Syracuse Basketball: All-American Dyaisha Fair makes history, UConn up next for 'Cuse

In recent days, Syracuse basketball fifth-year guard Dyaisha Fair was named to multiple All-America teams for her stellar 2023-24 season, and the 5-foot-5 Rochester, N.Y., native lived up to those accolades - and then some - as the Orange on Saturday advanced in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The 'Cuse, a No. 6 seed in this spring's Big Dance, was stung by turnovers in the first half and trailed No. 11 seed Arizona by five points heading into the locker room. The Orange tied things up going into the fourth quarter, as Syracuse basketball took much better care of the ball after the intermission.

The 'Cuse took its first lead of the game at the onset of the fourth quarter, however, the Wildcats would gain a five-point edge with fewer than three minutes remaining in this round-of-64 contest from Gampel Pavillion in Storrs, Conn.

That's when the prolific-scoring Fair, who is No. 5 on the all-time career scoring list in Division I women's basketball, took over. All by herself, she went on an exquisite 11-0 run, and the Orange would ultimately prevail over Arizona, 74-69.

Syracuse basketball moves on in the NCAA Tournament, as Dyaisha Fair had a magical performance.

Against the Wildcats out of the Pac-12 Conference, Fair would finish with 32 points, four assists and six steals. According to ESPN data, she connected on 11-of-22 from the field, 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

According to a press release from SU Athletics, this was the fourth time in 2023-24 that Fair reached at least 30 points in a single game. Her 32 points on Saturday versus Arizona (18-16, 8-10 in the Pac-12) were also the most points by a player in an NCAA Tournament encounter in Syracuse women's basketball history.

After committing a ton of miscues in the first half, the 'Cuse settled down in that category. In the end, the Orange boasted 12 steals, forced 21 turnovers, and scored 26 points off those Wildcats mistakes.

Syracuse basketball won the battle on the boards, and it corralled 16 offensive rebounds against Arizona, according to ESPN statistics. The 'Cuse also held a 38-28 advantage in paint points, per cuse.com.

With this victory, the Orange (24-7, 13-5 in ACC) has locked up its seventh trip to the Big Dance's second round, and the 'Cuse is now 11-12 overall in March Madness after earning its first triumph in the NCAA Tournament since 2021.

Over the last couple of days, Fair was named a third-team All-American by the Associated Press, the Sporting News and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

Up next for Syracuse basketball in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 is a battle against former Big East Conference rival and powerhouse program UConn. On Saturday, the No. 3 seed Huskies moved to 30-5 overall after defeating No. 14 seed Jackson State, 86-64.

In that conquest for Connecticut, redshirt junior guard and first-team All-American Paige Bueckers produced 28 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and three steals. She hit on 11-of-19 from the field.

Syracuse basketball and UConn will do battle on Monday, March 25, at Gampel Pavillion, with the tip-off scheduled for 6 pm and television coverage on ESPN. This game will be a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Tournament's final contest, which the Huskies won to claim their fourth national title in a row.