Syracuse’s pass-heavy style fuels 93-75 win over Coppin State
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The moment Dyaisha Fair got a hook pass from Georgia Woolley on the fastbreak, she stopped. Normally most effective in transition, Fair opted to slow things down this time to set up SU’s half-court offense
When Eagle defenders started to crowd around her, Fair sought out an open teammate, and found Teisha Hyman. Hyman was open across the key, standing on the opposite wing. Even under pressure, Fair got the ball to Hyman, who nailed the 3-pointer to put the Orange up by seven halfway through the third quarter.
Fair finished with a season-best 27 points against Coppin State (2-8), but also led Syracuse in assists with six. The Orange were by no means struggling, going 21-of-37 from the field in the first half. But as the Eagles, one of the worst shooting teams in the country (311th-best field goal percentage), made over half of their shots, SU started to rely much more on its passing.
The Orange moved the ball around the arc frequently, forcing the Eagles to readjust constantly on defense. SU finished with 17 assists, the most in a single game this season in the 93-75 win over Coppin State.
The pass-heavy SU offense seemed non-existent in the first half as the Orange’s first 12 points were scored by Fair. Fair used her quick cuts and dribbles to shake off opposing defenders Mossi Staples and Jewel Watkins. Her herky-jerky moves were similar to that of last Sunday when she scored 13 points in the second half against Yale in a comeback win.
But after that win in New Haven, SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack pointed out that none of her teams ever had a “go-to player.” Yet tonight, it certainly looked as if Fair would be that go-to, finishing with 18 points in the first half.
However, near the midpoint of the second quarter, there was a shift as the Orange started moving the ball much more. Fair stood in the left corner with just under seven minutes left in the second quarter. She stood still as the ball darted back-and-forth in search of an open SU player.
Waiting for the right moment, Woolley suddenly cut in and found some space. She looked for space in the right corner before tossing the ball back toward the perimeter for Hyman to restart the offense. Hyman performed a quick give-and-go with Dariauna Lewis before sinking her first 3-pointer of the night from the right wing to cut SU’s deficit to four points.
“It’s just the flow of the game,” Fair said of the Orange’s increased passing. “Whatever they give us is what we’re going to take.”
Legette-Jack said that Syracuse knew Coppin State would come “fast” and be in “attack mode.” But she said she wasn’t expecting the Eagles to pull SU’s bigs out. While it was a “gamble” for Syracuse to go up against it, according to Legette-Jack, it didn’t affect play too much.
“We got disappointed on two or three occasions,” Legette-Jack said. “But we made the adjustment and stopped calling (for the defender).”
Later in the quarter, Fair passed to Hyman on the wing. Hyman then passed back to an open Fair who was now relocated in the corner. Fair nailed the wide open 3-pointer to give Syracuse its first lead of the night with just under four minutes left in the second quarter.
On the fast break off a Colleen Bucknor turnover, Fair threaded a pass through the CSU defense to Hyman for a bucket to make the score 49-43 in the second quarter. SU’s 12 first half team assists were more than four full games this season.
While her scoring acumen is well-known, Fair explicitly said postgame that she is not just a scoring guard. When she sees a teammate can’t get going, she’ll look for other teammates around the floor, Fair said. Usually, that’ll be Hyman.
“We have to be the one-two punch that gets this team going,” Fair said of her connection with Hyman. “If I can keep going and she can at the same time, I have to go to her.”
Into the second half, the increased ball movement continued. Cheyenne McEvans hit a 3-pointer after Fair sent a long pass across the paint to make the score 57-49 two minutes into the third quarter.
But Fair wasn’t the only one creating these solid passes. Two sharp SU bounce passes left Lewis wide open, giving her a made jumper to increase Syracuse’s lead to three with just over two minutes left. The Orange’s quick ball movements flustered the Eagles, who were outscored 42-30 in the second half.
Hyman got in on the action as well, especially near the end when the game was out of reach. She got the ball in a fastbreak after Alaina Rice tipped a Coppin State pass. As Hyman drove into the lane, she bobbled the ball for a moment before regaining control. But as she got full possession, three Eagle defenders swarmed her. With the little opening she had, Hyman hooked a hard pass to Asia Strong, who scored on the layup to make the score 87-71.
“Teisha doesn’t do what she’s supposed to do, or could do. Because she’s so okay with somebody else to get credit,” Legette-Jack said. “I love that about her. But she’s a kid that can get 20 (points) easy.”
