Saturday, March 23
Storrs, Con..
3:30 PM
Syracuse University
74
vs
69
Arizona
Syracuse Defeats Arizona in NCAA First Round
3/23/2024 6:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Orange are moving on! The 6-seed Syracuse women's basketball team (24-7, 13-5 ACC) defeated 11-seed Arizona (18-16, 8-10 Pac-12), 74-69, Saturday afternoon in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. SU earned their seventh visit to the Second Round as they improve to 11-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, earning their first win since 2021.
Fifth-year Dyaisha Fair had 32 points in the contest, her fourth 30+ point game of the season and the most points by a player in an NCAA Tournament game in Syracuse history. Freshman Alyssa Latham scored 10 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Orange, with junior Georgia Woolley and sophomore Kennedi Perkins both adding eight points. Perkins was one point away from her season high and scored six in the fourth quarter, including two jumpers to give the Orange their first two leads of the game.
Arizona was led in scoring by Skylar Jones with 24 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Syracuse and Arizona started the game trading baskets before a 7-0 run by the Wildcats put them ahead by eight. Arizona would keep the lead for the entire first half, fending off the Orange despite being outscored and outrebounded in the second quarter. Syracuse cut the lead to one early in the third quarter thanks to back-to-back treys from Fair and Woolley, eventually tying the game with 16 seconds left in the quarter for the first time since the 8:29-mark in the first quarter.
A jumper in the paint from Perkins would give the Orange their first lead of the game to start the fourth before trading baskets with the Wildcats. Arizona grabbed the lead again and led by five with 2:43 left in the contest. Fair proceeded to create an 11-0 run by herself and scored the last 13 points of the win for SU.
'CUSE JUST WON'T QUIT
The Orange came back from being down as much as nine points and eight points on four occasions to take the win against Arizona. SU gained the lead for the first time with 8:42 in the fourth quarter thanks to a Perkins jumper in the paint. Perkins scored six of her eight points in the fourth. 'Cuse closed the contest on 13 points from Dyaisha Fair, including a solo 11-0 run in the last three minutes of the game to retake the lead from the Wildcats.
OF NOTE
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orange will continue dancing against 3-seed Connecticut on Monday, March 25, inside the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The former BIG EAST rivals will square off for the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off time is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Want to follow Syracuse through the tournament? Follow @CuseWBB on social media.
Fifth-year Dyaisha Fair had 32 points in the contest, her fourth 30+ point game of the season and the most points by a player in an NCAA Tournament game in Syracuse history. Freshman Alyssa Latham scored 10 to round out the double-digit scorers for the Orange, with junior Georgia Woolley and sophomore Kennedi Perkins both adding eight points. Perkins was one point away from her season high and scored six in the fourth quarter, including two jumpers to give the Orange their first two leads of the game.
Arizona was led in scoring by Skylar Jones with 24 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Syracuse and Arizona started the game trading baskets before a 7-0 run by the Wildcats put them ahead by eight. Arizona would keep the lead for the entire first half, fending off the Orange despite being outscored and outrebounded in the second quarter. Syracuse cut the lead to one early in the third quarter thanks to back-to-back treys from Fair and Woolley, eventually tying the game with 16 seconds left in the quarter for the first time since the 8:29-mark in the first quarter.
A jumper in the paint from Perkins would give the Orange their first lead of the game to start the fourth before trading baskets with the Wildcats. Arizona grabbed the lead again and led by five with 2:43 left in the contest. Fair proceeded to create an 11-0 run by herself and scored the last 13 points of the win for SU.
'CUSE JUST WON'T QUIT
The Orange came back from being down as much as nine points and eight points on four occasions to take the win against Arizona. SU gained the lead for the first time with 8:42 in the fourth quarter thanks to a Perkins jumper in the paint. Perkins scored six of her eight points in the fourth. 'Cuse closed the contest on 13 points from Dyaisha Fair, including a solo 11-0 run in the last three minutes of the game to retake the lead from the Wildcats.
OF NOTE
- Syracuse improved to 24-7 on the season.
- The Orange are now 11-12 in NCAA Tournament games, earning their first win since 2021.
- Fair led the Orange with 32 points, setting a program record for most points by an SU player in an NCAA Tournament game.
- Fair scored the last 13 points of the contest for Syracuse, including a solo 11-0 run.
- SU advances to the NCAA Second Round for the seventh time in program history and third straight time.
- Syracuse had 26 points off turnovers, thanks to 12 steals and 21 forced turnovers.
- The Orange outscored Arizona in the paint 38-28 in the contest.
- 'Cuse had 17 offensive rebounds in the win.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orange will continue dancing against 3-seed Connecticut on Monday, March 25, inside the Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut. The former BIG EAST rivals will square off for the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off time is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN.
Want to follow Syracuse through the tournament? Follow @CuseWBB on social media.