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Bailey Tabeling was unstoppable. Through the opening half, the freshman had a career performance, scoring 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting and five made 3s. Ohio was narrowly trailing 41-40 at halftime and with Tabeling beginning the second half on the bench, Syracuse needed a fast start.

One 9-0 run later, and the Orange were in total control for the first time Saturday afternoon. Alyssa Latham got it started with a bucket inside, and was followed up by a deep 3 from Alaina Rice on the left wing. Georgia Woolley then nailed a mid-range jumper and on the other end, Sophie Burrows turned over point guard Jaya McClure and went coast-to-coast for an easy layup.

Bobcats head coach Bob Boldon called a timeout at the 8:21 mark in the third quarter after SU’s commanding scoring spurt — one that never truly slowed. It shot 46.9% from the field during the second half, far better than its 38.9% opening half.

“We just locked into our game,” Woolley said on the ESPN+ broadcast postgame. “We found open shooters and we got the ball inside. It was a good team win.”

Over the first 20 minutes, the Orange couldn’t fend off Tabeling and didn’t make up for it with underwhelming shooting numbers. Yet, Syracuse (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) found its stride through the final two quarters, defeating Ohio (2-5, 0-0 Mid American Conference) 82-62 for its fifth-straight victory. Tabeling’s aggressive catch-and-shoot ability gave SU fits in the first half. But it clamped down on her in the second and made the Bobcats pay on the opposite end, outscoring Ohio 23-7 in the third quarter. It was the fewest points SU has allowed during a single quarter in 2023-24 thus far.

Star point guard Dyaisha Fair finished with a team-best 21 points. Though she initially had a tough time from the field, beginning the contest 0-for-4 on all 3-point attempts in the opening quarter. On a try early in the first, Woolley hit a wide-open Fair in the left corner in transition, but the ensuing shot fell short.

SU fell behind 7-5 then embarked on an 8-0 run, spurred by six points from Latham, to gain a 13-7 lead at the 4:40 mark in the first. Still, it couldn’t keep its grasp on the Bobcats. Ohio went on a 8-1 run over the next three minutes, which included two 3s from Tabeling.

In response, forward Saniaa Wilson ignited a six-point Syracuse run through the final 1:30 of the opening quarter. On the right block, Wilson drew a shooting foul on Tabeling and knocked down the ensuing two free throws. She then posted up at the right elbow and patiently waited for a cutting Rice to free up inside, feeding the guard for an easy lay-in.

Wilson, whose 18 points was a career-high with Syracuse, ended the quarter with a put-back layup, as SU took a 20-15 advantage into the second. And she stayed hot to start the following frame, working on Ohio’s Monica Williams under the basket and finishing through contact on a lay-in, drawing an and-one.

From there though, the Orange made one of their next 10 attempts from the floor. Their offense found consistent, open looks yet couldn’t finish. Rice and Burrows highlighted their inefficiency from the floor, combining for a lowly 1-for-11 during the first half.

While SU lagged behind, Ohio gained ground — led by Tabeling. After a six-point first quarter, the freshman set her new career-high in points midway into the second. She drained a 3 from the top of the key to bring the Bobcats within one. Then, after Fair responded with a step-back 3-pointer, Tabeling drilled another deep jumper from the left wing to decrease Syracuse’s lead to 31-30 at the 4:33 mark.

Despite what was already a career performance, Tabeling kept the pressure on. With the Orange up 33-32 with 3:59 left, Woolley tried swinging it to Fair at the top of the key. But Tabeling invaded the passing lane, intercepting the feed and taking it coast-to-coast for a lead-taking layup. And just 30 seconds later, Tabeling cashed in on a corner 3-ball, giving the Bobcats a 37-33 advantage.

Through the first half, Tabeling had career-highs in points (17) and 3s made (five), not missing her first shot attempt until 17:44 into the contest. In her seventh-ever collegiate game, Tabeling was willing the Bobcats to outplay Syracuse.

“It was one of the best shooting performances I’ve ever seen,” Boldon said of Tabeling postgame.

A 3-pointer from Fair brought SU within one, her 10th point of the game on a 3-for-10 shooting start. Syracuse ended the second quarter well and kept Tabeling quiet, as Perkins hoisted up a 3 from the right wing and nailed it to help SU enter the break up 41-40.

To start the second half, Boldon opted to keep Tabeling on the bench, despite scoring the bulk of the Bobcats’ first-half points. Syracuse capitalized on his decision to leave the hot hand out, as Ohio’s promising one-point deficit quickly vanished into a 64-47 score with 10 minutes left.

The Bobcats played a sloppy third frame, committing 10 turnovers and shooting 22.2% from the field. The Orange didn’t miss a moment to establish their lead through Ohio’s struggles, closing the quarter at a 56.3% shooting clip with six players scoring at least one basket.

Six minutes into the third, Fair’s third 3-pointer of the game put Syracuse up 59-42, extending what was an 18-2 run at that point. In desperation mode, the Bobcats couldn’t muster any sort of offensive production. Forward Cassidy Lafler committed a traveling violation while trying to work on Wilson at the low block, and Rice followed the error up with a lay-in on SU’s next possession, increasing the dominant stretch to 20-2 — the largest run of the game.

Throughout the second half, Syracuse emphasized stalling Tabeling. It sent double teams, as Fair and Woolley often collapsed on her when she received the ball for catch-and-shoot chances. When Tabeling moved off the ball, SU defenders stuck with her and rarely allowed her to find open space.

A pair of 3s from Tabeling at the 7:21 and 6:47 marks of the fourth quarter brought her back into the scoresheet for Ohio. She ended with a game-high 23 points, but it wasn’t enough. SU’s lead ultimately grew to as much as 22, and Tabeling was left wondering what could have been after an odd stint on the bench to commence a nightmare second half for the Bobcats.

“I think this was good to get a win on the road like this heading into ACC (play),” Woolley said. “But we’ve got to keep this momentum and keep moving forward.”

Published on December 9, 2023 at 3:31 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews