Syracuse's Dyaisha Fair becomes third-leading scorer in women's basketball history

Syracuse point guard Dyaisha Fair is now third on the NCAA Division I women's basketball all-time scoring list with 3,403 points.

Fair, a Rochester native and former Edison Tech star, entered the NCAA's top-3 in career points in Monday night. Fair scored 20 points as No. 6 Syracuse lost to No. 3 UConn 72-64 in a NCAA Portland Region 3 second-round game at the Huskies' Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Connecticut.

Fair scored her 20th point on a free throw with 1:13 remaining to take sole possession of third place. UConn led 67-64 after Fair split her trip at the line. Syracuse's season ended at 24-8.

"This was the best year of my career," Fair said at the postgame conference. "That's probably the thing I'll look back at. When I had the choice to leave, I didn't know this was going to be the best year of my career."

"She's always going to battle. That's how she's built. She's from Rochester," Syracuse coach Felisha Legette-Jack said.

Where Dyaisha Fair ranks among NCAA women's basketball all-time scoring leaders

A 5-foot-5 guard, Fair has now scored 3,403 points between the University at Buffalo and Syracuse. The All-American's high basketball IQ, speed and handles helped her become one of the NCAA's most prolific scorers. Fair entered Monday with 3,383 points, 10 shy of fourth place and 19 away from third.

Fair's 430 career 3-pointers are tied for the ninth most in NCAA Division I history with Belmont's Darby Maggard (2019). This season, Fair's 115 made 3s ranked only second to the record-breaking 181 treys that Iowa guard Caitlin Clark left Monday night's win over West Virginia with. Fair's 22.3 points per game this season ranks eighth in the nation.

1. Caitlin Clark, Iowa (present): 3,830.

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

3. Dyaisha Fair, Syracuse (present): 3,403.

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

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

Fourth-quarter Fair

Against UConn, Fair scored 18 of her 20 points in the second half. She began 1 of 10 from the field and had just two points at halftime. As always, Fair flourished in the second half. She scored nine points in the third and nine more in the fourth, finishing 6 of 22 from the floor and 4 of 12 from 3-point land.

In Saturday's 74-69 win over No. 11 Arizona in the NCAA first round, Fair scored Syracuse's final 13 points and finished with 32.

"I've shown them that, no matter what anyone says or doesn't say about you, you can do whatever it is you want to do. Me being 5-foot-5 and everyone has what they have to say about that, because I'm that small, I've done a lot at this size. So I think that I've shown my teammates for the last five years that they can do anything," Fair said.

Syracuse freshman Sophie Burrows and junior Georgia Woolley — who transferred from Buffalo to Syracuse with Fair — each scored 18 for the Orange. Syracuse junior Saniaa Wilson, a Rochester native and Bishop Kearney grad, scored two points. Junior Kyra Wood from Buffalo's City Honors grabbed 10 rebounds.

"She's taught me so much. … Not just about basketball, but just everything," Woolley said about Fair. "She's just amazing, and she's going to do amazing things on the next level. I'm so excited to see it. … I'm just so thankful for the time that I got to play with you, and I'm excited for what's next."

UConn guard Paige Bueckers led all scorers with 32 points. UConn improved to 31-5 and will play No. 7 Duke (22-11) in the Sweet 16 at 8 p.m. Saturday in Albany.

From Rochester to Syracuse

Fair was unstoppable in high school at Edison Tech. She averaged 33.5 points per game as a senior, and became the first Rochester City School District athlete to be named All-Greater Rochester Player of the Year in girls basketball.

Fair played her first three seasons at Buffalo under coach Legette-Jack. In 2022, Fair was named MVP of the Mid-American Conference tournament as the Bulls clinched an NCAA berth. She scored her first 2,035 points in Buffalo.

When Legette-Jack was hired by her alma mater Syracuse in 2022, Fair transferred there and averaged 19 points per game in her first season, leading the Orange to the WNIT's Super 16 in 2023. This season, Legette-Jack, the only Syracuse woman with her jersey retired, was named 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year.

"I just told her that there's a period for everything in this world, and there's a beginning. ... This ends it right here. But the beautiful thing is that she begins again," Legette-Jack said. "And it won't be easy because you see how hard she works. You just want to keep protecting her from it all."

— Marquel Slaughter is a journalist for the Democrat and Chronicle, specializing in high school sports. He has been reporter for 14 years. Follow him @MarquelSports on X or on Instagram. You can contact him at mslaughter1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dyaisha Fair becomes third-leading scorer in women's basketball history