Dyaisha Fair overcame an early injury scare to push the Syracuse University women’s basketball team through the WNIT second round Monday night.
Fair scored a team-high 24 points to lead the Orange to the 72-54 victory over the host Seton Hall Pirates at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, N.J.
Syracuse (20-12 overall) advanced to face Columbia (25-5) at a day and time to be determined in the Super 16 round. All WNIT Super 16 games are slated to be played between Wednesday and Friday.
Felisha Legette-Jack became the first among seven head coaches in program history to guide a 20-win campaign and a postseason appearance of any kind in their first season at the helm.
Fair left in the first quarter with an apparent ankle injury but returned to her full workload soon after.
The All-ACC senior guard went 9-for-17 from the field and made 4 of 11 from behind the 3-point arc, scoring 20 or more points on at least 50 percent shooting for the seventh time this season.
Fair scored 13 with three makes from deep in the second quarter after her brief exit to help SU seize control.
Teisha Hyman delivered 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals, while Georgia Woolley added 19 points and five assists for the Orange.
Dariauna Lewis added nine points and led SU with 10 rebounds, also returning from a brief absence in the third quarter when she was assessed by trainers after a hard fall to the court.
Lauren Park-Lane scored 23 points and dropped six assists as the only player in double figures for Seton Hall (18-15) of the Big East.
Syracuse built a 35-15 edge at halftime after a slow start offensively, leading just 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Seton Hall came out of halftime firing and made eight of its first 11 shots to match its first-half scoring total within the first four minutes of the third quarter.
The Pirates cut their deficit to single digits at 42-33 midway through the third but were unable to get any closer as the Orange pulled away.
The SU defense limited Seton Hall to 38 percent shooting and just 2-for-19 on 3-pointers while tallying 15 steals.
Syracuse last played in the WNIT in 2012 and reached the semifinals.
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