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STORRS, Conn. — After defeating Arizona 74-69 behind a heroic fourth quarter from Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 for the first time since 2021. In the fourth quarter, Fair, who suffered a knee injury in the closing moments of the third, scored 13 of her game-high 32 points after re-entering the game at the 7:51 mark.

Eleven of Fair’s points were scored consecutively unanswered, helping the Orange take just their third lead of the game, which they didn’t relinquish. The win came after SU lost three of its prior four games, including a crash out to Florida State in its lone ACC Tournament game.

Syracuse’s win earned it a matchup versus UConn, who defeated Jackson State 86-64 in the Round of 64. In the Huskies’ blowout win, they were led by a game-high 28 points from star guard Paige Bueckers while Ashlynn Shade poured in 26 and Aaliyah Edwards added 20.

The last time UConn failed to make the Sweet 16 was in 1993, and that streak didn’t end this year. While Syracuse led early on in the first quarter on the backs of Georgia Woolley and Sophie Burrows, the Huskies took the lead midway through the opening quarter and never relinquished it.

Here are some observations from No. 6 seed Syracuse’s (24-7, 13-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) 72-64 season-ending loss to No. 3 seed UConn (30-5, 18-0 Big East) in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32:

Woolley and Burrows dominate 1st quarter

The first quarter has plagued Syracuse all season despite its overall success. In the ACC Tournament against FSU, the Orange shot 6-for-18 from the field in the opening quarter and followed that up with a 6-for-17 effort against Arizona Saturday. Against a well-oiled machine in UConn, SU couldn’t afford a slow start. Australian guards Woolley and Burrows carried the Orange’s offense in the opening 10 minutes.

Woolley, SU’s second-leading scorer who hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a game since Feb. 18, drilled consecutive triples for Syracuse’s first six points before Burrows drew nylon from 3 giving SU a 9-7 lead. Then, Woolley picked up a steal before knocking down a mid-range shot in transition.

From there, the Orange’s offense struggled drastically, scoring just five more points in the quarter. Three of those five were courtesy of Burrows, who knocked down her second 3 from the right corner. Woolley didn’t score again in the quarter.

Combined, the Australians shot 5-for-9 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 on 3-pointers. Yet, the rest of the Orange shot 1-for-11 and Fair was held scoreless. Despite a 6-for-20 mark from the field, SU only trailed 18-16 after one, but their persisting struggles from the floor plagued them over the remaining three quarters. Woolley poured in 18 points while Burrows had the best game of her freshman season.

Burrows steps up in Alaina Rice’s absence

Midway through the fourth quarter of SU’s win over Arizona, Alaina Rice hit the deck after attempting a layup. Though she stayed in the game for a minute and a half after, she didn’t return after getting sent to the bench.

On Sunday, a Syracuse spokesperson announced that Rice didn’t travel with the rest of the team for media availability, and head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she was day-to-day. Just over an hour before tipoff, the team announced announced Rice — who started in all 31 of SU’s games — would be out versus the Huskies on social media.

In her absence, Legette-Jack started Burrows, who hadn’t started a game since Nov. 15. Despite a 2-for-6 outing versus the Wildcats and scoring in double figures just once in her last 10 games, the freshman shined.

Coming out of Australia, Burrows’ calling card was her 3-point shooting, which was an inefficient 23.7% entering the matchup with the Huskies. But against UConn, she put on her best 3-point shooting display yet. After draining two in the first quarter, she sunk another triple off a behind-the-back pass from Fair to cut SU’s deficit to 30-23 midway through the quarter.

In the second half, her 3-point dominance continued, draining three more, including another trailer 3 off a feed from Fair that brought the score to 53-44 at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Later in the period, she sunk her sixth 3, setting a career-high in made triples and points (18).

Fair held in check early

Syracuse’s kryptonite is when Fair struggles offensively. On Sunday, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said that it would be a win for UConn if they could hold Fair under 20 points. Since conference play began, the 22.3 points-per-game scorer was held under 20 points just four times. In those games, Syracuse went 2-2 as opposed to 12-4 when she reached the threshold.

Fair was held in check in the first quarter, only attempting three field goals and missing each one. The only points Fair contributed toward was an Alyssa Latham layup.

It took Fair until the 6:54 mark of the second quarter to net her first shot, which came two possessions after UConn’s Nika Mühl blocked a step-back 3. In typical Fair fashion, she persisted through a double team before drilling a pull-up to cut the Huskies’ lead to 26-18. That shot seemed like it could kick-start Fair’s shooting, but she proceeded to miss her final two shots of the half as Syracuse trailed 39-28 at the break.

While she somewhat came alive in the second half, Fair was held to exactly 20 points on 6-of-22.

Syracuse’s runs answered

With the Orange trailing 41-30 four minutes into the second half, Latham picked Bueckers’ pocket. This led to a fastbreak opportunity for Fair and Wooley 2-on-1, but Fair elected to shoot a 3-pointer, which she drilled. After Bueckers missed on UConn’s ensuing possession, Syracuse again got out in transition, this time with Woolley cutting the lead to six.

Then, after Bueckers — who scored 20 points in the first half on 10-for-16 shooting — missed her second straight shot, SU got the ball to Fair. On the left wing, Fair opted to pass to a trailing Burrows, who drilled her fourth triple forcing UConn to call a timeout with its lead just 41-38 midway through the third.

From there, UConn outscored the Orange by six, leading 53-44 after three. After Shade drilled a floater to extend UConn’s lead to 10 with 3:16 remaining, it was the nail in the coffin for Syracuse’s season. But the fourth quarter team, which was well displayed against Arizona, had one last fight in it. Fair responded by drilling her fourth 3 of the game, making it a seven-point Huskies lead.

Then, after Burrows notched a steal, she sank her sixth triple, cutting the score to 65-61 with 2:33 remaining. Off of another UConn turnover, Fair missed a deep 3. Yet, Syracuse grabbed the offensive rebound, and after a timeout, Latham drained a mid-range shot cutting UConn’s lead to 65-63.

The Huskies put the ball in Bueckers’ hands and she converted in the midrange, notching her 32nd point. But on the other end, Fair drew a foul from Beuckers and drained 1-of-2 from the charity stripe bringing the game to 67-64.

Though KK Arnold drained the biggest shot of the game from the left corner, extending UConn’s lead to 70-64 with 27.9 seconds remaining. On the Orange’s next possession, they were clamped and Edwards iced the game at the free throw line leading to a 72-64 win to send the Huskies to the Sweet 16.

Published on March 25, 2024 at 8:39 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon