Opponent Preview: What to know about Saint Francis
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Syracuse finishes its nonconference schedule at the JMA Wireless Dome against Saint Francis Thursday. The Orange are coming off a close win against in-state rivals Cornell Monday. SU faced a halftime deficit for the first time all season — trailing by eight at the break — and fell behind as much as 14 in the third quarter.
But Syracuse fought back, spared by strong performances from its one-two punch of Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley. The duo combined for 47 points with Fair scoring 24 and Woolley dropping 23. Syracuse clawed its way back before two late 3-pointers from Alaina Rice and Woolley helped complete the largest comeback under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
Now, the Orange welcome Saint Francis before starting conference play as they look to make it seven straight wins. Here’s everything to know about Saint Francis (1-10, 0-0 Northeast Conference) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (9-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference)
All-time series
Syracuse leads 2-0.
Last time they played
Syracuse hosted the Red Flash on Nov. 18, 2011. The Orange blew out Saint Francis 88-45 to advance to 2-0 on the season. Syracuse led by 28 at half and cruised to an easy victory.
Four SU players finished in double figures led by Kayla Alexander with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Elashier Hall (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Carmen Tyson-Thomas (12 points, 12 rebounds) both finished with double-doubles.
The Red Flash report
Saint Francis won just seven games in 2022-23 and hasn’t started out much better this year. The Red Flash are currently on a three-game losing streak against Penn State, NJIT and Youngstown State.
The Red Flash have scored more than 60 points just three times this season and have lost eight games by double digits. Saint Francis hasn’t been facing stiff competition either, only matching up against three Power Five opponents so far.
Saint Francis ranks in the bottom five in both defensive and offensive rating. It is 358th out of 360 Division I teams in offensive rating (72.4) and 355th in defensive rating (104.5).
How Syracuse beats Saint Francis
There isn’t really one thing Syracuse needs to do to beat Saint Francis other than not play down to its competition. The Orange looked sluggish against Cornell which could’ve come down to an eight-day layoff or taking their opponent lightly. As long as SU starts fast, it shouldn’t have a problem against its final nonconference foe.
Syracuse will look for players outside of Fair and Woolley to get going. The duo accounted for over 60% of SU’s points against Cornell with no other player finishing in double figures. The Orange have the depth to wear out Saint Francis with players like Rice as well as Alyssa Latham and Kyra Wood down low. If the Orange use their length to their advantage and attack the offensive glass, it should be an easy win for SU.
Stat to know: 73.1
Saint Francis allows 73.1 points per game, which ranks 298th in the country. On the other hand, Syracuse scores an average of 80.7 — No. 24 in the country. The Orange have a lot of firepower. They scored 49 points against Cornell in the second half alone, including a 29-point fourth quarter.
Fair will be a handful for Saint Francis and one of the best players it’ll see all season. Seven times this campaign, the Red Flash have allowed at least 68 points, meaning Fair and the rest of her teammates should have their way against a porous Saint Francis defense.
Player to watch: Kendall Carruthers, guard, No. 2
Carruthers has made an instant impact with Saint Francis this season, leading it in scoring as a freshman with 11.8 points per game. Carruthers has started all 11 games for this season, scoring at least 20 points twice, first against Lafayette on Nov. 26 and then Dec. 2 against Morgan State.
Carruthers leads Saint Francis with 16 made 3-pointers, double what the next closest player on the roster has. She’s also attempted the most free throws with 38, knocking down 84% of her attempts from the charity stripe.
