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Syracuse had forced a jump ball with 3.9 seconds left. It trailed NC State 55-54 with one chance to upset the No. 6 team in the nation.

The play was there — Dariauna Lewis wrapping around toward the back side of the hoop — but Teisha Hyman’s crosscourt inbound pass was just a little too strong for Lewis to corral. NC State would go 1-of-2 from the free-throw line on the ensuing free throws after Syracuse fouled, closing out a 56-54 win on New Year’s Day.

The Orange (10-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) fell to the Wolfpack (12-2, 2-1 ACC), SU’s first ranked opponent this season. Georgia Woolley led all scorers with a season-high 23 points. Dyaisha Fair added 14 while no other Syracuse player scored more than four points. Hyman was held scoreless for the first time since Dec. 20, 2019 in a game against Michigan State.

Woolley scored the opening bucket with a layup to give Syracuse a 2-0 lead, but after that, the Orange wouldn’t see the lead until the third quarter. The Wolfpack developed a lead as large as 12 in the opening period, using an 11-0 run to jump ahead 17-5. But the Orange cut the deficit to seven entering the second quarter, where both teams were even as NC State led 34-26 at the half.

The Orange switched gears in the third quarter, outscoring the Wolfpack 23-6. NC State shot just 2-of-14, missing on all five 3-point attempts in the period. NC State entered the game as the sixth-best 3-point shooting team in Division I, per Her Hoop Stats, but on Sunday, it went just 2-of-17 from deep.

After falling behind 36-26 early in the third quarter, Syracuse responded with a 10-0 run to get back in the game, capped off with Woolley intercepting a pass and scoring on the fast-break layup. And after Asia Strong scored a 3-pointer with 32 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Orange had developed their largest lead of the game at nine, leading 49-40 entering the fourth quarter.

For the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, it was the polar opposite of the third. Syracuse managed just five points in the final 10 minutes. And it didn’t score a single point in the period until Alaina Rice drained a mid-range jumper with two minutes remaining. NC State got a couple buckets from Camille Hobby, who led the Wolfpack with 12 points. Madison Hayes notched one of the two NCSU 3-pointers to put them up 51-49.

With 17 seconds to go, NC State missed a layup, the rebound gathered by Woolley. Syracuse trailed 55-53. It went to its best player Sunday in Woolley. Woolley drove down the left side of the lane and forced a foul. She made the first, but missed the second.

Rather than taking a foul, the Wolfpack called a timeout to advance the ball. After multiple timeouts taken by both teams, Syracuse swarmed NC State and forced a jump ball with 3.9 seconds to go, but the outstretched hands of Lewis couldn’t grasp the ball firmly as NC State left the Dome with its sixth consecutive win over the Orange despite almost being upset for the second outing in a row.

Published on January 1, 2023 at 10:02 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini