 

In the final 15 seconds, Yale had three layup opportunities, but missed them all to give SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack her first road win with the program.

Here are three observations from Syracuse’s (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) 60-58 win over Yale (4-5, 0-0 Ivy): 

Abysmal first half shooting

After going five straight games making at least 40% of their shots, the Orange shot 36% against Bucknell. But against Yale, the Orange put on a very poor display of shooting in the first 20 minutes, making just six field goals in the first half. 

Midway through the first quarter, Teisha Hyman got fouled on a long 2-point attempt. But she bricked both of her free throws. On the Orange’s next possession, Fair stole the ball and slowed the pace down for Syracuse. But Woolley still missed the layup.

Woolley was the only one to show aggressiveness when driving early on. She set up for a long 2-pointer from the left wing but missed. Kyra Wood fought for the rebound and missed the layup. By this point in the game, the Orange were 15.8% from the field. 

Syracuse’s field goal drought lasted over 10 minutes between the two quarters. Hyman made a jumper with 5:10 left in the first quarter. Over this ensuing stretch of play, the Orange made only six free throws. Woolley finally ended the streak with a 3-pointer from the right wing with just under five minutes left in the half. Nonetheless, Syracuse only shot 24% heading into halftime.  

Fair carrying the team

Fair had undoubtedly her worst performance of the season in the first half. It was emblematic of the whole team. While any scoring from the field would have been better than the first half, Fair used the second half to show why she’s an all-conference talent. 

To start the second half, Lewis missed the opening shot down low. But Syracuse kept possession back. Woolley drove, but caught off, leading to a pass to Fair. Fair asked for a screen, used it, then drove to the hoop. While Fair missed her first layup, she got her own rebound and scored. 

Clark started the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer after the Bulldogs made only two field goals in the third quarter. But Fair came right back and made the layup on the other end to cut the deficit to 48-44.

Klara Astrom barreled inside the paint, but passed to Egger. But as Egger went up for a shot, Lewis sent a hard block, resulting in a shot-clock violation. On the way down for SU, Hyman drove down the right side before kicking out to Fair at the left wing. Fair immediately took the 3-point shot and sunk it. With a 56-54 advantage, the Orange had their first lead of the game. 

The final minutes became a back-and-forth affair. When Fair would punch, Jenna Clark punched back. Clark scored easily after Fair’s 3-pointer. The two teams scored each time on the next three possessions. Lewis scored both times for the Orange after Fair threaded the needle on sharp passes.

But with 34 seconds remaining, Fair’s errant pass out of bounds was in an attempt to speed things up. Fair crouched down in disbelief after that gaffe. But with Yale’s three missed layups in the final moments, her performance was not in vain.

Free throws keeping the Orange alive

Of SU’s measly 25 points in the first half, 12 of them were free throws. Even as the Bulldogs went on an 8-0 run to end the first quarter, they never pulled away entirely in the game’s opening 20 minutes. SU used free throws to stay within some form of striking distance. 

Halfway through the second quarter, when Yale was firing on all cylinders, Syracuse got four free throws in the span of a second. Saniaa Wilson split her free throws, while Lewis got the rebound to gain another shooting foul. Lewis then made her two free throws to make it a 23-13 game. 

To start the second quarter, Woolley made both free throws after drawing contact. With 3:53 left in the first half, Egger’s pull-up shot hit the rim, giving Wilson a rebound. Quickly on the other end of the floor, Lewis got the pass inside and drew contact near the hoop to get to the line for even more free throws. Lewis made both shots from the charity stripe to make the score 28-19. 

Fair finally ended her scoring drought with two makes from the charity stripe in the final two minutes of the half. However, Hyman bricked both of her free throws in the first half. But Hyman made up for it by making it a two-point game with less than a minute left in the third quarter with two made free throws.