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After winning two games in two days at the South Point Shootout in Las Vegas over Thanksgiving break, Syracuse won its third straight game Thursday. The Orange defeated Alabama 79-73 in the inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference/Southeastern Conference Challenge.

Following a slow start, Syracuse led for most of the contest. Sparked by a 23-point, 12-rebound performance by freshman forward Alyssa Latham, both of which were season-highs, the Orange came out with the win.

After facing its second consecutive Power Five opponent, Syracuse faces off against Northeastern. The Huskies are coming off of back-to-back losses while the Orange look to string together its fourth straight win.

Here’s everything you need to know about Northeastern (4-3, 0-0 Coastal Athletic Association) ahead of its matchup with Syracuse (6-1, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) Monday:

All time series

Syracuse leads 7-1.

Last time they played

On Nov. 12, 2010, Syracuse defeated Northeastern 72-69 in its season-opener. The Orange came back from a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat the Huskies. A 13-0 run in the second half propelled the Orange to a lead which they maintained.

Four Syracuse players finished in double figure scoring, led by Iasia Hemingway’s 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field and seven rebounds. Kayla Alexander recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds as well.

In 2010-11, Syracuse went on to win 25 games, making the Women’s National Invitation Tournament before falling to Toledo in the quarterfinals.

The Huskies report

Last year, Northeastern had a strong regular season winning 18 games. It went 13-5 in conference play to clinch a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament. After a win over Stony Brook in the quarterfinals, the Huskies were upset by Monmouth in the semifinals.

This season, Northeastern returns its two top scorers from last year — Derin Erdogan and Gemima Motema — who averaged 15 and 13 points, respectively. So far, the duo has seen a dip in production with both averaging three fewer points compared to the 2022-23 campaign.

Outside of its 3-point shooting, Northeastern is a below average offensive team. The Huskies shoot 35% from 3-point range, which ranks 66th in the country, according to HerHoopsStats. They are also a middle of the pack shooting team, connecting on just 41% of their shots, which ranks 142nd in the country.

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How Syracuse beats Northeastern

Syracuse needs to continue to be aggressive down low. It scored 40 points in the paint versus the Crimson Tide, so expect more of the same against Northeastern. The Huskies allow their opponents to shoot 50 percent on 2-point attempts, which ranks 295th in the country.

Outside of Fair and Alaina Rice, the Orange have struggled from deep this season. The duo has combined for 35 of Syracuse’s 50 3-pointers this season. Georgia Woolley is just 3-for-25 from beyond the arc this season, but has done a good job of getting into the lane and making plays off the dribble. Despite having its best 3-point shooting performance against Alabama (7-14), SU will still find the most consistent success when pounding the ball inside.

The Orange will look to keep Latham hot after a dominant performance against Alabama. Also look for Syracuse to get Fair going on drives to the basket. Latham and Fair should run plenty of pick-and-roll actions, which will either free up Fair for an open lanes or Latham will have the chance to have another big game.

Stat to know: 37%

Northeastern lets up an offensive rebounding rate of 37%, which ranks 307th in the country. The Orange, on the other hand, are one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, pulling in over 40% of their misses.

Expect big games from Latham, Kyra Wood and Izabel Varejão, who all pose threats on the offensive glass. The trio notched 51 of Syracuse’s 107 offensive rebounds on the season so far.

Player to watch: Derin Erdogan, guard, No. 1

Erdogan played at Arizona for two seasons, where she saw limited playing time, before transferring to Northeastern last year. So far, Erdogan has had a successful stint with the Huskies, leading them in scoring last season while making first team All-CAA. In 2022, Erdogan scored in double figures 28 times and led the team in assists with 125.

Despite seeing a dip in production, Erdogan still leads the Huskies in scoring with nearly 12 points per game. On Nov. 16 against Merrimack, Erdogan finished with a season-high 17 points, knocking down three 3-pointers in an 11-point victory.

Published on December 3, 2023 at 10:16 pm

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22