Observations from SU’s win over Clemson: Robinson dominates, Latham and Rice’s spark

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Following a setback against North Carolina on Jan. 4, Syracuse had responded well. The Orange followed up the loss with two convincing wins over Boston College and Wake Forest.

Going into its game against Clemson, SU had the chance to register its third-straight win against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent for the first time this season. Along with that, SU point guard Dyaisha Fair was just 14 points away from the 3,000 point mark on her career, becoming just the 16th women’s basketball player ever to hit the mark.

Syracuse got off to a horrendous start as Clemson’s hot shooting put the Orange behind early. The Tigers shot 53% from the field in the first half, helping them build an 11-point lead. The Orange trailed by 19 in the third quarter but willed their way back. Led by 21 points from Fair, Syracuse completed the comeback.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (14-2, 4-1 ACC) 83-82 win over Clemson (8-9, 1-4 ACC):

Fair hits 3k and sparks comeback

Entering Sunday’s matchup, Fair had the chance to make history and become just the 16th women’s basketball player to score 3,000 points. But as the big accomplishment loomed it seemed like Fair would miss the mark.

It was a struggle for Fair for most of the game. Wherever she went, Clemson guarded her tight. She tried her luck from deep in the first half, but couldn’t find her touch, misfiring on all four attempts. The senior point guard had just two points on 1-for-6 shooting through the first 20 minutes.

Fair knocked down two free throws in the last minute of the third quarter for her first points since 4:19 remaining in the second quarter. Then, Fair started to get going. A couple of deep three pointers went down as she started to find a rhythm.

With Fair heating up, Syracuse began to cut into the Clemson lead. With 3:55 remaining in the fourth quarter, Fair was fouled on a 3-pointer in the corner. Just one point away, Fair knocked down the first to give her the historic mark. She then hit the next two. A midrange jumper with just 3:34 left in the game gave SU its first lead of the game.

Clemson and Syracuse went back and forth down the stretch. Kyra Wood converted multiple and-ones before Kennedi Perkins hit a floater to put SU up 81-79 with under a minute left. Fair then found Alyssa Latham inside to put SU up 83-82 with seven seconds left. Then, to hold on for a win, Syracuse got one last stop.

Clemson’s hot start

To start the game, it looked like Syracuse would never stop Clemson. The Tigers got whatever they wanted on the offensive end. After Fair missed from 3 on the opening possession, Clemson came racing the other way, with Ruby Whitehorn finishing through contact for an and-one. Whitehorn missed the free throw, but Amari Robinson collected the offensive board for a four-point possession.

Whitehorn then drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key to put Clemson up 7-0. Robinson answered a Latham triple with a finish inside. On the Tigers’ next offensive possession, Whitehorn drilled another 3 and Clemson led 12-3.

The Tigers’ offensive barrage continued throughout the first quarter. Not only was it the most points Syracuse had let up in a quarter this season, but it was also the Tigers’ second highest-scoring first quarter (29) as they led the Orange by 10. As a team, Clemson shot 11-for-17 from the field, including a 3-for-4 effort from beyond the arc.

Rice and Latham’s outside shooting

As the season has progressed, Latham and Alaina Rice have been willing to shoot 3s. Up until Syracuse’s win over Notre Dame where Latham hit two of her three attempts from 3, the freshman hadn’t attempted multiple 3-pointers in a game. Including the game against the Irish, Latham has shot multiple triples in three of last next five contests.

Against Clemson, she drilled both of her looks from beyond the arc. Rice also provided some much-needed outside shooting, drilling three triples. When Syracuse was down in the second half, Rice knocked down two 3-pointers, helping the Orange mount their late-game comeback.

But outside of Latham and Rice, Syracuse struggled from beyond the arc. Besides Latham in the first half, Syracuse went 1-for-9 from beyond the arc, including an 0-for-4 effort from Woolley. Syracuse ranks just ninth in the ACC from 3, hitting 31.6% of their looks from deep. While the Orange shot 32% from range against Clemson, the nine threes they hit were huge in the comeback.

Robinson Dominates

Robinson came in as the seventh leading scorer in the ACC along with leading the Tigers with 17.1 points per game. Against Syracuse, she continued the trend. The forward bullied Syracuse down low all game long. Whoever Syracuse put on her, whether it was Latham, Wood or Saniaa Wilson, the Orange couldn’t stop her.

Clemson’s hot start on offense forced Syracuse to be aggressive in its closeouts on the perimeter, leaving gaps the Tigers could take advantage of. With the Orange defense scrambling, Clemson often found Robinson wide open under the basket for easy looks inside. Whenever Syracuse threatened to make a run, it seemed Robinson had an answer. But a 14-0 run helped Syracuse take the lead before Robinson converted two free throws to tie the game at 79 with just over a minute left. After Perkins put SU back on top, Robinson drilled a triple to put Clemson up 83-82. Her 35 points tied a career-high previously set against Georgia Southern on Nov. 6.

After Latham put the Orange ahead with seven seconds left, Robinson had the chance to cap off her career-night with a game winning shot. Robinson received the in bounds pass before driving right, but Latham’s defense forced a wild attempt which missed the mark as Clemson fell short.