Orange Clash with Kent State in WNIT First Round

It will be a familiar opponent for first year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack on Wednesday night when the Orange face off against Kent State (21-10) in the first round of the WNIT. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome. Tickets start at $10 for general admission and can be purchased online or by calling the JMA Dome Box Office at 888-DOME-TIX.

During her 10 years at Buffalo, Legette-Jack faced Kent State 22 times in MAC play. She holds a 19-3 record against the Golden Flashes and is 11-3 against KSU with Todd Starkey as head coach. Last time Legette-Jack faced off against a Starkey-led Kent State squad, Buffalo earned an 82-64 win at KSU on Feb. 26, 2022.

The Orange make their 18th postseason appearance on Wednesday night when they host Kent State in the first round of the WNIT. It's the first postseason game played in the Dome since Syracuse hosted the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. 'Cuse makes its fifth WNIT appearance and first since 2012 when the Orange reached the WNIT semifinals and lost to James Madison, 74-71, to miss a chance to play for the championship. Syracuse is 11-4 all-time in the WNIT and 4-0 in first round games.

Syracuse's 18 wins is the most since the 2018-19 season (25-9). The Orange are 14-3 at home marking the most wins in the Dome since SU went 17-2 during the 2010-11 season. The Orange began the season 9-0 at home and have won each of their last three games in the friendly confines of the JMA Dome including a 75-67 win over #14 North Carolina. The win over the Tar Heels marked the first top-25 win for the Orange in the Legette-Jack era.

Dyaisha Fair leads the Orange with 19.7 points per game. She's joined by Georgia Woolley (12.0 ppg) and Teisha Hyman (10.6 ppg) as the three Orange averaging double figures in scoring this season. Fair has tallied double-digit points in all 30 games this season and has led the Orange in scoring on 22 occasions. Hyman is coming off a team-high 15 points in Syracuse's loss to NC State in the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 2 while Woolley has scored 12+ points in nine-straight games. Dariauna Lewis is the leading rebounder for the Orange with 8.9 boards per game, which ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) this season.

Kent State is led by Katie Shumate and Lindsey Thall who average 12.5 and 11.6 points per game, respectively. The Golden Flashes have won six of their last eight games and have played just three different opponents in their last five games. KSU is coming off a 10-point loss, 68-58, to Toledo in the MAC Tournament on March 10. Kent State averaged 70.9 points per game while holding its opponents to 61.9 ppg this season and the Golden Flashes are shooting 42 percent from the field as a team.

The winner of Wednesday's game will advance to play the winner of Seton Hall and St. Joseph's in the second round with a date and time TBD.

To stay updated on Syracuse women's basketball in the postseason, follow @CuseWBB on Twitter and Instagram.

Orange Clash with Kent State in WNIT First Round

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Players Mentioned

Dyaisha Fair

Teisha Hyman

Dariauna Lewis

Georgia Woolley

Syracuse University Athletics