Syracuse Storms Past Rider, 87-52

Saturday, December 5

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

Rider

12/5/2020 9:06:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Jim Boeheim Press Conference Joe Girard Press Conference Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A program-record-tying 15 3-pointers and a game-high 23 points from Alan Griffin led Syracuse (3-0) to victory against Rider (0-1), 87-52.

Joseph Girard III tallied 21 points, 18 of which came from 3-point makes. His six triples represented a career best. Quincy Guerrier rounded out the trio of Orange scorers with double-digit points, tallying 11 on the night. He came three rebounds away from his third-consecutive double-double to open the season.

THREE IS A MAGIC NUMBER
The opening minutes were owned by Griffin. After Kadary Richmond knocked down his first career triple to begin the Syracuse scoring, Griffin followed closely behind with a trifecta of his own. A strong defensive stand led to Griffin sinking another 3-pointer to make the score 9-2 Orange. After a midrange jumper from Marek Dolezaj and a made free throw from Girard III, Griffin continued his hot streak from the outside, draining his third three-ball in the first four minutes to put the Orange up 15-4 with 15:50 to play.

Out of the media timeout, it was Girard III's turn to show off his long-range shooting. He drained his first 3-pointer of the night to extend the Syracuse advantage to 15 and followed with a pair of triples in the span of a minute to build the Orange advantage to 29-8 with 11 minutes to go in the half.

FROM COACH BOEHEIM
"We moved the ball well tonight and we really helped each other," said Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. "I also think that the defense was really good. Woody (Newton) was good in the zone and I'm happy with how he has played so far."

SHOOTING SPECTACULAR
A pair of free throws from Ajiri Ogemuno-Johnson and a 3-pointer from Dwight Murray, Jr. brought the Broncs within 16, but the Orange held tough, with Woody Newton drilling the Orange's ninth three of the night off a slick pass from Richmond for a quick answer. Griffin followed with a make from midrange and Richmond cashed a pair from the charity stripe to give the Orange a 20-point advantage, 38-18, with five to play in the opening frame.

🔥 HOT START 🔥@alangriffin_ 4-of-4 from 3!

Watch live: https://t.co/CHpdOOZSaA pic.twitter.com/A6BNKdmmrO
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) December 6, 2020

The highlight of the half came from Richmond, who darted out of nowhere to intercept a Rider pass and sped down the court for a strong two-handed slam. Newton drained Syracuse's 10^th triple of the opening 20 minutes to force a timeout from the visitors and put the 'Cuse up 23 with under four to go in half.

Newton and Girard III each contributed three-balls to give the Orange a 49-29 lead at the break. Syracuse made 12 3-pointers in the half, shooting 66.7 percent from beyond the arc, while also shooting 63.0 percent from the field. Both Griffin and Girard III got four threes to fall while Newton nailed all three of his attempts in the opening frame. Griffin led all first half scorers with 16 points, one shy of his single-game high on the season.

REIGNING IN THE BRONCS
After a barrage of offense in the opening frame, a stalwart Syracuse defense was on display to open the second half. The Orange limited Rider to six points in the first eight minutes on two-for-15 shooting. The Broncs were unsuccessful on all five of their 3-point attempts in that span.

With under 11 to go, the Orange offense again opened for business from beyond the arc. Griffin found Girard III in transition for his fifth 3- pointer of the night and Guerrier converted a three-point play to extend the Syracuse lead to 66-35 with 9:33 to play.

The Orange encroached on history with under seven to go when Girard III made his career best sixth triple and Guerrier downed a 3-pointer of his own to give Syracuse its15^th 3-pointer on the night, tying a program record. The Orange have totaled 15 3-pointers in a game six times -- the most recent a season ago in the Dome against Notre Dame.

Frank Anselem made his presence felt on the offensive end with under six to play, making a pair from the charity stripe for his first career collegiate points. He then slammed home a dunk and drilled another pair of free throws to put the Orange up 37, 80-43, with 4:22 to play.

The teams traded points over the final four minutes, with Robert Braswell accounting for the last four Syracuse points to seal the Orange's third-straight victory, 87-52.

Steal ➡️ Slam@KadaryRichmond3

Watch live: https://t.co/CHpdOOZSaA pic.twitter.com/yNrSxBmXXe
— Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) December 6, 2020

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the only other meeting between Syracuse and Rider. The Orange defeated the Broncs, 72-54, in Syracuse on December 5, 1950.
The win marks the second-straight contest where the Orange have bested their opponent by more than 30 points. The last time Syracuse won two consecutive games by 30-or-more points was in the 2018-19 season against Arkansas State (82-52) and St. Bonaventure (81-48).
Syracuse's 15 3-pointers against Rider tied the amount they had coming into the game. The Orange made a combined 15 3-pointers in the first two games against Bryant and Niagara.
Joseph Girard III set a new career high with six 3-pointers. His previous career-best was five, a feat he accomplished three times last season.
With a pair of free throws in the second half, Frank Anselem recorded the first points of his collegiate career. John Bol Ajak also scored his first career collegiate basket, making him and Anselem the third and fourth Syracuse players in the past three games to record their first collegiate points.

UP NEXT

The Orange go on the road for the first time this season Tuesday, Dec. 8 when they take on Rutgers as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Gallery: (12-5-2020) Syracuse vs. Rider

Syracuse University Athletics remains committed to doing everything it can to support and protect the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, our staff and the campus and Syracuse communities. All decisions will be science-based and informed by public health and guidance as provided by county, state and public health officials.

If fans are permitted to attend games – in some capacity – Syracuse Athletics will announce plans for spectators to secure admission to the events. Fans will be required to sit in their socially-distanced seat locations and wear a face covering.

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow us on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (cuse_mbb) and like us on Facebook (SyracuseOrange).