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Syracuse entered Felisha Legette-Jack’s third season at the helm with a major question mark. It was unclear how SU would fare without Dyaisha Fair, its best player the last two years.

But in their season-opener against Niagara, the Orange defeated the Purple Eagles 108-84, their most points scored in a game since a 116-65 blowout of Central Connecticut State in December 2021. Against Niagara, six different players tallied double-digit points. Senior forward Kyra Wood led the team with 19 alongside eight rebounds, while Georgia Woolley tacked on 18 as well.

However, SU’s 30 turnovers allowed Niagara to hang around. The Orange’s lead shrunk to as low as eight with nine minutes to go, but they pulled away in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Purple Eagles 35-19.

Sunday, Syracuse faces Saint Joseph’s for its second game of the season. The Hawks are coming off of an impressive 28-6 season, where they fell in the Quarterfinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.

Here’s everything you need to know before Syracuse (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) takes on Saint Joseph’s (1-0, 0-0 Atlantic 10):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 4-0.

Last time they played…

On Dec. 21, 2013, then-No. 23 Syracuse overcame a 21-7 first-quarter deficit to narrowly defeat the Hawks 64-62. After Saint Joseph’s tied the game with 21 seconds to go, SU’s Brittney Sykes made a layup at the buzzer to give the Orange the win.

The Orange were led by Sykes, who notched 20 points and nine rebounds, as well as Briana Day’s double-double. Syracuse also outrebounded the Hawks 56-34 and finished a perfect 17-17 at the free throw line.

The Hawks report

In last year’s run to the WBIT third round, Saint Joseph’s sported a lineup with four players averaging double-digit points — Talya Brugler, Laura Ziegler, Mackenzie Smith and Chloe Welch. Everyone but Welch are back for this season. The Hawks struggled to get production from their bench, though, as no other player averaged more than 3.5 points. This amounted to a middling 65.3 points per game.

However, Saint Joseph’s dominated defensively, only allowing 54.5 points per game, the fifth lowest in Division I. The Hawks also don’t foul often, only committing 437 fouls in 2023-24, as opposed to Niagara, who fouled 754 times, the most in the country.

The Hawks routed Division II’s Goldey-Beacom 102-30 in their first game of the year. Smith led the team with 22 points, while Ziegler and Brugler both posted double-doubles. Saint Joseph’s shot over 50% from the field and won the rebound battle 52-19.

How Syracuse beats Saint Joseph’s

The Orange need to force the ball out of the hands of the Hawks’ dangerous trio. Besides them, the Hawks don’t have any big shooters on their squad. Syracuse needs to press hard, forcing more inexperienced players to take shots.

Though three other Hawks scored double-digit points against Goldey-Beacom, they were bench players receiving minutes due to the 70-point blowout. Against a better team like Syracuse, they shouldn’t see the same success.

On offense, SU must spread the wealth, which worked perfectly against Niagara. Syracuse has more than enough qualified shooters, like Woolley, Sophie Burrows and Dominique Camp, that can hit shots from anywhere on the court. This will keep the Hawks guessing and break down their potent defense.

Stat to know: 9.7

Against Niagara, Syracuse outrebounded the Purple Eagles 45-28. However, Legette-Jack mentioned postgame that she wants her team to pull down at least 20 offensive rebounds per game, as opposed to the 16 it snagged against Niagara. SU’s matchup with Saint Joseph’s provides the opportunity to do that due to the Hawks’ lackluster ability on the glass.

The Hawks totalled 25.4 defensive boards per contest last year, but they only averaged 9.7 offensive rebounds, ranking 285th out of 360 D-I teams. In contrast, Syracuse’s tally sat at 16.3. This disparity is largely due to the teams’ size difference, as the Orange have nine players at least six feet tall, while the Hawks only have six.

Player to watch: Laura Ziegler, forward, No. 4

Despite Brugler leading Saint Joseph’s in points last year, Ziegler is the more complete player. As a freshman in 2022, the Herlev, Denmark, native averaged 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, and was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year.

Last year, she upped both of those numbers, tallying 14.3 points and 9.3 boards on average. Her 7.8 defensive rebounds per contest ranked 11th in the country. Ziegler started her junior season strong, finishing with 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists versus Goldey-Beacom, her 22nd career double-double.

Published on November 8, 2024 at 7:21 pm

Contact Noah: njnussba@syr.edu | @ Noahnuss99