LISTEN: @CuseWBB took care of business against @WakeWBB in a 77-56 victory. @EthanGFrank and @TylerJAitken had the call. pic.twitter.com/g3P9QD7P7h
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 11, 2024
Just over seven minutes into the opening quarter, Dyaisha Fair knocked down her second triple of the game to give Syracuse women’s basketball a 10-7 edge. SU (13-2, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) never relinquished its lead after that in a convincing 77-56 win over Wake Forest (4-12, 0-4 Atlantic Coast Conference).
After trading blows in the early going, the ‘Cuse strung together a 12-0 run to race out to a 24-9 advantage. The Demon Deacons managed to respond with a 10-1 run of their own to pull within nine at the break. After eight different Orange players scored in the opening half, a trio of starters took over in the third frame. In SU’s highest-scoring quarter of the contest, Dyaisha Fair, Kyra Wood and Alyssa Latham combined for 18 of the squad’s 25 points.
Fair led the team in scoring for the 10th time this season with 21 total points. The Rochester native climbed to 16th on the NCAA Division I women’s basketball all-time scoring list with a bucket in the fourth quarter and is now 14 points away from the 3,000 mark. Fair went 3-for-7 from downtown and also collected seven rebounds, tying a team-high.
LISTEN: @CuseWBB guard Dyaisha Fair continued to climb up the all-time NCAA points leaderboard. @TylerJAitken chronicled the grad student's next milestone make. pic.twitter.com/I1UV8sCDpA
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 11, 2024
Beyond SU’s leading scorer, Georgia Woolley chipped in 15 points. The Australian tallied seven of those in the final frame. Alyssa Latham was the other Orange player in double figures, finishing with 11 points. The freshman delivered 10 or more points for the ninth time this season. Overall, Syracuse shot 54% from the field, its best shooting display in ACC play this season. The Orange had shot just 37% and 30% in their previous two games, respectively.
LISTEN: @CuseWBB guard Georgia Woolley made her first shot from beyond the arc of the afternoon. @TylerJAitken painted the picture of the junior's long range make. pic.twitter.com/FpmKYqkG9D
— WAER Sports (@WAERSports) January 11, 2024
On the other side, Wake Forest similarly had a deep rotation as nine players put their name on the score sheet. However, Malaya Cowles was the only double digit scorer with 13 points. In a frustrating first half offensively for the lowest scoring team in the ACC, no players converted multiple field goals in either of the first two quarters.
While Wake Forest connected on eight threes, two more than Syracuse, it only notched 22 points in the paint. SU scored 36 in the lane and recorded 10 more second chance points. The Orange’s advantage down low stemmed from their 35 rebounds, 10 more than the Deacs.
Wake Forest is one of three ACC programs without a conference win and faces another tough test in 15th ranked Louisville (14-2, 3-0 Atlantic Coast) on Sunday. Meanwhile, Syracuse shifts its focus to a home date with Clemson (8-7, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) on Sunday. Game time is slated for 2 p.m. from the JMA Wireless Dome.