Syracuse's Dyaisha Fair becomes 16th player in NCAA women's basketball history with 3,000 career points

SYRACUSE — Syracuse point guard Dyaisha Fair became the 16th NCAA Division I women's basketball player to score 3,000 career points in Sunday's 83-82 win over Clemson at the JMA Wireless Dome.

Fair, the 5-foot-5 Rochester native and former Edison Tech star who became an All-American at the University at Buffalo, reached 3,000 points on a fourth quarter free throw, scoring 14 of her 21 points in the frame to help Syracuse erase a 19-point deficit. Fair assisted Alyssa Latham on the game-winning basket in the final seconds.

Fair entered the game 14 points shy of the illustrious milestone where hoop greats like Cheryl Miller and Maya Moore are etched in stone. A recent conversation with her pastor led to the stoic SU star evoking emotion as Fair took time to appreciate joining the exclusive 3,000-point club. Fair left Sunday ranked 15th all-time with 3,007 points and is on pace to ending her career well within the top 10 of Division I's all-time scoring leaders.

"I have a lot of thoughts right now," said Fair, a graduate student who's played all five years under coach Felisha Legette-Jack between UB and Syracuse. "The one thing I can say is, it's unbelievable. I've been told just recently that I need to start to celebrate myself, and that's what I'm going to do."

Dyaisha Fair's 3,000th point

Fair caught fire in the final frame to surpass 3,000 points.

The Syracuse guard was one point shy of the mark when she drew a foul on a 3-pointer with 5:02 remaining in the fourth. The first of her three free throws placed her at 3,000. Fair was brought to tears as she remembered how pastor James Hartsfield of Webster's Miracle Valley church encouraged her to celebrate such milestones.

"He told me that, no matter what ... it's OK to pat yourself on the back and celebrate yourself. So that's where it came from. I needed that," Fair said.

The Fair family, including her mother Shatara and father Terrance Pradia went crazy went Dyaisha hit 3,000. Dyaisha's father and uncles gave her a basketball at 4 years old. She'd mimic video game moves and became a fan of Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Skylar Diggins.

"It's great to witness that she continues to make history everywhere she goes," Shatara Fair said. "She's setting boundaries for everybody to try to exceed when their time comes. It's great. Honestly, I'm just part of the audience. I'm just a fan. Just to see her do that and to see so much support that she has behind her, it was just amazing."

Legette-Jack was coaching at the University at Buffalo when she began recruiting Dyaisha Fair the summer entering her senior year at Edison Tech, where she was the All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year. Fair joined the 3,000-point club Sunday, but coach just as proud of her sustaining a 3.0 GPA.

"I'm not the best coach you're going to see, but I let my players play free. And her playing free got us to over 3,000 points, so I think we're onto something here," Legette-Jack said.

Fair is the 26th Division I basketball player regardless of gender to score 3,000 points. She's averaging 19.8 points this season, scored 27 in an 86-81 upset over No. 12 Notre Dame on Dec. 31, and led Syracuse to a brief No. 25 ranking. Legette-Jack, the only Orange alumna with her jersey retired, said Fair is better than she ever was.

"I'm not within the ballpark of somebody like this young lady," Legette-Jack said. "She's different. She's special. She's one of the best players to ever play the game."

'Pack 'em up'

After Dyaisha Fair scored just two points in the first half, Shatara feared her daughter was nervous, so she left a text for her to read at halftime.

Sunday's message echoed the phrase, "Pack 'em up and send 'em home", that Shatara and Dyaisha shared in high school: "Relax. Get out of your head. You got this. Let's finish strong. Pack 'em up. You know you can," Shatara wrote.

Fair was much more aggressive in the fourth. The trio of free throws Fair used to surpass 3,000 were part of a solo 11-0 run that gave SU a 74-72 lead with 3:34 left. The back-and-forth frame ended after Fair found Latham for a one-point lead with 7.2 seconds left.

Syracuse's Alaina Rice had 16 points. Latham and Georgia Woolley each scored 14 points. Amari Robinson scored a game-high 37 points for a Clemson (8-9, 1-4) team that lost a 53-34 third quarter lead.

"I don't know how she makes the shots she makes," said Woolley, who played with Fair at UB. "She's a phenomenal player. Just all credit to her. She's put in the work to be where she is. ... We needed Dyaisha to win that game."

Alzheimer's Awareness Day

Fair's 3,000-point performance came on Alzheimer's Awareness Day. Legette-Jack's mother, Thalia Legette, is currently battling the disease. Syracuse wore purple ribbons to commemorate the event. The Orange recognized Alzheimer's Awareness Day last season too.

"That's when I thank all the people that work for the patients, like my mom, to help them through there days, to give them dignity and moments of no return. So I salute the people that work with them," Legette-Jack said.

"But today was even more special with Dyaisha Fair. Someone said she was 5-4, and we forgot to measure her heart. She came to me as a young lady who just ran up and down the floor, and now she's evolved into an amazing woman who understands assignment of giving your best effort, and whatever it is, it becomes who you are."

Dyaisha wanted to commemorate Alzheimer's Awareness Day with with her effort in the second half. Fair missed seven of her first eight field goals. She played much better in the second half, finishing 6-of-21 from the field while making 3 of her 13 attempts from 3-point land.

"It was something I had to snap out of after the first half and do whatever was needed for my team, and more importantly for coach Jack because of the day. We always say, 'Let's win the day' in practice," Fair said.

NCAA Division I's 3,000-point club

1. Kelsey Plum, Washington (2017): 3,527.

2. Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State (2018): 3,402.

3. Jackie Stiles, Missouri State (2001): 3,393.

4. Brittney Griner, Baylor (2013): 3,283.

5. Caitlin Clark, Iowa (present): 3,274.

6. Patricia Hoskins, Mississippi Valley State (1989): 3,122.

7. Lorri Bauman, Drake (1984): 3,115.

8. Jerica Coley, Florida Internation (2014): 3,107.

9. Rachel Banham, Minnesota (2016): 3,093.

10. Ashley Joens, Iowa State (2023): 3,060.

11. Elena Delle Donne, Delaware (2013): 3,039.

12. Maya Moore, UConn (2011): 3,036.

13. Chamique Holdsclaw, Tennessee (1999): 3,025.

14. Cheryl Miller, USC (1986): 3,018.

15. Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo/Syracuse (present): 3,007.

16. Cindy Blodgett, Maine (1998): 3,005.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dyaisha Fair becomes 16th player in NCAA history to score 3,000 points