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Syracuse still has not lost a game since returning from the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, and it is beating opponents by more than 30 points per game. Saturday marked another landslide victory for the Orange against the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with all five starters recording double figures. Despite having to switch almost entirely to a six-woman rotation, they’ve gone from a team floundering from early-season losses to one that is 12th in the nation in points per game.

On Wednesday, Syracuse hosts a winless in-state rival in Siena, a team under the direction of head coach Jim Jabir. The Saints have tried to mix and match starting lineups that would work in the early stages, with 10 different players earning a spot in the starting five at least once. But nothing has worked, and their closest loss was against Colgate at the beginning of the month — who the Orange beat by 22 points.

Here is everything you need to know about Siena (0-9, 0-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), the Orange’s (8-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) final nonconference opponent of the season.

All-time series

Syracuse leads 3-1.

Last time they played

Six players scored at least 10 points in the 37-point rout of Siena when they last played in 2016. Led by Isabella Slim’s double-double with rebounds and points as well as Alexis Peterson’s with assists and points, the Orange had the game in hand by halftime. Syracuse started slowly and finished the first quarter tied with Siena, but a 29-9 overhaul in the second frame put the game away for SU.

The Saints held a six-point lead midway through the first quarter, but Syracuse’s continued offensive onslaught, which included 50 points in the paint and 33 in transition, buried then-head coach Quentin Hillsman’s former program.

The Saints report

Siena is led entirely by true and graduate seniors, all but one of which have been with the program since their freshman years. It’s rebounding from a 13-game, COVID-19-shortened season and a coaching change, looking to recapture the same success the program saw in 2017-18. This year, however, has seen everything but that success. The Saints are averaging 48.8 points per game, entering Wednesday’s game as one of the lowest-scoring teams in the nation. 

They’re also one of the worst shooting and defensive rebounding teams through their first nine games. Siena only shot above 40% from the field against North Dakota and above 30% from 3-point range against Colgate. It also doesn’t shoot well from the charity stripe, with only a 57% success rate from the free-throw line.

How Syracuse beats Siena

Syracuse wins its seventh-consecutive game if it continues to successfully spread the floor, opening up plenty of opportunities for one of the country’s top shooting teams to fire away. The Orange haven’t shot less than 40% since their loss against Minnesota in the Bahamas, and that’s with a starting lineup composed of two sharpshooters in Najé Murray and Chrislyn Carr.

With the emergence of Alaysia Styles as someone that can quickly score points inside the paint and Christianna Carr as a solid shooting option from the post, SU has each offensive facet of its game covered with talent. Teams are shooting 40.5% from the field against the Saints, according to Her Hoop Stats, so the Orange should have no problem continuing their scoring success they’ve found during their six-game winning streak.

Player to watch: Rayshel Brown, guard, No. 3

Brown has been the main brightspot in an otherwise dim start to Siena’s 2021-22 season. She leads the team with 13.1 points per game, is second with 5.1 rebounds per game and has paced the Saints scoring in five of their nine games. Even in blowout wins, Syracuse has allowed its opponent’s main guard to find periodic success. Brown can continue this trend to stifle SU’s scoring runs or calm an energetic Orange lineup with a dagger shot.

She can also be an option to force turnovers — she has 16 steals already — and revert Syracuse to its early-season turnover struggles. Brown’s performance against the Orange could prove to be a useful tool of scouting for better ACC opponents with talented scoring guards later in the season.

Stat to know: 57% free throw percentage

According to Her Hoop Stats, the Saints’ success from the free-throw line is third-worst in the country. Brown leads the team in free-throw percentage among players who have played every game, but it’s just 68.6%. No other consistent starter is shooting above 60% from the line. That means there’s almost no threat to Syracuse if some players start to fade into foul trouble or the team trends toward the bonus in either half. 

Knowing this, the Orange could play tighter defense, especially when Siena drives to the hoop, in order to learn more about the team’s defensive strengths and weaknesses before conference play begins.

Published on December 21, 2021 at 8:56 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt