Syracuse Squeaks Past Cornell

Dyaisha Fair moved up to 21st on the NCAA's all-time leading scorers list.

Syracuse women’s basketball survived a scare from Cornell, taking down the Big Red 78-71. The Orange remain undefeated at home and are 9-1 this season.

Things looked scary for the Orange for a majority of the game. Costly turnovers and struggles to rebound the ball plagued the Orange’s offense. This allowed Cornell to take advantage, stretching the lead to 14 during the third quarter.

Cornell forward Emily Pape played a major role in forging that lead, leading all scorers with 27 points. However, Syracuse’s Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley responded with career days of their own.

Fair turned on the jets during the second half, scoring 24 points total. She went 16 of 18 from the free throw line. After halftime, Fair knew she needed the right headspace to get the team back in the game.

“I was just telling myself to breathe,” Fair said. “I get down on myself a lot, but having the abilities that I do, I tell myself to keep breathing, keep playing. Just breathe.”

Tonight’s game pushed Fair into the record books. She’s now 21st on NCAA D1 Women’s Basketball all-time career scoring list, with 2,889 points overall.

As for Woolley, she scored a season-high 23 points and sunk four three-pointers. Tonight was extra special for Woolley, whose family travelled all the way from Australia to watch her play collegiate basketball in person for the first time.

“It was great,” Woolley said, fighting back tears. “It means the world to me.”

Syracuse returns to the Dome this Thursday against Saint Francis, their final non-conference matchup of the season. 

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