Front court propels Syracuse to 19-point comeback win over Clemson

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Alyssa Latham knew she just had to be ready. Latham explained you never know when it’s going to be your turn throughout the course of a basketball game. But as long as she did the little things and stayed composed, a moment would present itself.

So when Syracuse trailed 82-81 with less than 10 seconds left and Latham had a chance to score a go-ahead bucket, there wasn’t any doubt about whether she was ready. Dyaisha Fair drove left and accelerated past Dayshanette Harris at the top of the key with Clemson center Eno Inyang — who was guarding Latham — sliding over to help. Fair promptly dumped the ball off to Latham who finished through traffic, putting Syracuse ahead 83-82 with seven seconds left. After scoring a team-high 12 points in the first half, the shot was only Latham’s second of the half, but she made it count.

“The pass that this young lady caught (Latham) down the stretch … a freshman doesn’t catch that. A great player does,” Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said postgame of Latham’s game-winning score.

With time remaining after the basket, Clemson still had a chance to win the game. Amari Robinson received a pass on the right wing as Latham guarded her. Robinson had dominated Syracuse up until that point, scoring a career-high 35 points, but Latham stuck to her, forcing Robinson to throw up a wild shot which bounced off the backboard. As the seconds died down, Latham pulled in one final rebound to seal the victory.

In a night highlighted by a historic accomplishment from Fair — scoring her 3,000th point — along with a 19-point comeback victory, it was Latham who came up clutch for the Orange down the stretch. The freshman, along with fellow front court mate Kyra Wood, provided a massive presence down low in the second half as Syracuse (14-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) defeated Clemson (8-9, 1-4 ACC) 83-82 for its third-straight ACC victory. Latham finished with 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting along with seven rebounds, three blocks and two steals while Wood contributed seven points — all of which came in the fourth quarter — and five offensive rebounds.

Latham and Wood have been a steady presence in the front court throughout the entire season. With Izabel Varejão unavailable, the duo has started the past 12 games together. Latham has shined as a freshman while Wood has contributed with her rebounding and defending.

Latham was playing well, knocking down two 3-pointers as she continued to flash her versatile skillset. The freshman has displayed her potential numerous times when Syracuse has needed her this season. Double-doubles against Notre Dame and Alabama led to Syracuse wins and in the first half against Clemson she kept the Orange afloat as they trailed by 11, but it could’ve been worse without Latham.

Despite Latham’s big first half, Wood was off the court. The junior was subbed out less than two minutes into the game when Syracuse trailed 12-3 and sat for the rest of the first half. Without Wood’s defensive presence, Robinson dominated the Orange with 16 points in the first half.

Legette-Jack said she “jumped on” Wood and Latham at halftime, challenging them to be better on the glass after getting out-rebounded by six. The head coach’s words seemed to light a fire under the two forwards, especially Wood.

“When she plays mad, great things happen.” Legette-Jack said of Wood.

Coming into Sunday, the front court duo combined for 98 rebounds (Latham 54, Wood 44). Both Wood and Latham are in the top 12 in the ACC for rebounding. After losing the board battle in the first half, the Orange ended up winning it 40-37, including a 16-7 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Despite the improved performance on the glass, Syracuse trailed by as much as 19 points with 6:47 left in the third quarter and Wood once again found herself on the bench just two and half minutes into the half.

Wood came back into the game a minute into the fourth with Syracuse trailing 68-58. Then she went to work.

Wood’s first involvement was an and-one off a Georgia Woolley feed. She missed the ensuing free throw but cut the lead to eight. Then Fair started taking over, scoring 14-points in the fourth quarter.

After Syracuse went up 74-72 with 3:34 left in the fourth — SU’s first lead of the game — Clemson scored a layup and free throw to go back up. Then Wood corralled a Fair miss off the backboard, finishing through contact for another and-one putting SU back up 76-75 with 2:33 left.

“It’s kind of like a psychological thing, where we don’t have to say anything. It just happens,” Latham said of her and Wood’s rebounding ability.

A couple possessions later, Wood missed a reverse layup down low, but grabbed her own miss over three Clemson players and even Latham.

Falling backwards Wood got her hook shot after being bumped for her third finish plus a foul in the fourth quarter. After missing the two free throws on her previous attempts, Wood made the third to give the Orange a four-point advantage — its first and only two-possession lead of the game.

When Clemson tied the game and eventually took the lead on a Robinson 3-pointer with 40 seconds left, SU didn’t panic. Fair took her time on the ensuing possession, finding Latham down low. She was ready for the big moment and the game-winning basket.

Latham’s score helped highlight the play of Syracuse’s bigs, which had gone under the radar due to Fair’s history. But Legette-Jack was quick to point out after the game that Latham and Wood’s play and energy sparked the comeback.

“If we don’t win the rebounding battle, we don’t win the game,” Legette-Jack said. “(Fair) can score 3000 points, but you don’t win games without your bigs coming to play.”