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In the midst of the first quarter as Syracuse’s only grasp on the game showed its first signs of loosening, Alaina Rice had already made a valuable impression off the bench. She had buried a desperation heave from inside the paint when she crouched down on the right edge of the Orange’s 2-3 zone, waiting for Cameron Swartz to break in. When Swartz did, Rice stood tall and drew a charge.

On the ensuing possession, she quickly buried her second 3-pointer of the game. Instead of settling back into the zone to prepare for another potent Eagles possession, she spun around at half court and intercepted a long pass to give Syracuse another possession. That sequence was just another example of the “tough” play SU has grown accustomed to from Rice, acting head coach Vonn Read said.

The Orange have stumbled in their last two games, taking place in consecutive blowout losses to Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. Their momentous six-game winning streak was stifled by two postponed games and two starters being placed in COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Through the tumultuous last few weeks has come the emergence of Rice as SU’s de facto sixth man. In the 95-71 thwarting Boston College (10-4, 1-2 ACC) placed on Syracuse (8-5, 1-3 ACC), Rice once again shined through as a bright spot off the bench.

Rice started her first game for Syracuse against the Tar Heels, but with an established starting five — all of whom average more than 10 points per game — she was once again relegated to the bench. But that’s where her teammates, former coaches and Read see her at her best. She can be a “spark plug” that comes in and kick-starts a Syracuse team trying to fall back into its fast-paced, aggressive rhythm, her high school coach said.

During the Orange’s final possession of the opening quarter, they were still within striking distance of an Eagles team that would eventually pull away. Rice collected a pass on the right wing and waited as her defender backed off enough for her to pull up from a few feet behind the line and nail a 3. Her eighth point of the night kept Syracuse within seven points.

Rice said she likes to do a little bit of everything while on the court and tries to make the most of her limited time on the court. While only averaging 18.7 minutes per game, she’s recorded the third-most steals for SU, dished out the fourth-most assists and averages 4.4 rebounds per game, all while gradually being integrated into Read’s lineup as the season has gone on.

“Alaina is playing a lot of minutes for us and she can play multiple positions for us,” Read said earlier this season. “She’s tough enough to play inside and she’s skilled enough to play out on the perimeter.”

To end the first half, Rice once again got open, this time knocking down her second 3 of the game. She and Teisha Hyman ended up scoring 17 points each to lead Syracuse. Even though she committed four fouls, Rice also played 32 minutes, which was as much or more than some of the Orange’s starting five. Then in the third quarter, Rice followed up her previous layups by reversing roles with forward Alaysia Styles. Rice crashed toward the basket and collected the feed from SU’s de facto center, finishing the contested play with two more points.

Read said after the UNC game that he’s seen Rice frequently vying for rebounds and bodying out taller defenders for position despite her being only 5-foot-8. Her first points came early in the first quarter when she grabbed a rebound at the top of the zone from a Najé Murray missed 3-point attempt. Then, Rice turned around and got a bank shot to fall, extending Syracuse’s lead to 6-2, its largest of the evening.

Read said that the formula for opposing teams has always been to get the ball inside on the Orange and exploit their undersized lineup. “For the second time in a row teams have got 50 points in the paint, that’s tough,” Read said. When Rice was on the court, she faded inside on both sides of the court in an attempt to spoil that formula whenever she could.

While most of the time it didn’t work and Rice’s six rebounds proved too little to make a dent, she continued her aggressive play. In the third quarter, Ally VanTimmeren got a defensive rebound at the top of the paint, but Rice threw two hands on it as well. She thrashed around for long enough to draw a jump ball that went Syracuse’s way. Once the referee broke her and VanTimmeren up, Rice walked away giggling.

“Alaina’s a fighter, she’s athletic, she’s in there rebounding,” Read said after the Orange’s loss to UNC.

Published on January 6, 2022 at 10:42 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt