The Syracuse women’s basketball team is back in action Sunday afternoon at Yale after a tough loss to the Purdue Boilermakers last Wednesday.
The Orange struggled on both ends of the court in the first half against Purdue, mustering up just 29 points to Purdue’s 47. Syracuse’s playmakers were simply unable to work around the Boilermakers’ defense.
The fourth quarter, however, brought a bit of hope to Orange fans. Syracuse managed to close the gap to just five points with just over four minutes to go. It couldn’t keep that momentum going, though, and allowed Purdue to resume their offensive beatdown.
Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse’s leading scorer, had a difficult first half. After putting up 20 in the first half alone against Bucknell, Fair scored just three points in the first half against Purdue. She came alive in the second half, but it was too little too late to salvage a win for her squad.
Despite the defeat, Teisha Hyman played her best game of the year, scoring 26 points for the Orange. She’s been an integral part of the Orange team thus far but has generally remained in the shadow of Dyaisha Fair. She finally had her breakthrough moment Wednesday night, a positive that the team and fans can pull from the loss.
Asia Strong also gave her best performance of the young season. She recorded her first double-double in an Orange uniform, including four three-pointers on six attempts.
Yale comes into their matchup against the Orange 4-4 on the season. The Orange will be the Bulldogs’ first Power 5 opponent of the season, something that has the potential to expose a talent differential between the programs.
Yale is led by junior guard Jenna Clark on the offensive end of the court. She comes into the matchup averaging 11.6 points per game, leading her team. On top of making shots, she also facilitates shots for her teammates, leading the Ivy League with an average of 5.6 assists per game.
Freshman guard Kiley Capstraw is also someone to watch for the Bulldogs. She is averaging 25 minutes per game, putting up an average of 11 points. She is second in both categories to only Jenna Clark.
The Orange have the tools to win this game. If the Orange can use the energy they generated in the fourth quarter against Purdue, it should be enough to propel them to a win.
Tipoff is set for noon at Yale’s John J. Lee Amphitheater. ESPN+ subscribers will be able to stream the game.