Call Them the Comeback Queens: Syracuse Rallies to Top #15 Florida State
Another day, another comeback win for Syracuse women’s basketball.
Syracuse erased yet another double-digit lead to take down the Florida State Seminoles 79-73. They move to 15-2 (5-1) on the season, and remain undefeated in the Dome.
Both teams entered the matchup ranked in the Coaches Poll, with Florida State at 18th and Syracuse at 25th. FSU was 15th in the AP Poll.
The first half ended with a whimper for the Orange, as the Seminoles jumped out to a ten-point lead. Syracuse struggled to respond to Florida State’s quick attacks and efficient rebounding. The Seminoles dominated the glass in the first half 24-10 and a 20-4 fastbreak point advantage.
The second half started with more of the same as Syracuse faced an 18-point deficit. That’s when a gear shifted.
When they needed her most, Dyaisha Fair had yet another career night. She sank nine three-pointers, breaking the program’s record for a single game. Fair scored 31 total points tonight, which moves her into 12th on the NCAA’s all-time career scoring list. She passed names including UConn's Maya Moore and USC’s Cheryl Miller. With 3,038 career points, Fair needs just 22 to reach the all-time top ten.
The rest of the squad stepped up as well, especially on rebounds. Syracuse made just one offensive rebound in the first half, but dominated under the rim during the second with twelve. Kyra Wood is responsible for five of those, and her second chance points gradually diminished Florida State’s lead.
Syracuse’s defense also held FSU’s Sara Bejedi, the NCAA’s current Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, to just eleven points. For context, Bejedi has averaged 21.7 points a game this season.
Wood says that the comeback represents this team’s resilience.
“We are a forty-minute team,” she said. “I don’t think anybody can play with us if we continue to play the way we know how to play, even if it comes a little later in the game. We never give up without a fight.”
And fight they do. Syracuse has overcome three double-digit deficits this season - against Cornell, Clemson, and now Florida State.
Syracuse women’s basketball returns to the court this Sunday, where they’ll take on Pitt in Pittsburgh.
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