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Women's Basketball

Dyaisha Fair announces return for 5th season

Nick Luttrell | Contributing Photographer

Dyaisha Fair sizes up Virginia's Taylor Valladay on Jan. 26, 2023. In Syracuse's 90-72 win over the Cavaliers, Fair notched a season-high 36 points

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Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair will return for a fifth year, she announced on her social media Wednesday afternoon. Fair will play her second year with the Orange after playing three seasons with Buffalo from 2019-22.

In the regular season, Fair averaged 20 points per game, which ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 20th nationally. In all games this season, she’s scored in double figures, including 17 games above 20 points. Against Virginia in January, she scored a season-high 36 points, tying a program record with eight 3-pointers. 

Fair earned All-ACC first team and defensive team honors, getting named to the Dawn Staley Award late season watch list as well as being a top 10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award. 

“I never thought I would end up here at Syracuse University,” Fair said in the post. “Leaving Buffalo, playing not one, two, three or four years under Coach Jack. But who would’ve thought that I would play a fifth.”



Fair joined the Orange in April 2022 after three seasons at Buffalo, following head coach Felisha Legette-Jack to the program. With the Bulls, Fair was named the Mid-American Conference’s Freshman of the Year, making 30 appearances with 30 starts in the campaign. She averaged 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Fair was the fastest person in Buffalo program history to reach 1,000 career points.

During her junior year, Fair finished fourth in the country in points per game, averaging 23.4 and shooting 40.4% from the field. She helped the Bulls to a MAC Tournament title, advancing the program to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. Fair was named an Associated Press All-American honorable mention and earned spots on the Dawn Staley Award and Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year watch lists.

“The big thing (about transferring) was my former coach, of course,” Fair told the Daily Orange on April 27, 2022. “Just keeping that bond where it is and just trying to continue what we’re doing on the biggest stage.”

Syracuse is currently in the Super 16 of the Women’s National Invitiational Tournament, where it will face Columbia on Friday. In the first two games of the tournament, Fair scored 24 in each in wins over Kent State and Seton Hall. 

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