Dyaisha Fair scored 13 points in the final three minutes to lead the Orange to a 74-69 win
STORRS (CT) — Was it Dyaisha Fair or Willis Reed who came stumbling onto the floor late in the 4th quarter of Saturday’s 1st round NCAA Women’s Tournament game between Arizona and Syracuse?
The Orange star scored Syracuse’s final 13 points of the game to lead them to a 74-69 win over the Wildcats at the Gampel Pavilion.
Fair had to be helped off the floor after suffering an lower leg injury at the end of the third quarter. It did not appear she would return. But she did and authored one of the great closes in NCAA Tournament history.
Reed famously limped out of the tunnel for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals to help the New York Knicks beat the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fair finished with 32 points to extend the Orange’s season. Syracuse (24-7) will face 3rd seed and host Connecticut on Monday for a berth in the Sweet 16.
Arizona’s season comes to an end. The Wildcats (18-16) led for all of the 1st three quarters and by as many as nine. Syracuse’s 1st lead came early in the 4th on a jumper by Kennedy Perkins.
UA was up five points with 3:16 to go before Syracuse stole the game on Fair’s 13-3 solo run.
Skylar Jones led Arizona with 24 points and five assists. Helena Pueyo and Jada Williams both scored 14.
It was the 4th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament for an Adia Barnes’ coached UA team.
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