By TIM IRVING
“There’s a lot of great talent on that floor. But I’d put Dyaisha Fair against anybody in the country, and I mean that, without a thought. She’s a special player.”
University at Buffalo women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack saw it when Fair was at Edison Tech and even after an 80-67 loss to Tennessee on the Volunteers’ home floor in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the respect for what Fair and the Bulls have accomplished is overwhelming.
Vols coach Kellie Harper said, “Fair can get a shot off at any point and she can make them. It makes it very difficult to guard her when you can’t keep the ball out of her hands, can’t keep her from making a shot. All you can do is make her take tough shots.”
Fair finished with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals for the Bulls (25-9), keeping her points per game average above 24, fourth in the nation this season.
And what a season it was for the former Inventor. Fair earned MAC Player of the Year honors in leading UB to their third MAC title in six years. During the tournament, she became the first UB player to score 2,000 points and became just the third All-American in school history, joining Gates Chili grad Cierra Dillard (18-19) and Kourtney Brown (10-11).
Dillard and Brown both earned those accolades after their senior seasons.
Fair is a junior.
Buffalo fell behind 8-0 and Legette-Jack called time out. Fair then stuck a three-pointer, scoring eight points in the opening ten minutes. Georgia Woolley hit a three-pointer at the buzzer and the Bulls led 17-15 after one quarter.
The Vols lead was still only six heading to the fourth quarter but Tennessee’s height and rebounding, (they finished the game with a 55-38 advantage) prevented the Bulls from pulling the upset.
The performance against one of the most storied programs in women’s basketball earned Fair, Woolley and Summer Hemphill national recognition and to some, that would be consolation, but for Fair?
“If I’m being honest, no. But I appreciate everything. I appreciate all the compliments and all the recognition.”
Legette-Jack knows this team is continuing on an upward trajectory and with Woolley, the MAC Freshman of the Year, and Fair around for another year, the Bulls have a bright future.
“I thank the NCAA for seeing fit to allow us to be a part of this opportunity. We are humble. We learned. We grew. We never lose. We either win or we learn. We won today because these young people showed a lot of heart, a lot of fight, and their story was told in a matter of 40 minutes, and it was great to sit there and witness it.”
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