Dec 22, 2006, 16:15 GMT
Syracuse, NY - The 23rd-ranked Syracuse Orange are coming off a home loss to an unranked foe, and the team will attempt to prevent that from happening again as it hosts the Hofstra Pride tonight.
Hofstra lost its first three games of the season by a total of nine points, but the team has rallied to turn things around. In fact, the Pride has won six straight contests since that point, and the most recent triumph came back on December 12th over Saint Francis of New York by a 67-64 final. Hofstra has only one win in its history over a ranked opponent, and that came last season over a George Mason squad that went on to reach the Final Four.
Syracuse hopes to erase the painful memory of Tuesday's 84-79 loss to Drexel at the Carrier Dome. The Orange are 9-3 this season, and their other two losses came by a total of seven points to nationally-ranked foes Oklahoma State and Wichita State.
Syracuse won its only two previous series meetings with Hofstra.
Hofstra led St. Francis (NY) by six points at intermission last time out and managed to hold on for the narrow win despite shooting a lowly 34.6 percent from the floor in the second half. The Price committed only nine turnovers in the clash and earned an 18-11 edge in points from the foul line. Loren Stokes was tremendous in the triumph, as he poured in 25 points. Carlos Rivera netted 19 points, and Antoine Agudio contributed 15 points. Those three players formed the nation's highest scoring backcourt trio entering this season, and they certainly haven't disappointed anyone through the first nine games. Stokes is scoring 21.8 ppg on 51.4 percent shooting from the field. Agudio adds 18.0 ppg to the mix, and Rivera rounds out the threesome with 11.7 ppg. While Hofstra isn't a particularly deep team, the three standouts give the team a chance in every game.
Syracuse led Drexel by seven points at intermission on Tuesday and led by as many as 10 points in that contest, but a 31.7 percent shooting effort from the floor over the final 20 minutes resulted in defeat. The Orange turned the ball over 18 times, overshadowing the fact that they earned a 44-36 rebounding advantage and a 21-14 edge in points from the foul line. Demetris Nichols scored 31 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead the way in the loss, and Darryl Watkins posted 14 points and 13 rebounds. Josh Wright pitched in 11 points for the Orange, who are averaging 78.2 ppg while limiting opponents to 65.2 ppg. Nichols is scoring 19.6 ppg on 50 percent shooting from the floor, including 49.3 percent accuracy from behind the arc. Paul Harris is scoring 11.3 ppg, and Eric Devendof adds 11.1 ppg.
© 2006 The Sports Network
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