Five Takeaways: Syracuse 86 Notre Dame 81

What to make of Orange women's basketball's win over the Fighting Irish.

Syracuse is officially ranked for the first time in the Felisha Legette-Jack era following their upset win over Notre Dame. Here are my five takeaways from the Orange’s ACC opener. 

1. Fair > Hidalgo

Two of the top talents in the ACC battled it out between SU’s Dyaisha Fair and ND’s Hannah Hidalgo. The freshman sensation for the Fighting Irish is the only player in the country averaging over 24 points, six rebounds, assists, and steals. Hidalgo is a passionate player and got out to a fast start scoring nine of her game-high 32 points in the first quarter. However, as the game went on Hidalgo appeared visibly frustrated which only made the Orange faithful try to get under her skin even more.

Fair’s poise and experience resulted in the fifth-year guard hitting big shots when Syracuse needed her most. Coach Legette-Jack explained postgame why backup guard Kenndi Perkins was the primary ballhandler to allow Fair more offensive freedom off-ball. Fair ended up getting the last laugh in the matchup, and I can’t wait to see the second rendition on January 25th in South Bend.

2. Alyssa Latham

Cuse’s impact freshman Alyssa Latham continues to string together impressive performances. With 21 points and 12 rebounds against ND, it notches her second straight double-double and fifth on the season. The Glenwood, Illinois native is averaging a team-high 8.8 rebounds, grabbing over 10 in her last three appearances. She was a main reason why Syracuse dominated the rebound battle 45-33, and still got it done in difficult matchups against Maddy Westbeld and Kylee Watson.

Latham continues to be efficient as a secondary scorer going 56.3% from the field and 42.9% from three. It’s safe to say Latham will be a core part of this program for years to come.

3. Kennedi Perkins

The sophomore guard averaged less than 12 minutes per contest before Sunday, but Coach Legette-Jack trusted Perkins in crunch time on Sunday. Perkins played 27 minutes off the bench finishing with four points, five assists, four rebounds, and only one turnover. Her and-1 late in the third quarter gave Syracuse a 61-59 lead and provided a spark for the Orange heading into the final frame. SU had a very limited rotation with Perkins and Saniaa Wilson being their only reserves to check in. Expect Perkins to continue to be a go-to option for FLJ earning her coach’s trust last time out.

4. Turnovers

There was obviously a lot of good for Syracuse in the victory, but one thing to that they would like to clean up for the rest of conference play is turnovers. Cuse had a season-high 28 giveaways against ND that turned into 24 points on the opposite end. It was a mix of ball security issues against a stingy Fighting Irish defense but also poor passing decisions that led to dead balls. Hidalgo had seven of ND’s 17 steals against the Orange and Georgia Woolley had a career-high eight turnovers. It didn’t play a factor in the result on Sunday, but you can guarantee that Syracuse wants to limit that high amount of turnovers moving forward.

5. Syracuse Fans

The crowd inside the JMA Wireless Dome showed up and made their impact felt. Coach Legette-Jack hopped on the mic after the final buzzer and commended the nearly 3,000 fans for showing up to support. In their previous game against Saint Francis (PA), 9,109 students at local elementary schools piled into the Dome for Kids Day. Postgame FLJ said how this program is building something special and that Syracuse has the potential to be one of the best fanbases in women’s college basketball. 

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