Syracuse women's basketball heads back home after picking up its third straight win and second straight road win against Boston College. The Orange outlasted the Eagles 83-73.
Dyaisha Fair was once again sensational, putting up 25 points, dishing out six assists and recording three steals. This was Fair’s ninth 20-point game of the season.
While Fair was the scoring star, Alaina Rice had one of her best performances of the season, earning her the team’s coveted hard hat, given to the player who showed the most grit and toughness in a win. Rice not only scored 17 points but picked up five steals and rebounds.
Not shown in the box score, however, was Rice’s aggressiveness on defense. Aside from the steals, Rice disrupted the BC offense all night, forcing the Eagles to take highly contested shots and baiting them into several turnovers.
On the topic of turnovers, they were the story of the game, but they mostly weren’t a result of poorly organized offense. Both teams played aggressive, pesky defense that made passing extremely difficult and led several players to lose the ball mid-dribble. Both teams ended up with 22 turnovers, one of Syracuse’s highest totals this season.
The first half proved to be a battle of the offenses. Both teams were shooting around 50% from the field going into the half, but BC’s offense looked just a bit tighter. Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said in an interview shortly before the second half began that defense would be what won the game.
She was right.
Syracuse came out of the break sharper and cleaner on the defensive end. Boston College’s offense was unable to adjust. On the flip side, the Orange offense was able to find a way around the Eagles’ top-notch defense. Dyaisha Fair, in particular, did what she does best; after a slow start, she went on a second-half tear after deciphering the opposing defense.
Fair said after the game that playing more aggressive basketball was the key to securing the win.
“We noticed that we weren’t getting the calls, the right calls. They went on a run because we were playing safe basketball,” Fair said. “When we got back to playing the game that we know we can play, it turned around.”
For Boston College, Taina Mair, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week, lived up to the hype. Not only was she able to knock down some tough shots, but she gave her teammates scoring opportunities, ending the game with eight assists. Mair, a true freshman guard, also played the full 40 minutes.
While the Orange were able to hold BC’s scoring leader, Dontavia Waggoner, to just 10 points, the junior guard was able to bring down 11 rebounds. Waggoner went just 4-11 from the field, and did not score her average 13.9 points per game.
JoJo Lacey was fantastic for the Eagles, scoring 19 points to lead her team. This was one of Lacey’s best performances so far this season.
Syracuse will return to the JMA Wireless Dome for the first time in over a week. They will square off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, currently ranked seventh in the country in the AP Top 25. The game is set to tipoff at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday and will be broadcast on ACC Network.