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A target has been placed square on Syracuse’s back, one you can’t take your eyes off. And SU’s triumph over Miami showed it’s here to stay.

Riding high off an upset of then-No. 15 Louisville to move into second in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Orange are firmly positioned at their best AP Poll ranking under Felisha Legette-Jack. SU’s next five contests, versus four opponents at a lower standing, could make the difference between whether it ends at a favorable spot or not in the loaded conference.

It was a prove-it game for the Orange Thursday in Coral Gables, Florida against a scrappy Miami squad with just one home loss this season. And a 67-56 lead with 56 seconds left in regulation signified that SU breezed past its first test to close the regular season.

In its sixth-ever road win over the Hurricanes, No. 19 Syracuse (21-4, 11-3 ACC) defeated Miami (16-8, 6-7 ACC) 71-60 in one of its most complete games of 2023-24. Dyaisha Fair wasn’t asked to carry the load as she usually does, and her teammates stepped up to the occasion — mainly Georgia Woolley, who scored a game-high 24 points. Every SU player who touched the floor scored Thursday night while on the other end, the Orange held the Hurricanes to 39.7% shooting, including a 13.3% mark in the third, a quarter SU won 14-8.

Late in the fourth quarter, though, the result hung in the balance. Miami had finally started to take advantage of Fair’s shortcomings, spurred by a 57.1% clip from the field in the fourth. On the other hand, things just weren’t materializing offensively for the Orange, and five fourth-quarter turnovers allowed Miami to get within 61-56 against SU.

But Syracuse responded to a mostly rocky final quarter by doing what it had done best — playing complete basketball.

As the clock ticked under 2:00, Alyssa Latham ripped down an offensive board off a Kyra Wood miss. She kicked it out to the wing for Fair, who at that point had just five points. Fair swung it to Woolley at the top of the key for an attempt at the dagger, and Woolley capped off her season-high scoring performance with a game-sealing 3-pointer.

SU displayed a balanced scoring attack from the start — a welcome sign that it can shy away from Fair and still find success. Its ball movement was crisp. Fair was guarded tightly off the ball by the Hurricanes’ Shayeann Day-Wilson, yet the point guard’s counterparts showed out.

Saniaa Wilson hit Wood on a quick feed at the right block for an easy 2 for the game’s opening bucket. Then, Woolley started to light up, converting a 3-point play, while Wood sprinkled in four points to help the Orange take a 13-7 lead at the mid-quarter media timeout.

On Miami’s following possession, Fair poked the ball away from Ja’Leah Williams and charged upcourt. She dished to Woolley for an easy stop-and-pop lay-in and SU led by eight. The Hurricanes clawed back to 17-14, though. Syracuse’s half-court defense struggled to keep up with Miami’s quick passing and allowed easy mid-range looks.

SU did have enough of a cushion at the end of the first for Fair to drill a lengthy 3 near Miami’s “U” logo at midcourt, which put the visitors up 20-14. An Izabel Varejão turnaround jumper increased the advantage to eight, though Latasha Lattimore responded with a 2.

Stopping Fair — what has proved to be a herculean task for most programs — was exactly what the Hurricanes did throughout the first half. After that long 3 late in the first, Fair didn’t score in the second. She was stalled at the rim and blanketed moving around the perimeter. Through 20 minutes, Fair was 2-for-7 shooting with just five points.

It’d be hard to believe the Orange held an 11-point lead at the half under those circumstances, but they earned a commanding advantage which was spurred by their depth.

At the end of the second, SU pulled away for its first double-digit lead of the night. Up 32-26 at the 2:06 mark, Woolley missed a jumper, though it was hauled in by Latham, who came off the bench Thursday, and the freshman fought through contact for the put-back. Next, Sophie Burrows nailed a wide open 3 from the left corner off a pass from Woolley — Burrows’ second made 3-pointer since Jan. 14 — to put SU up 37-28.

In the final seconds of the half, Burrows pulled in a defensive board on a brick from Miami’s Jasmyne Roberts. She bolted the other way and was met with a double-team inside the arc, which drew Latham open under the rim. Syracuse took a 39-28 advantage into the half once Latham cashed in.

Katie Meier’s Hurricanes squad needed to muster a quick response. The Orange haven’t played with a lead much this year, delivering many of their signature wins (particularly, Louisville and Florida State) courtesy of double-digit comebacks.

Though Miami’s abysmal second-half start — 0-for-4 shooting and two turnovers to begin the third quarter — elicited a Meier timeout. It didn’t stop from there. The Hurricanes shot just 2-for-15 during the third while Latham and Alaina Rice combined for 11 points to give Syracuse a 53-36 lead. Fair went 0-for-2 in the quarter, including a missed 3 which she took adjacent to the midcourt logo.

In response, Fair couldn’t help but shake her head and crack a smile. She knew it wasn’t her day, and that her teammates were going to cancel it out. And with less than a minute left in the fourth, once her teammates generated an eight-point lead, Fair still found a way to come up clutch, draining an insurance 3 to put SU up by 11.

By the end, it didn’t matter that Fair finished with 11 points. Syracuse’s tenacious third-quarter defense and 48% shooting clip from players outside of Fair led to its 11th ACC win. Miami couldn’t have done more to exert its defensive pressure onto Fair and still, the Orange got the last laugh.

Published on February 15, 2024 at 8:09 pm

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