SportsSU Women's Basketball

Syracuse, Purdue Meet Wednesday for ACC/B1G Challenge

Syracuse (5-1) is set for its eighth and final ACC/B1G Challenge Wednesday night when the Orange travel to Purdue (6-1). Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. ET at Mackey Arena. The game will be live on Big Ten Network and will be the first nationally-televised game for the Orange this season.

Wednesday night’s meeting is the first between the two programs. Syracuse is 4-4 all-time in the ACC/B1G Challenge and looks to win its first road game in the annual challenge since joining the ACC in 2013. The Orange have won all four of their home games in the challenge, most recently defeating #18 Ohio State at the Dome last season. This is the final year of the ACC/B1G Challenge, which began a challenge on the women’s side in 2007. The ACC leads the challenge 10-1-3 all-time and has won four of the last fight challenges. Syracuse has played road games at Iowa (2013), Maryland (2015), Minnesota (2018), and Michigan (2019) and has hosted Penn State (2014), Michigan State (2016), Northwestern (2017) and most recently Ohio State in 2021. Earlier this week, it was announced that the ACC and SEC will start an annual challenge beginning in the 2023-24 season. 

Syracuse is led by senior guard Dyaisha Fair (19.0 ppg, 4.8 apg) who is coming off back-to-back-to-back 20-point performances. She scored a season-high 25 points in Syracuse’s 65-48 win over Bucknell last Friday, 16 of which came in the second quarter. Teisha Hyman, the other critical piece of Syracuse’s backcourt, is averaging 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. She tallied 19 points against Penn State (Nov. 21) and is second on the team in scoring. Dariauna Lewis is averaging a double double (11.4 ppg, 10.4 rpg) and is leading the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in blocks per game (2.8). Georgia Woolley cracked the starting lineup for the first time this season and is averaging 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 21.0 minutes per game through three appearances. Asia Strong has started all six games for the Orange and is contributing 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. 

As a team, Syracuse is second in the ACC in blocked shots per game (6.0) and 11th in the nation. The Orange are averaging 32.7 defensive rebounds per game, good for third in the ACC and eighth in the country while outscoring opponents by an average of 17.7 points per game and holding opponents to 26.2 percent from three-point range. 

Purdue is led by a trio of players averaging double figures. Lasha Petree leads the team with 18.3 points per game and is shooting 51.5 percent from the field in all seven games for the Boilermakers. Abbey Ellis (12.0 ppg) and Caitlyn Harper (11.7 ppg) round out the top-three scorers for Purdue. Jeanae Terry is the Boilermakers leading rebounder with 9.3 rebounds per game, including 7.0 defensive boards per game. Purdue is outscoring its opponents by 19.0 points per game and is shooting an impressive 50.1 percent from the field through its first seven games. The Boilermakers began the season 5-0 before a narrow 76-75 loss to Florida State at the Cancun Challenge last Friday. Purdue bounced back with a six-point 71-65 win against Oklahoma State in the final game in Cancun to improve to 6-1 on the season. 

Both team’s head coaches, Felisha Legette-Jack (Syracuse) and Katie Gearlds (Purdue), are coaching at the alma mater. Legette-Jack is in her first season with the Orange while Gearlds, a 2007 graduate of Purdue, is in her second season at the helm of the Boilermakers. This is the first time these two head coaches will coach against each other. 

Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network. Fans unable to watch the game, can listen live on ESPN Radio Syracuse (97.7 FM) or through the TuneIn app. 

Tuesday, Nov. 29 is Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people of organizations to transform their communities and the world. Please consider supporting the Syracuse University women’s basketball team by giving to the Women’s Basketball Head Coach’s Fund on this Giving Tuesday. Your generosity will help enrich the experience for current and future Syracuse women’s basketball student-athletes for years to come. 
 

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