Syracuse Women's Basketball Defeats Arizona, Will Take On UConn Next

For the first time since 2021, the Syracuse women’s basketball team is in the NCAA Tournament.

They started their national championship run on a strong note, taking down the 11-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the first round.

The Wildcats led for the entirety of the first half, ending the first half leading by a score of 37-32. Dyaisha Fair had led the Orange in scoring at halftime with 11 points, and they forced the Orange to commit 13 turnovers (Arizona forces an average of 20 turnovers per game).

After the third quarter, the game was tied with a score of 51-51. Even though the Orange had tied the score, everyone was holding their breath as Fair was on the floor and in some pain.

Coach Felisha Legette-Jack and trainers were looking at her, and she was eventually carried to the locker room.

Fair was eventually able to return to the game in the fourth quarter. This turned out to be pivotal for the Orange, as she went on an incredible scoring run.

Fair would score 13 straight points and outscore the Wildcats herself 13-0 to help the Orange defeat the Wildcats by a final score of 74-69.

Up next for Syracuse in the second round will be the three-seeded national powerhouse UConn Huskies, led by star junior Paige Bueckers. The game will be at 6:00 pm on ESPN2. 

The Orange will look to put up a better fight against UConn than they did in their last NCAA tournament appearance in 2021, when they lost by a score of 83-47.