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Syracuse ended 2023, and began Atlantic Coast Conference play, with a statement win. Sunday’s 86-81 victory over then-No. 13 Notre Dame cemented SU as a conference contender and propelled it to a top 25 spot in the AP Poll. Dyaisha Fair nailed two 3s with under 2:00 left to seal the upset as the point guard finished with a team-best 27 points.

But SU’s honeymoon after its big victory was over — quickly. Against North Carolina, Fair was left chucking up shots in desperation-mode as the Tar Heels built up a massive lead. A late-second-half run kept the Orange close heading into halftime, though UNC outscored them 43-21 in the final 20 minutes en route to a 24-point victory over SU.

Here are some observations from No. 25 Syracuse’s (11-2, 1-1 ACC) 75-51 loss to North Carolina (10-4, 2-0 ACC) in Chapel Hill:

Ustby’s triple-double

UNC’s Alyssa Ustby gave SU fits all evening. In the opening quarter, her rebounding dominance and success as a distributor quickly stood out. She led the Tar Heels with four boards and five assists through 10 minutes, helping them jump out to a 19-14 lead.

Ustby had a knack for getting boards and instantly creating offense. On one play in the first quarter after a missed 3 from Alaina Rice, Utsby grabbed the rebound and took off in transition. She found an uncovered Maria Gakdeng below the basket, who laid it in with ease.

Later in the first quarter, off a missed free throw by Paulina Paris, Ustby skied over Latham and Wood to haul in an offensive board. Ustby dribbled toward the top of the key and dished it to Paris beyond the left wing arc, as she nailed the 3 to put UNC up 12-6.

Ustby’s aggressiveness on the glass, paired with her ability to see the floor offensively, made her a nightmare for SU to defend. She racked up four points, six boards and nine assists in the first half. And in the second half, she continued to crush the Orange in all facets. Early in the third quarter, after a missed 3 from Deja Kelly on the left wing, Ustby flew in from the perimeter and tracked down the board, converting the ensuing put-back attempt to put UNC up 38-30.

Later in the third, she clinched North Carolina’s first triple-double in program history. With nine points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists at the time, Ustby sank 1-of-2 free throws with 1:17 left in the third quarter to get to double-digit points and complete the historic feat. She finished with a whopping 16 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

Center struggles

With Izabel Varejão still out, SU’s center depth is depleted. Alyssa Latham and Kyra Wood serve as starting forwards and only Saniaa Wilson comes off the bench regularly to play as a five. Freshman Sophie Burrows, who provides length and defensive versatility, did return against the Tar Heels, but the depth in the frontcourt proved costly versus UNC’s Gakdeng.

Through one half, Gakdeng, a 6-foot-3 forward, tallied a game-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting. She dominated the Orange in the paint, consistently backing down Wood and Wilson to finish with ease at the rim. North Carolina’s distributors, particularly Ustby, searched for Gakdeng inside on seemingly each possession and Syracuse had no answer.

Gakdeng closed the win over SU out with a team-best 22 points, while Syracuse didn’t get the same production from its frontcourt staples. Latham scored 11 on 4-of-13 shooting, while Wood tallied eight but had just four rebounds and Wilson mustered just two points. For the first time in Varejão’s absence, which has been since Dec. 4, the Orange struggled to compete down low against their opposition.

SU’s key end of 1st half run

Down 32-23 with 2:30 left in the second quarter, Syracuse needed to get some points back before the break. The Tar Heels had been wearing the Orange down and often forced them into errant shots. SU responded by digging deep to narrow its halftime deficit to just 32-30.

Rice got a 7-0 run to end the half started by nailing a mid-range jumper on the fast break. Then, the Orange stalled a couple of Tar Heel looks on the other end from Gakdeng and Lexi Donarski and Burrows made them pay with a conversion at the free throw line.

UNC’s Reniya Kelly turned the ball over on its ensuing possession, but Rice missed a 3 in transition. Latham pulled in the rebound though, and swung it to Fair on the right wing, drilling a wide-open 3-pointer to bring SU within two. The point guard’s bucket capped off an unanswered seven-point stretch, which gave Syracuse a prime chance to complete a second-half comeback, though it failed to.

Star power outage

Even with a boost entering the second half, the Orange couldn’t find their stride from the moment the third quarter began. They were outscored 25-6 in the third frame, which set the stage for UNC’s blowout, 24-point win. Though Syracuse had trouble in a variety of aspects, its lack of star power was the most apparent.

SU’s leading scorers, Fair and Georgia Woolley, combined for just 20 points on 8-of-32 shooting. It was a season-low for Woolley, and one of Fair’s least efficient shooting nights of 2023-24 (31.8%). During a contest where UNC got a total of 52 points from Ustby, Gakdeng and Donarski, the Orange didn’t have anything close to the Tar Heels’ offensive firepower.

Fair and Woolley were swarmed along the perimeter all evening by North Carolina’s Kelly and Donarski, and were met by a looming Ustby or Gakdeng once they drove the lane. The guard tandem resorted to settling from deep, and shot a lowly 3-for-18 from long range.

Their deficiencies gave Syracuse almost no chance to come-from-behind against a surging Tar Heels squad. One of the final plays of the game — Ustby swiping Woolley and going coast-to-coast for a breakaway layup — fittingly showed the disparity between the stars.

Published on January 4, 2024 at 8:25 pm

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