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Syracuse head coach Felisha Legette-Jack always preaches to her players that they need to fight. Trying to secure a second-place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a win against NC State Thursday, the Orange needed to fight for every tenth of a second.

After Izabel Varejão missed a potential game-winning corner 3 with SU trailing 66-64, Alyssa Latham fought to gain position against NC State’s Aziaha James. Latham successfully boxed out the guard and pulled down Varejão’s air ball with 0.4 remaining. In the final tenths of a second, the freshman forward rushed to put up a second-chance shot. Latham never got the chance to do so because James fouled her.

Following a lengthy replay review to determine if the foul happened with time still on the clock, the officials put Latham on the free throw line with 0.1 seconds remaining. Latham, a 64.3% shooter from the charity stripe, confidently knocked down both free throws, sending the Orange to their first overtime game of the season.

Though No. 19 Syracuse (23-6, 13-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell 75-71 to No. 12 NC State (24-5, 12-5 ACC) in overtime, Latham’s play helped position SU to have a chance in the extra five minutes. Despite scoring four points in just 22 minutes played, she led the team with a +11 plus/minus and corralled 10 rebounds — her ninth game this season with double-digit boards.

The Orange out-rebounded NC State 52-40, securing a season-high 26 offensive rebounds. SU’s 26 offensive rebounds were its most in a game since it corralled 31 versus Morgan State on Nov. 10, 2017.

Throughout the season, Syracuse has been one of the best teams in the country at securing offensive rebounds. Entering Thursday’s contest versus the Wolfpack, SU’s 16.1 offensive rebounds per game ranked seventh in Division I, per HerHoopStats. But NC State has done a great job of preventing second-chance opportunities, as its 31.7 defensive rebounds per game ranked second in D-1 before facing SU.

Yet, the Wolfpack couldn’t contain Latham, who notched six offensive rebounds, tied for the second-most she’s had in a game this season. Before controlling Varejão’s miss and converting on the ensuing free throws, Latham’s fight on the block positioned her for the opportunity to tie the game.

NC State had an opportunity to go two-for-one after Georgia Woolley was called for traveling with 46 seconds remaining in overtime with the score tied 64-64. The Wolfpack instead ensured a high-percentage shot at the rim, as River Baldwin — who notched 13 points — scored to give them a 66-64 lead with 26 seconds left.

After calling a timeout, Syracuse attempted to run a pick and roll for Dyaisha Fair and Varejão. When NC State’s defense clamped Fair as she tried penetrating inside, she dished the ball to Woolley. Despite maneuvering her way into the paint and breaking free from her defender on a step-through, her attempt was off the mark.

But after Latham successfully boxed out Baldwin, she pulled down the rebound. Latham initially tried scoring the second-chance bucket herself, but Baldwin forced a tie-up — SU retained possession because of the possession arrow.

Though Latham has endured ups and downs throughout her freshman season, including six straight games where she came off the bench in February, she has continued to progress throughout the season.

“She has grown to be able to come into my office and laugh and share. But also she’s willing to take on the responsibility of trying to take ownership of this team,” said Legette-Jack when speaking about Latham at a media availability on Feb. 21.

While she shot just 1-for-5 from the field against the Wolfpack, Latham continuously made plays that set Syracuse up to succeed. In the first quarter, Woolley attempted a shot from the right elbow but missed off the front rim. Although she had inside positioning sealed against her, Latham jumped over NC State forward Mimi Collins to tip the rebound to Kyra Wood.

Latham then pulled Wood’s miss down, which allowed the Orange to reset their offense. SU ran a horns set, yet Fair was clamped and Latham couldn’t gain positioning down low. This prompted Wood to attempt a driving layup that she missed. Yet, Latham was there again, pulling down a rebound to keep Syracuse’s possession alive.

A tie-up ensued, but SU had the possession arrow. Fair inbounded the ball to Latham, who then handed the ball off and set a pick for the guard who drained three of her game-high 26 points.

While Latham’s aggressiveness provided Syracuse a spark, it also resulted in foul trouble. At the start of overtime, she already had four fouls meaning her next would disqualify her from the game. On SU’s first possession of overtime, Latham snatched back-to-back offensive rebounds.

With 3:23 left in overtime and no points scored since Latham’s late free throws, Varejão, who scored a career-high 14 points, missed a 3. Latham tried fighting for the offensive rebound but was called for an over-the-back violation, fouling her out of the game. From there, the Orange were outscored 9-5, dropping their final regular season game.

Published on February 29, 2024 at 11:30 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon