The Syracuse women’s basketball team takes on the Arizona Wildcats in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 3:30 p.m., Saturday at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.
The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The winner will advance to the second round to face No. 3 UConn, who defeated No. 14 Jackson State earlier this afternoon 86-64.
Despite having just eight healthy players — and preferring to use only seven of them — Arizona’s hallmark is full-court pressure following made baskets. The Wildcats rank 30th in the country, forcing just under 20 turnovers per game.
Syracuse center Izabel Varejão did not play in the Orange’s last game with what the school has deemed “an illness.” Varejão declined to be more specific but said her recovery has been slow and she is still limited. She has been cleared to play and plans to give what she can.
Dyaisha Fair scored 32 points to lead Syracuse to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Fair simply took over in the fourth quarter, going on an 13-0 run by herself to clinch the victory for the Orange.
Fair took a hard fall to the court at the end of the third quarter and had to be carried off the court to the locker room but returned to the game shortly after and simply took over it.
Arizona led for most of the game but Fair’s dominance in the fourth quarter, something she has done several times this season for the Orange, was the difference.
