Syracuse, N.Y. — The No. 23 Syracuse women’s basketball team returned to its winning ways at the JMA Wireless Dome with a close win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Thursday night.
Freshman forward Alyssa Latham scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds off the bench in the team’s 62-59 victory.
Fifth-year center Izabel Varejão added 13 points and seven rebounds in her first game back from injury, while fifth-year guard Dyaisha Fair led the team in scoring with 17 points.
The game was tight heading into the final quarter, a back-and-forth affair where neither team could pull away.
A three-point play from Varejão with four minutes to go tied the game up at 53, before a steal and 3-pointer from Fair gave the team the lead with 3 minutes to play in regulation.
The teams continued exchanging leads until a crucial possession for the Yellow Jackets resulted in Varejão stealing the ball. The visitors were forced to foul, and Syracuse closed the game.
It was Varejão’s first game since Dec. 4.
The Yellow Jackets opened the game with an aggressive offense that saw them attack the Orange in the paint and kick out to open shooters.
The first half saw Syracuse struggle defensively. Coach Felisha Legette-Jack rotated Varejão, Latham and junior forward Saniaa Wilson to find an answer on defense but could not stop the opposing attack.
Their struggles would not end there, as the team only scored 11 points in the second quarter. Mistakes on offense and shot selection, combined with a solid Yellow Jacket defense, limited the Orange.
The Orange turned the ball over 10 times, shot 14% from 3-pointers and 50% from the free-throw line in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot 44% from 3-pointers and went perfect from the charity stripe.
Still, with all its struggles, Syracuse only trailed 31-28.
The Orange came out of the half with a seven-point run to take the lead. A more confident Georgia Woolley led Syracuse with seven points as the home team built an eight-point lead.
The junior guard combined with Varejão to break the Yellow Jacket defense that stopped them in the first half.
The lead wouldn’t last, as Georgia Tech went on an eight-point run of its own to tie the game in the final minute of the third quarter.
Guard Kara Dunn led the way for Georgia Tech with 17 points on 58% shooting. Three Yellow Jackets scored in double digits.
The Orange next faces No. 15 Louisville at home, on Sunday. The game, a rematch of Syracuse’s loss on Feb. 1, is scheduled for 12 p.m.