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Coming off two convincing wins over Northern Iowa and Iowa State at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas, Syracuse returned to the JMA Wireless Dome to take on Alabama in the Inaugural ACC/SEC challenge.

Syracuse has dominated teams outside of the power five this year. Heading into Thursday’s matchup Syracuse was 4-0 against such teams, while going 1-1 against power five teams. Syracuse fell to then No. 20 Maryland by two points before defeating Iowa State. On Thursday the Orange faced another test.

Syracuse got off to a slow start offensively, but freshman forward Alyssa Latham and Dyaisha Fair came alive to give the Orange a spark. Latham’s four first quarter field goals helped Syracuse to an 18-6 lead. Fair did her part as well, as the Orange led 35-29 at the half.

Alabama pushed in the second half, cutting Syracuse’s lead down to three with Fair on the bench with a leg injury. The Crimson Tide cut the Orange’s lead to two at one point in the fourth quarter, but the Orange held on.

Here are some observations from Syracuse (6-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 79-73 win against Alabama (7-2, 0-0 Southeastern Conference)

Barker’s offense

Right from the start it was clear who Alabama’s go-to offensive option was, much like Fair is for Syracuse. Sarah Ashlee Barker scored the first five points of the game. After Fair missed a tough jumper, Barker came down the other end, gliding by Syracuse’s defense and finishing uncontested at the rim. Later Barker drained a 3-pointer from the corner, her ninth of the season.

Later in the first quarter, Barker received the ball on the left wing, using a ball fake to get by Alaina Rice. Getting deep into the Syracuse defense, Barker drew a foul on Izabel Varejão. Barker remained aggressive off the dribble throughout.

When Syracuse switched into a zone in the second quarter, Barker was placed directly in the middle. Barker came in averaging just two assists per game, but by the end of the first half she had four. Barker’s aggressiveness in the paint often drew Syracuse’s defense, using a wraparound pass to big Meg Newman inside on several occasions.

Barker picked up right where she left off in the second half. Off a Syracuse turnover, she got inside for two to start the scoring. With Alabama gaining momentum, Barker canned a 3-pointer from the left wing. On the ensuing offensive possession, Barker drove the lane, finishing acrobatically inside for her 18th point of the game, making it a 45-45 ballgame. From there she was held scoreless, finishing with a team-high 18 points on 6-12 shooting.

Latham gives a spark

Syracuse was struggling early on. The Orange went scoreless through the first three and a half minutes of play. Georgia Woolley and Fair both took tough, off-balance looks as Alabama’s guards hounded them on the perimeter. To get them out of the slump, Syracuse looked inside to its freshman forward.

Latham opened up the scoring for the Orange with a baseline jumper off an out of bounds play. On the other end, Latham forced a rushed shot before knocking down another baseline jumper on the other end to cut Alabama’s lead to 5-4. The freshman continued to provide Syracuse with a presence on both ends. Latham pulled in a game-high four boards in the first quarter.

With Syracuse down one in the middle of the first quarter, Fair penetrated the lane before dishing off to an open Latham under the basket for her sixth point of the ball game. Latham has flashed her potential this year, with a few double-doubles against lower competition, but this was her best performance to date.

After a 3-pointer cut Syracuse’s lead to one with 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Fair dribbled up the floor, driving left and fading away, looking as if she would take a shot herself. Instead, she threw an alleyoop to Latham who finished inside, finishing with eight first quarter points, a game-high. Latham finished with a career-high 23 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.

Latham’s confidence only grew throughout the game. In the second quarter, she hit her first 3-pointer of the season from the top of the key, giving Syracuse a six-point lead.

Fair lights it up from three

Fair had a tough time maneuvering the paint against an Alabama team with size at the guard position. Fair tried getting inside, but there was always help coming to her, forcing her into a couple of tough fadeaway jump shots at the start.

Instead of trying to go inside, Fair decided to stay on the perimeter and it worked. She remained patient, often breaking down her defender waiting for the right time to let fly. She made her first shot from deep along the left wing, giving Syracuse a 7-5 lead, its first lead of the game.

A couple of possessions later Fair slowly dribbled side to side before inching forward. Then she drained a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key. In the second quarter, Fair knocked down two more triples, all in the same fashion. None of her makes came off assist, using her threat as a driver to get better looks from distance. Fair went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc in the first half

Her only 2-point make in the first 16 minutes came with 30 seconds left off a quick pull-up jumper from the left elbow.

For a portion of the third quarter, Fair was sidelined due to a leg injury, but she later returned in the fourth. Fair didn’t hit any more triples, but her dribble drives remained key for Syracuse.

Turnover troubles

Syracuse could not hold onto the ball if its life depended on it. The Orange continuously shot themselves in the foot against the Crimson Tide. Syracuse led by as many as 14 in the first half, but Alabama cut into Syracuse’s lead in part because of the Orange turning the ball over. A big issue for the Orange was its live ball turnovers, giving Alabama easy looks in transition.

Alabama opted to use a full court press against Syracuse, which worked. Felisha Legette-Jack opted to put Latham in the middle of the press, but two errant passes made Syracuse adjust. Syracuse opted to slow things down with Woolley, Fair and Rice trying to break down the press with long cross court passes.

At times Syracuse tried to rush the ball up the court against the set defense which resulted in poor giveaways. With Syracuse leading comfortably by eight at the end of the third quarter. Rice received the inbounds pass before lowering her shoulder into the defender, drawing an offensive foul.

After an Alabama made basket, Woolley tried pushing the ball up the floor, but she turned right into another defender who forced a jump ball — one of her game-high six turnovers. Entering the fourth quarter, Syracuse had 18 turnovers, totalling its previous season high against Maryland.

More turnovers ensued in the fourth quarter. After the Orange extended their lead to 10 with under three minutes left, three straight turnovers helped the Crimson Tide cut the lead to two. Alabama scored 25 points off of the Orange’s 24 giveaways.

Published on November 30, 2023 at 9:21 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22