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Syracuse continued its nonconference schedule on Thursday with a 72-48 win over Colgate. Four different SU players scored in double-digits and the Orange won the rebounding battle 49-31. Alaina Rice came close to her career-high with 16 points.

But over the weekend, transfer Olivia Owens, who had missed the team’s first two games because of “team rules,” announced on Instagram that she “voluntarily” withdrew from Syracuse. The exact cause of her withdrawal is still not known. But the Orange’s starting frontcourt of Asia Strong and Dariauna Lewis have controlled the glass, especially on offensive rebounds. The duo has combined for 39 rebounds in the first two games.

SU now hosts Binghamton, who started the year 2-0 and is coached by Bethann Shapiro Ord in her fifth season in charge. The Bearcats come off two losing seasons and haven’t won double-digit games since the 2019-2020 season.

Here’s everything you need to know about Binghamton (2-0, 0-0 America East):

All time series

Syracuse leads 10-1.

Last time they played

In 2012, the Orange cruised to a 68-45 victory over the Bearcats in the Dome, picking up their third win of an eight-game winning streak. That year, Syracuse started its campaign 15-1, but eventually lost to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Four of the starting five for Syracuse scored double-digit points, led by Elashier Hall’s 14. The Orange only shot at a 31.7% clip, but Binghamton was worse, finishing at 28.6% from the floor. The Bearcats’ Sharae Swinson was the lone double-digit scorer for Binghamton.

It was a defensive clinic for the Orange, who notched 14 steals and nine blocks. Kayla Alexander’s four blocks put her past the 300 mark in her career. Syracuse also went 18-of-22 from the free-throw line to compensate for its sub-par performance from the floor.

The Bearcats report

Coming off a 9-20 season a year ago, Binghamton opened up this season with two wins over Army and Division-II’s Bloomsburg. Both victories were by at least 15 points. The matchup with Syracuse will be the only Power Five game of the season for the Bearcats.

In its first two wins, the Bearcats relied on sharing the scoring as three players scored in double-digits against Bloomsburg and four did against Army. Against Army, Binghamton had success from the 3-point line, converting 9-of-14 from beyond the arc.

How Syracuse beats Binghamton

Just like it did against Stony Brook and Colgate, Syracuse needs to control the glass on both ends to create and extend possessions. The Bearcats’ tallest player stands at 6-foot-2, and in contrast to the Orange, Binghamton tends to shoot the ball from outside a little bit more.

Syracuse got away with letting Colgate shoot from beyond the arc wide open. The Raiders struggled to score inside and turned the ball over 14 times. The Orange also had 17 turnovers, so cleaning up poor passes and offensive fouls should ensure a victory.

Though SU has struggled to shoot from outside, it needs to use its size and strength advantage to score inside the paint. Furthermore, quickly transitioning from one end of the court to the other, whether through steals or rebounds, will displace the Bearcat defense and create open jump shot opportunities for Rice, Dyaisha Fair and Teisha Hyman.

The offensive rebounds will lead to either easy layups from underneath or free throws, and those points will continue to add up to where the game is out of reach.

Megan Thompson | Digital Design Director

Stat to know: 45.8

From beyond the arc, the Bearcats convert at a 45.8% rate, which is 16th-best in the country. Jadyn Weltz and Ella Wanzer have each made at least eight 3-pointers and converted them at a 44% rate or higher. Defensively, Binghamton has limited its opponents to just 16.7% from deep. SU makes just 19.4% of its 3-pointers.

Though Stony Brook made just 1-of-16 from deep, Colgate got a significant chunk of points from deep. Jenna Paul took 12 shots, all from behind the 3-point line, and drained half of them. Syracuse will likely win the rebounding battle, which can compensate for allowing 3-pointers.

Player to watch: Clare Traeger, forward, No. 12

Across the first two games, Traeger has emerged as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. She is averaging 15 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. She’s also made 11 of 12 free throws. In the win over Bloomsburg, she went a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.

She’ll likely match up against Lewis and Strong inside in the battle to control the glass. Last season, her 8.2 rebounds per game was first on the team and second in the America East. She also notched a career-high 18 rebounds against Vermont a season ago. Against Army, she came close to that number with 15 rebounds, five of which were offensive. Traeger is not an outside shooting threat, having just made 1-of-3 from deep so far. But she’ll provide stability in the paint to compliment her guards that can score from outside.

Published on November 13, 2022 at 11:49 pm

Contact Cole: colebambini@gmail.com | @ColeBambini