Easy for Orange vs. MAAC’S Rider

Griffin, Girard each get hot from outside, combine for 44 points

Syracuse found the range from 3-point land early and often in an 87-52 win over Rider at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

Syracuse had struggled from beyond the 3-point arc in early wins over Bryant and Niagara, but the Orange were hot from the opening tap against Rider of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

Syracuse opened up a 26-6 lead to start the game and maintained control the rest of the way.

The Orange hit eight of their first 11 shots from outside the 3-point arc.

For the game, the Orange connected on 15 out of 30 attempts from 3-point range against Rider, including a 12for-18 performance in the first half. Syracuse’s 15 made threes tied the school record, which had been set six times, most recently against Notre Dame last season.

The early 3-point shooting staked the Orange to a 49-29 halftime lead.

Syracuse (3-0) is scheduled to play at No. 24 Rutgers on Tuesday as part of the ACC/BIG Ten Challenge.

In just his third game at Syracuse after transferring from Illinois, Alan Griffin led the Orange with 23 points, falling just one point shy of his career

high of 24, which he set last year against Northwestern.

Griffin, a 6-5 forward, went 8-for-11 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range. He also recorded four rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Syracuse guard Joseph Girard III snapped out of his brief shooting slump. Girard had gone 3-for-15 on 3-pointers in Syracuse’s first two games, but he made four out of seven attempts in the first half and wound up 6-for-12 for the game. Girard finished the game with 21 points.

Syracuse was without two starters for the second straight game. Bourama Sidibe, SU’S senior center, is out for at least four weeks after tearing the meniscus in his left knee during the Orange’s season-opener against Bryant. Buddy Boeheim, the junior guard, was not at Saturday’s game as he continued to maintain quarantine in accordance with contact tracing protocol. An unidentified walk-on tested positive last weekend and Boeheim was determined to have been in close contact.

Dennis Nett / Syracuse.com Syracuse guard Joseph Girard III puts up a 3-pointer in the second half again Rider on Saturday. Girard made 6-of-12 attempts from long range and finished with 21 points and five assists in the Orange’s victory.