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The Orange started slowly against Ohio, making just one of their first eight shots. But SU ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run, closing the quarter with a five-point lead.

Despite carrying a lead into the second, SU missed its next nine consecutive shots. Ohio capitalized on Syracuse’s struggles, taking a four-point lead with under three minutes remaining before halftime. The Orange escaped the first half up 41-40, but they looked like the team from their last four games during the second half.

Less than two minutes into the third quarter, Syracuse went on a 9-0 run, giving it a 10-point lead, its then-largest lead of the game. Throughout the third quarter, Syracuse built its lead up to 20 points and never looked back. The win extended its winning streak to five games.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (8-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 82-62 win against Ohio (2-5, 0-0 Mid American Conference):

Fair finishes strong

Dyaisha Fair has consistently been Syracuse’s go-to scoring option throughout her tenure with the Orange, but that wasn’t the case for much of the first half. Despite scoring two early points from the free throw line, Fair missed her first seven shots, including five from behind the arc.

But midway through the second quarter, Fair floated into the paint and nailed a mid-range jumper. Then on the ensuing possession, Fair finally canned her first 3 of the game, giving Syracuse a 31-27 lead. Ohio responded with a 10-2 run, taking a four-point lead, but Fair drilled another 3 to cut SU’s deficit back to one, helping SU ignite a run that helped it regain the lead entering halftime.

Despite finishing the first half with three consecutive makes, Fair only attempted one shot midway through the third quarter. Then, as she’s done throughout the season, Fair made it rain quickly, going on a personal 5-0 run to extend Syracuse’s lead to 17.

Fair ended the contest with a team-high 21 points, shooting 7-for-18 from the field and 5-for-13 from 3.

Saniaa Wilson steps up

Izabel Varejão, who started in six of the Orange’s first eight games this season, did not make the trip to Ohio due to an illness. With Varejão out for the contest and Alyssa Latham in foul trouble, Syracuse called upon reserve forward Saniaa Wilson to play 20 minutes. She responded with her best basketball of the season.

Following Syracuse’s win on Monday against Northeastern, SU head coach Felisha Leggette-Jack credited Wilson with helping the Orange pick up their energy in the second half to beat the Huskies 79-57. Across 16 minutes played, Wilson notched nine points on 4-for-4 shooting from the floor.

Against the Bobcats, Wilson continued her hot stretch. Wilson dominated down low, converting on all five of her shots from the field and making 8-of-10 of her free throws. Wilson’s 18 points were a career-high. Wilson also notched a team-high eight boards, helping Syracuse outrebound Ohio 51-33.

Bailey Tabeling silenced after a scorching hot first half

With the Orange struggling offensively throughout the first half, it let Ohio hang with them for the first 20 minutes, mostly because of freshman guard Bailey Tabeling.

Before Saturday, Tabeling’s single-game career-high points was 10, 3-pointers made was two and field goals made was three. In the first half against SU, Tabeling shattered those marks.

The freshman shot 6-for-7 from the field in the first half including a perfect 5-for-5 on 3-pointers, carrying a game-high 17 points into halftime. By herself, Tabeling made more 3-pointers in the first half (five) than Syracuse did (four).

But in the second half, Tabeling only scored six points on three shots. Silencing Tabeling was essential to Syracuse breaking the game open in the second half, as the Bobcats only scored 22 points in the final 20 minutes compared to their 40 first-half points.

Dominant third quarter

Against Northeastern — a far inferior team — Monday, the Orange only led by five points at halftime before going on to beat the Huskies by 22.

It was a similar story for Syracuse against Ohio. After leading by one point heading into the third quarter, the Orange went on a 9-0 run less than two minutes into the quarter, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the blink of an eye.

Throughout the quarter, SU continued building on its lead, entering the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead. Syracuse shot 9-for-16 from the field during the quarter while holding Ohio to 2-of-9 shooting.

The Bobcats’ 17-point deficit grew to 20 by the end of the game, as the Orange carried their third-quarter momentum to secure their second consecutive blowout win.

Published on December 9, 2023 at 3:33 pm

Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon