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Syracuse had hit a rough patch. For the first time this season, the Orange lost back-to-back games, losing handily to then-No. 19 Virginia Tech and No. 16 Louisville. SU put together two of its worst shooting performances of the season shooting a combined 35% from the field. In both games the Orange fell behind in the first half — a growing trend this season — but neither game resulted in a comeback.

SU had a chance to bounce back against a Boston College team it had already beat this season. In the first matchup, outside of a lackadaisical fourth quarter, Syracuse comfortably defeated the Eagles. This time around the Orange were on the road and reeling from two straight losses. They needed a response.

Against Boston College it was a battle all day long. Early on offense was hard to come by, but Syracuse led by seven after the first quarter with Alaina Rice scoring eight. But in the second, SU turned the ball over eight times and trailed by one at halftime.

Dyaisha Fair carried Syracuse’s offense, scoring 12 in the third quarter to keep the Orange afloat. Fair continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, finishing with a season-high 38 points and carrying SU to a victory.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (18-4, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) 75-63 win against Boston College (11-13, 3-8 ACC):

Wilson gets the start

When Syracuse’s lineup was announced about 10 minutes before tip off, there was a slight change in her normal starting lineup. Instead of Alyssa Latham making her 22nd straight start, Saniaa Wilson got the nod instead — her third career start and first since Feb. 2, 2023 against Virginia Tech.

Latham had struggled over the past few games having not scored in double figures since Jan. 14 against Clemson. She has flashed her potential through the season, but against Virginia Tech and Louisville she scored just two points in each contest. While Latham has struggled, Wilson has been a strong presence down low off the bench.

Wilson started off the game strong, pivoting down low to score Syracuse’s first points of the game. But she picked up her second foul as Dontavia Waggoner converted an and-one. The foul forced Felisha Legette-Jack to put Latham in place of Wilson. The freshman didn’t do much better, missing her first eight shots while looking flustered whenever she got into the paint.

In the second half, Legette-Jack opted to start both Wilson and Latham together, putting Kyra Wood on the bench. And like she started the first half, Wilson proceeded to open up the scoring in the second with a bucket inside. The two had minimal offensive impact, but Latham pulled in 10 rebounds. SU’s forwards combined to score 15 points on 3-for-12 shooting from the field.

Fair’s diverse offense

Usually, Fair does her damage from beyond the arc and to good effect. Entering the game, Fair was first in the conference in 3-point makes with 3.6 per game and third in the country. But, on occasion, Fair can get trigger happy from beyond the arc. Against Boston College, Fair decided to use her tight handle to attack the paint.

With Syracuse down 9-8 in the first quarter, Fair drove left and, when her lane to the basket was closed off, faded away toward the baseline, banking home a tough finish. Fair then got the ball on the wing in transition. She used a hesitation move to freeze Kaylah Ivey, creating a wide-open lane to the basket to put Syracuse up three. Fair’s bucket was part of an 8-0 Syracuse run to finish the first quarter.

Then when Syracuse had gone over five minutes scoreless, Fair connected from midrange again. Rice drove baseline, finding Fair on the wing for a midrange jumper to put Syracuse up 20-19 midway through the second quarter.

With the Orange struggling, Fair took matters into her own hands. Another mid-range jumper followed by her first triple of the game tied the game at 27. Fair had nine of Syracuse’s 12 points in the second quarter.

Tied at 44, Fair drove left and banked in a circus shot plus the foul to give SU its first lead since the second quarter. Then late in the fourth quarter, Fair took over. She hit three straight triples from beyond the arc as Syracuse looked to create separation.

Sidberry’s presence

Teya Sidberry entered Sunday on a hot streak, scoring in double figures in her last six games. The Eagles second leading scorer (13.5 points per game) had her way with Syracuse, scoring 13 points in the first half, already surpassing her total from the first meeting against Syracuse where she scored 12 points in 26 minutes.

Sidberry’s presence down low gave the Orange problems whether it was Wood, Latham or Wilson guarding her. The forward hit six of her first eight shots. With the game tied at 27 in the first half, Sidberry bodied Latham for positioning in the paint before easily converting inside to put BC back in front.

After Sidberry had a small scoring drought, she received the ball at the elbow. With Wilson in front of her she drove right by and drew a foul, splitting the ensuing free throws. Sidberry finished with a team-high 23 points on 63% percent shooting.

Sloppy play

Syracuse knew from its first matchup against Boston College that the Eagles would provide pressure. BC entered its matchup forcing 21.6 turnovers per game, the most in the ACC. Turnover issues which have plagued Syracuse at times this season came back to bite the Orange once again. Eight giveaways in the second quarter alone erased a seven-point advantage.

The same sloppy play ensued throughout the second half. With the shot clock winding down, Fair controlled the ball on the wing. But there was no opening, so she swung the ball cross-court to Kennedi Perkins who had no time to get a shot up. On the next possession, Sophie Burrows tossed a lazy feed to Wilson, ending in another turnover.

Much of the time SU’s turnovers came in live ball situations, leading to easy run outs for Boston College. On a number of occasions, the Eagles had easy transition chances. BC finished with 14 fast break points, compared to SU’s five. But down the stretch Syracuse didn’t turn the ball over, giving it away just once in the final ten minutes.

Published on February 4, 2024 at 2:20 pm

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