Syracuse Upsets No. 13 Notre Dame Behind Dyaisha Fair’s Masterclass
By Andrew Della Piana | @dellie_5
SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After the third quarter, the Orange trailed 65-61 after the Fighting Irish went on a 6-0 run to finish the frame. However, Dyaisha Fair scored 14 of her 27 points in the fourth to propel Syracuse women’s basketball (11-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) over No. 13 Notre Dame (9-2, 0-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) 86-81. SU defeated ND for the first time since January 31st, 2021.
Hannah Hidalgo scored 32 points for Notre Dame, tying the record for the second-most points ever scored by an Irish freshman. She also had seven steals, which brings her season total of at least six steals to seven games.
After winning the tip, Syracuse got off to a quick start. In the first few minutes, the Orange led 7-0, but the Irish would then surge back, going on a 13-4 run. Both sides finished the first frame by making their final three shots as it was a 19-19 game at the end of the first.
SU led 42-38 at the half as Fair scored the final six points after a pair of defensive steals. Fair and Hidalgo both had 11, with four ties and eight lead changes in the first 20 minutes.
The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle. Hidalgo hit a pair of free throws about 3 minutes in, giving the Fighting Irish their first lead since the 3:24 mark of the first quarter. Notre Dame led by four points entering the last ten minutes as Syracuse struggled with handling the ball, having already committed a season-high 23 turnovers.
Kyra Wood set the tone in the first few moments of the fourth, opening the frame on a personal 4-0 run, forcing Niele Ivey to call a timeout. SU was locked down on defense, limiting ND to just 19 points and forcing 7 turnovers. Fair took over from there, going three-for-five from outside the arc and five-for-six from the charity stripe in the final 10 minutes.
Despite the season-high 28 giveaways by the Orange, Fair’s fourth-quarter heroics helped knock off the No. 13 Fighting Irish to open ACC action in emphatic fashion.
It’s a nice bow to put on 2023 as the conference season rolls on for Syracuse into 2024. On Thursday, SU goes to Chapel Hill to face No. 24 North Carolina.
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aedellap@syr.edu | @dellie_5
