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Gritty defense. Steady shooting. A raucous JMA Wireless Dome. The star point guard putting the game away. Everything Felisha Legette-Jack has been working toward at Syracuse came to fruition in Sunday’s upset win over No. 13 Notre Dame. Though postgame, the head coach mostly remained stern, already honed in on SU’s next opponent — North Carolina.

She made it clear she wants her players to stay “level-headed.” But Legette-Jack couldn’t help but crack a smile when bringing up the scene in the locker room after the final buzzer. She said freshman Alyssa Latham stood in front of her teammates and sang Baha Men’s 2000 hit “Who Let The Dogs Out” in celebration of their monumental victory.

“That was something that was inside y’all the whole time? I could’ve been a little tougher in practice,” Legette-Jack quipped to her team.

Before Legette-Jack’s arrival, SU women’s basketball was at its lowest. Former head coach Quentin Hillsman’s 15-year tenure ended in turmoil in 2021. The following season, the Orange went a measly 11-18. Now, not even two full years in, Legette-Jack has her players bought into her mission of turning the program back into a contender. And Sunday proved that.

Syracuse’s (11-1, 1-0 ACC) 86-81 triumph over then-No. 13 Notre Dame (9-2, 0-1 ACC) was its first-ever victory against a ranked ND side. The win helped the Orange clinch a spot in the AP Poll for the first time since January 2021, earning a No. 25 ranking. It also capped off SU’s first eight-game winning streak since January 2019. More importantly, it was the victory the Orange needed to show their growth from the Hillsman era — one that showed there’s a brighter era ahead with Legette-Jack at the helm.

“I just know that we’re building something special here, and we’re not going to stop until we do,” Legette-Jack said.

The Fighting Irish were the highest-ranked opponent Syracuse has defeated under Legette-Jack. It earned a signature win last season, too, besting then-No. 14 North Carolina 75-67 on Feb. 9, 2023. Yet, this one was different. This one meant more. It established the Orange as a threat in the ACC, and the nation, just one game into conference play.

Legette-Jack stressed postgame that SU needed to “play differently” in order to deliver the upset. The Orange only utilized a seven-player rotation, due to Izabel Varejão and Sophie Burrows being out. It caused Legette-Jack to have just three bigs, and play Saniaa Wilson (23) and Kennedi Perkins (26) for season-highs in minutes.

The shorthanded rotation worked, as Legette-Jack received significant contributions from all seven. Wilson scored seven points off the bench, while Perkins dished out five assists and helped Syracuse run its offense up top alongside Fair.

Yet, forward Kyra Wood was perhaps the most impressive depth piece. She continued to shoulder the load from Varejão’s absence, consistently grabbing boards and finishing under the basket. With SU trailing 65-61 entering the fourth quarter, she went on a personal 4-0 run to tie the game up, including a put-back layup off a Fair miss.

Relying on her team’s depth to step up and play larger minutes displayed what Legette-Jack has at her disposal. Unlike last season, where Syracuse struggled to close out games, the Orange have more options than just Fair to overcome upper-echelon opponents.

Still, though, SU’s stars had to show out. Especially with Hannah Hidalgo on the other side. ND’s freshman guard is breaking out in her debut season, leading the ACC in scoring and racking up 32 points Sunday. But, Hidalgo’s dominance was met with dazzling performances by Fair and Latham, who combined for 48 in the win.

“It was fun to watch (Hidalgo) and fun to compete against her,” Fair said. “We had to match the intensity once we realized what we were dealing with but going against her, it was fun.”

Latham’s promising freshman campaign hit one of its highest points versus the Fighting Irish. The forward put up 21 points and hauled in 12 rebounds, for her fifth double-double of the season. And Latham’s aggressive defense (three steals, two blocks) helped SU keep ND at arm’s length throughout the game.

But Fair was the catalyst who allowed Syracuse to pull away late. After starting 1-for-8 from long range, she unleashed a barrage of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to seal SU’s victory.

First, she canned a triple off a feed from Perkins with 3:41 left, which gave the Orange a 71-67 lead. A few possessions later, Hidalgo penetrated the lane and converted a contested layup inside, making it 73-71 SU. Searching for the dagger, Fair responded by hitting a 3-pointer over ND’s Maddy Westbeld beyond the right wing arc. As if that wasn’t enough, Fair drilled another 3 after another Hidalgo miss, putting the Orange up 79-71 with 1:17 left.

It’s early in the season, yet Legette-Jack’s team is showing signs of a major jump from last year. Syracuse has depth. When fully healthy, it’s loaded with size. It’s got an X-factor in Latham. And it has one of the nation’s top point guards, Fair, leading the charge.

In just year two of Legette-Jack’s tenure, the Orange have the pieces to win now and she’s brought profound energy into the program. Legette-Jack credited the SU crowd for creating a thunderous environment in the Dome Sunday, believing that her players responded to their surroundings. With a formidable roster and unmatched excitement behind it, Legette-Jack’s vision for Syracuse is clear — and rapidly unfolding.

“We’re building this thing here, we’re building a crowd base for women’s basketball,” Legette-Jack emphatically said. “It’s beautiful, and it’s going to start with the foundation that I believe we had today.”

The game was won when…

Fair drained two consecutive 3-pointers at the 1:56 mark and 1:17 mark of the fourth quarter, serving as the daggers in Notre Dame’s defeat. The point guard’s pair of triples ballooned SU’s lead to 79-71 with time winding down for the Fighting Irish.

Each of those shots followed a miss from ND’s Hidalgo, who shot 14-for-29 from the floor throughout the matchup. She outplayed Fair on the score sheet, outscoring her by five points. But Fair stepped up in the clutch when Hidalgo didn’t.

Quote of the day: Fair on playing through turnover struggles

“We just try to have amnesia, as coach (Legette-Jack) would say when things don’t go our way or when we make a mistake,” Fair said. “And realize that there’s a lot of game left, no matter if it’s five minutes or two minutes.”

Syracuse did struggle with turnovers, committing a season-worst 28. But it only coughed the ball up four times in the fourth quarter, while Notre Dame had seven. Remaining calm and securing the ball when it mattered most helped the Orange hold on to a slim lead late, and for Fair to ultimately silence the Fighting Irish.

Stat to know: 4th win all-time over Notre Dame

SU’s five-point win was the program’s fourth-ever victory over ND. Its last win against the Fighting Irish came on Jan. 31, 2021, and before that, on Jan. 5, 2020. Though prior to 2020, Syracuse hadn’t beaten Notre Dame since 1989. The Orange trail in the series history 38-4, as Legette-Jack notched her first-career victory over the Fighting Irish as SU’s head coach — another example of her early impact on the program.

Game ball: Dyaisha Fair

Through trials and tribulations, Syracuse can always seem to rely on its point guard, Fair, to come through when it needs her the most. Her heroics in crunch time capped off SU’s stunning victory over ND.

In 38 minutes, Fair dropped a team-high 27 points on 9-for-21 shooting, also knocking down 5-for-6 free throws. She even had a season-best six steals, helping her stay level with Hidalgo — the country’s leader in steals — who had seven versus the Orange. Fair did give the ball away six times, but she made up for it with her offensive performance.

Three Final Points

A fast start

Notre Dame isn’t a team you can start slow against. The Orange have had problems taking awhile to get going on the offensive end, though they weren’t in effect this time. Syracuse leapt out to a 7-0 lead through the first two minutes of the opening quarter.

The game-commencing run began with a 2 from Alaina Rice just inside the arc, as she was left uncovered on SU’s opening possession. Georgia Woolley followed with a lay-in, then Latham closed the scoring streak by drilling a 3 at the top of the key. Even though the Fighting Irish clawed back almost instantly to make it a close contest, the run allowed the Orange to avoid a killer slow start, one that could have prevented their chances at controlling the game later on.

Holding Hidalgo by a thread

Hidalgo ended with 32 points and seven steals, both game-highs, but Syracuse did what it needed to limit her in certain moments. Hidalgo couldn’t equal Fair’s production during clutch situations in the fourth quarter, as the Orange — namely Fair and Rice — locked onto her. She also only had one steal throughout the entire second half, a far cry from her six swipes in the first. Despite Hidalgo setting her career-high in points, SU had the last laugh.

Missing Varejão, Burrows

Legette-Jack’s ability to adjust her lineup without Varejão and Burrows in the picture strongly helped Syracuse. But the Orange can’t afford to play a seven-player rotation with regularity. They will need to get Varejão back for her frontcourt depth and rebounding prowess, and Burrows for her ability from long range. SU may need to resort to short rotations like this for matchups against high-caliber opponents, though the strategy staying consistent would hurt it in the long run.

Next up: North Carolina

On Jan. 4, Syracuse travels to Chapel Hill for its first game in 2024 against North Carolina (9-4, 1-0 ACC). It’s the first conference road battle for the Orange, who went 3-7 in road ACC play during the 2022-23 season. The Tar Heels are led by senior guard Deja Kelly, who averages a team-best 15.3 points per game. In all three tries facing ranked opponents this season, North Carolina has lost, including defeats to No. 1 South Carolina and then-No. 17 UConn.

Published on January 1, 2024 at 1:48 pm

Contact Cooper at: [email protected] | @cooper_andrews