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SU was hanging on by a thread late in the fourth quarter. The Orange’s once-15-point lead was trimmed to four with under three minutes left.

It needed someone to step up. At first, SU looked for Kyra Wood, but she was defended by VT’s tight interior defense. However, Dominique Camp broke free.

Camp got the ball at the top of the key, and with Carleigh Wenzel giving her space, she shot from just inside the arc. Her attempt sailed through the net, extending the Orange’s lead to six. Camp sealed the game with an assist and a clutch free throw.

Camp’s dominance stretched across the entire contest, as she registered 12 points and 10 assists to earn her first double-double of the season. With Camp orchestrating the offense, Syracuse (9-13, 3-8 Atlantic Coast) powered past Virginia Tech (15-8, 6-6 Atlantic Coast) 93-87, notching its third ACC win.

It was the graduate student’s second time this season registering 10 assists, helping her climb to ninth in the ACC in assists per game.

Though Camp isn’t putting up Dyaisha Fair-like numbers, she’s solidified her role as Syracuse searches for a reliable point guard.

“We’re going to have to figure out which one is bringing the most,” SU head coach Felisha Legette-Jack said Friday. “Consistently, Dom has been the one that we’ve been going with to start the game off.”

Over the last three games, entering Syracuse’s matchup against VT, Camp totaled 16 points and 17 assists. The span had been representative of Camp’s season, as she’d been averaging 4.4 points and 4.4 assists, respectively after missing all of last season due to a knee injury.

Against VT, SU fell into an 8-4 deficit, and the veteran wasn’t phased. Camp, who has played for five colleges, stuck to what she could do best.

Just under the seven-minute mark of the first quarter, Camp delivered a cross-court pass to Sophie Burrows for a 3. Burrows, who was coming off a career-game against Virginia, set a new career-high, in part through Camp’s playmaking.

On the next possession, Camp found Burrows again for a triple for a 10-8 lead. Then, Camp dropped a pass off to Izabel Varejão down low, leading to another basket.

Camp’s three early assists helped Syracuse gain a 14-12 lead. The Orange shot 8-of-12 to start the game and when Camp returned from a stint on the bench, SU’s lead had grown to 29-19.

That’s when Camp looked to score herself. At the 5:41 mark of the second quarter, Camp hit a jumper, stretching the Orange’s lead to 12 points.

By halftime, she had recorded four points and five assists, helping Syracuse keep its 12-point advantage over Virginia Tech. Syracuse was shooting 62% from the field and Camp assisted Burrows on four of her five first-half triples.

Out of the break, Camp gave SU a 52-37 lead with a 3. But then VT got hot. The Orange made one of their next five shots, and the Hokies cut the deficit to six points in the middle of the third quarter.

Camp went to the bench for a quick rest and VT pulled within four points. Syracuse needed an offensive boost. Legette-Jack called on her entire team to step up.

“It wasn’t going to be (Camp), ‘Keep the ball and run around the floor,’ Legette-Jack said postgame. “Everybody got touches…Everybody said, ‘If you need me, I’m right here.’”

With strong ball movement, Camp looked to get her teammates out of their third-quarter shooting slump.

Around the two minute mark of the third quarter, Burrows cut to the basket and Camp found her for an easy layup. In the final minutes of the quarter, Camp and Varejão hit shots to take a five-point lead into the fourth.

Camp then helped SU seal the road win. Just 30 seconds into the fourth quarter, she set up Georgia Woolley for a 3-pointer, stretching the lead to eight.

Others followed Camp’s lead. Velez made a move to score on a layup and Woolley dished to Varejaõ. Wood worked off SU’s momentum and then Camp found Burrows for her career-best eighth triple of the contest.

Determined to prevent another late-game collapse, Camp steadied the offense and kept SU in command. With Camp running the offense, SU outscored VT 23-22 in the final 10 minutes, shutting down the Hokies’ comeback attempt.

Published on February 6, 2025 at 11:13 pm

Contact Timmy at: tswilcox@syr.edu | @TimmyWilcox32