Darryl Watkins notched the fifth double-double of his career against Drexel.
Orange Hosts Hofstra Friday for Some Holiday Hoops
12/21/2006 9:46:56 AM | Men's Basketball
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The 23rd-ranked Orange (9-3) takes the floor against its second straight CAA opponent when it hosts Hofstra (6-3) on Friday, Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m. The Pride enters the contest riding a six-game winning streak and boasts one of the top backcourts in the nation.
The game will be televised live in the Syracuse area on Time Warner Ch. 26. Live streaming audio and video of the contest is also available on suathletics.com via Orange All-Access.
The challenge for the Syracuse defense will be to keep the Hofstra guard trio of Lauren Stokes, Antoine Agudio and Carlos Rivera under wraps this holiday season. The threesome is averaging 51.5 points per contest and they are the top three scorers on the team. Stokes leads the way at 21.8 points per game and is a Naismith and Wooden Award nominee. He is one of only two Pride players to record at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists (Speedy Claxton). Agudio is the Pride’s all-time leader in 3-point field goals (199). Both players rank in the top 20 on the school’s career scoring list. Rivera owns a scoring average of 11.7 points per outing and leads the Pride with 31 assists.
Friday’s clash will be the eighth for Coach Tom Pecora’s club away from home and represents the Pride’s first game in 10 days. Hofstra’s only two home contests this season have been wins against Georgia State on Dec. 2 and St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 12.
The Orange lost its third game of the year in its last outing, 84-79, to Drexel on Dec. 19 at the Dome. Syracuse owned a 10-point lead early in the second half, but a 19-4 scoring spurt by the Dragons that covered five minutes vaulted them into the lead. Drexel led for the remainder of the game. SU got within three, 81-78, on a three-point play by rookie Paul Harris in the final minute, but could not complete the comeback.
Senior Demetris Nichols led the Orange with a career-best 31 points. He owns a scoring average of 19.6 points per game, second in the league behind Villanova’s Curtis Sumpter. His scoring output against Drexel was the most since last season when Gerry McNamara hung 38 on Davidson. Nichols has been torrid from long range this season, connecting on 35-of-71 3-point attempts (49.3 pct.), which is on pace for the school single-season record.
SU also got a solid showing from senior center Darryl Watkins. Watkins registered 14 points and 13 rebounds before fouling out to post his first double-double of the season. Watkins has been in double figures in each of SU’s last two games.
Syracuse is 2-0 all-time against Pride. The last time the two teams played Hofstra brought a nine-game winning streak into the Dome, but the Orange sent the Pride packing with an 80-75 victory.
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