After righting the ship with three straight wins since Nov. 30, No. 20 Syracuse (7-3) is set to face in-state foe Niagara (4-4, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic) on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. Saturday’s game marks the Orange’s final home contest before traveling south to the Florida Sunshine Classic on Dec. 20. SU is 5-0 at home this season, and looks to keep its momentum moving forward before conference play starts in late December.

Here’s what you need to know before the Orange and Purple Eagles clash on Saturday afternoon.

All time series: SU leads, 4-0

Last time they played: Syracuse topped the Eagles in 2013, 80-44

The Niagara report: The Eagles are fresh off a 75-62 victory against Hartford on Dec. 7 and come into Syracuse starting a five-game road swing. Junior Kaylee Stroemple led the Eagles with 24 points and Victoria Rampado dropped 20 to carry Niagara over the Hawks.

Rampado is currently leading the Hawks in scoring, averaging 17.3 points per game and stands as the only Niagara player to score double-digits in all eight of the Eagles’ games. Freshman guard Morgan Baughman is Niagara’s deep threat, boasting a 48.9% 3-point percentage, knocking down 22-of-45 on the season.

The Eagles enter Saturday’s matchup with a tough nonconference schedule, taking on Michigan and No. 4 Maryland over the course of the past month. The Eagles averaged 61.6 points per game, but were outscored by a combined 203 to 99 against the Wolverines and Terrapins.

How Syracuse beats Niagara: The Orange will have to stretch its zone to limit looks from Eagles’ sharpshooter Baughman, but at the same time keep in mind Niagara forward Rampado in the middle of the floor. The forward has the ability to shift attention both to and from herself and will punish the Orange interior if it stretches too wide.

The Orange’s up-tempo defense should limit the Eagles’ looks, but it will need to use that tempo to jump ahead of the Eagles and stay on top, much like it did in its 26-0 start against Coppin State.

Stat to know: 43 — The Orange boast an average of 43 rebounds per game, 11 more than the Eagles’ 31.9 per game

Player to watch: Victoria Rampado, forward, No. 22

The 6-foot-2 Rampado is a force at the forward position and will put SU centers Briana and Bria Day to the test on Saturday. If the Orange is unable to force turnovers in the backcourt, skip passes into the middle could spell trouble for Rampado. The forward was sent to the line seven times against No. 4 Maryland, dropping 12 of her 14 free-throw attempts and scoring a season-high 24 points on one of the top teams in the nation.

Published on December 9, 2016 at 10:09 pm

Contact Matt: mjfel100@syr.edu