Dyaisha Fair wasn’t even a top-100 recruit when she got to Buffalo in 2019. Now, she’s one of the top three scorers in Divison I women’s college basketball history.
With her 20th point Monday against UConn, coming at the foul line, Fair passed Kelsey Mitchell for the third-most points on the all-time scoring list with 3,403. Fair entered the day in fifth place but passed Jackie Stiles earlier in the game on an and-one in the third quarter.
Advertisement
The top of the scoring charts have been in flux all season with Caitlin Clark’s ascent to the top spot. Fair’s climb has been overshadowed by the Iowa star, but there’s no denying the significance of her accomplishment, especially for a player who began her collegiate career in the Mid-American Conference at Buffalo. The fifth-year guard who stands 5-foot-5 could not have been more under the radar.
One of the greatest scorers in college basketball.@DyaishaFair is now third in the NCAA record books passing both Jackie Stiles and Kelsey Mitchell. pic.twitter.com/1mkAgV7XUJ
— Syracuse Women's Basketball (@CuseWBB) March 26, 2024
All she did was outperform her recruiting profile, averaging 23.1 points per game in three seasons with the Bulls. Fair then carried over that production to Syracuse when she transferred along with Coach Felisha Legette-Jack in 2022. She averaged 22.3 points per game this season along with 4.6 rebounds as she made the AP All-America third team.
GO DEEPER
Dyaisha Fair stuck with her coach. Now Syracuse is in the NCAA Tournament
The debate continues over who actually belongs atop the scoring charts. Modern players have the benefit of the 3-point line — something Fair, a career 35.1 percent shooter from deep, uses to great effect — and the ability to play more games. And the NCAA has willfully disregarded the accomplishments of women who played before its institution. But all any player can do is be the best she can in her given era for her team, and that’s what Fair has done. She was a three-time first-team all-MAC selection and then adapted to the higher level of play in the ACC, earning first-team honors in her new conference during both of her seasons. She has consistently been available for both Buffalo and Syracuse and is first all time in minutes played for NCAA Division I women’s basketball.
Fair would have finished her career in fifth place for scoring had she not single-handedly spearheaded a run for the Orange in the opening round. Down five points to Arizona with 3:16 to play, Fair scored the next 11 points of the game to give Syracuse the edge. She gave her team a chance to play another day, and in the process, an opportunity to continue her climb up the individual scoring charts.
Dyaisha Fair drills a 3 to give (6) Syracuse the lead over (11) Arizona with under 2 minutes remaining!#MarchMadness #WBB pic.twitter.com/NoQ7XxbGKX
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 23, 2024
The Orange’s postseason run, and Fair’s college career, ended in a 72-64 loss to the Huskies. Nevertheless, the mark has already been made. Fair is one of the greatest scorers in college basketball history.
Required reading
(Photo: David Yeazell / USA Today)
