Dyaisha Fair, free throws fuel 60-58 win over Yale

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Flaring from the top of the key, Dyaisha Fair was left unmarked from a Dariauna Lewis screen. She hesitated after receiving the ball from Teisha Hyman, allowing time for her defender to readjust. But there was still space to get a shot off.

Fair launched and nailed the jumper from behind the arc. SU’s bench erupted, and the point guard smiled as she jogged back on defense. Her bucket gave the Orange a 56-54 lead in the fourth quarter, its first since the 8:50 mark in the first.

Fair powered an offensive onslaught in the second half, and opportunities at the free-throw line helped Syracuse (6-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) overcome a 12-point halftime deficit to beat Yale (4-5, 0-0 Ivy) 60-58. She finished with a game-high 17 points in the game while Lewis recorded 16.

Despite Fair’s heroics, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack was quick to call SU’s gritty win a team effort.

“It’s not about Dyaisha (Fair), it’s about our team,” Legette-Jack said. “I’ve never coached a team that had a go-to player.”

SU’s matchup with Yale came after its second defeat of the season, an 87-78 loss to Purdue during the annual ACC-Big Ten Challenge game. SU’s sloppy start last Wednesday helped the Boilermakers take an early lead, one that was fueled by a mirage of inside buckets and lockdown defense. By the end of the third quarter, Purdue led by 18.

Although Syracuse outscored the Boilermakers 28-19 in the final quarter, it was too little too late for the Orange. Having to rely on a sudden offensive spark from veteran presences Fair and Asia Strong, SU wasn’t aggressive enough from the jump. Today, Syracuse’s inability to dictate the game once again dug an early hole that the Orange couldn’t get out of until late.

After both sides got off to a slow start, Yale exploded on an 8-0 run over a three-and-a-half minute period to take a 17-8 lead by the end of the first quarter. Syracuse shot just 3-of-16 in the first quarter. Hyman was also pulled after committing her second foul of the game with just 26 seconds left in the quarter.

Yale started right where it left off in the second, forcing SU to take uncomfortable, low-percentage looks. A plethora of turnovers helped the Bulldogs maintain their early lead but it was Syracuse’s abysmal offensive execution that made matters worse. Similar to its matchup against the Boilermakers, Yale was able to contain Fair, who didn’t get on the board until the 1:53 mark in the second quarter.

But just like she did against Purdue, Fair took over in the second half. The guard started with back-to-back buckets. The first was an uncontested layup on the left side of the basket. The second came from range — Syracuse’s second made 3-pointer of the entire game.

Nyla McGill stood in front of Fair as Lewis stepped toward to set a screen. Before utilizing Lewis’ help, Fair cupped the ball, jabbing at McGill before starting her dribble. Fair didn’t get too far, or rather, she didn’t need to.

Fair found herself a couple steps behind the 3-point line after creating just enough space between her and McGill. Rising up, Fair made the jumper to cut the differential to three.

By the time the final quarter arrived, a lopsided free-throw differential between the two teams revealed itself. By the end of the third quarter, Syracuse totaled 27 free throws. SU would finish the game with 30. Yale totaled just four attempts from the charity stripe.

Both teams traded buckets to start the fourth quarter. Off of a Yale miss, Fair ran the length of the floor, spotting Hyman at the last second. Streaking down the right side of the court, Hyman received the pass from Fair and rose up to bank in a shot.

On the ensuing possession, Yale slowed down the pace by running a pick and roll play — McGill screening for Jenna Clark. Somehow, Clark slithered inside, coming off of the screen, and made it past Syracuse’s perimeter defense to tie things up at 58-58.

Hyman drove and kicked to Alaina Rice in the right corner on the ensuing possession. Rice lost the ball momentarily but distributed it quickly to Fair. Fair bided her time before driving hard to the middle, drawing two defenders, leaving Lewis wide open underneath the basket.

Fair jumped and hung in the air, dishing it down to Lewis at the last second. Lewis went up for a layup, drew contact, and made what would later be the last basket of the game with just over a minute remaining in the game. The bucket down low put Syracuse up by two, 60-58.

“She can play. She’s going to keep getting better,” Legette-Jack said of Lewis. “This is her sixth year playing basketball. Ever. The best is yet to come.”

The Bulldogs had 34 seconds to execute their final offensive possession. Clark started her dribble and stood near midcourt before heading toward the left wing. Attempting to run a set play through Klara Astrom. At that point, Astrom had tallied a team-high of 15 points.

Clark provided a bounce pass, which Astrom received as she headed toward the hoop. Met with a lot of contact at the rim, Astrom flailed but no call was made. The ball popped out off of Yale’s control but touched a Syracuse player before landing out of bounds, granting Yale possession again.

This time, Clark inbounded the ball to Mackenzie Egger who put her head down and drove into Rice on the right side of the hoop. Egger missed, but the ball again careened off of an SU player to give possession to the Bulldogs with 4.4 seconds to go.

Yale went back to Astrom, but the guard couldn’t finish on the left side, making Lewis’ last bucket the final dagger.

“I coach tough teams, blue-collar teams,” Legette-Jack said. “In the second half, we played tough ball and the toughest team won.”