Opponent Preview: What to know about Bucknell

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Syracuse was less than 15 minutes away from becoming 5-0 for the first time since 2017. The Orange got a quick start in their first road game of the season by making six 3-pointers in the first six minutes of play and had a 21-point lead in the third quarter. But as their shooting cooled off in the second half, Penn State heated up.

The Nittany Lions outscored the Orange 37-14 in the fourth quarter as Shay Ciezki and Makenna Marisa each scored 13 points in the last 10 minutes of play. SU ended up falling behind by double digits, losing 82-69 in Felisha Legette-Jack’s first loss in her coaching tenure at Syracuse.

The Orange return to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Bucknell, one of the lowest scoring teams in the country. The Bison have won their last two games after losing their first three games, including one loss by over 20 points to then-No. 13 Virginia Tech. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Bucknell (2-3):

All-time series

Syracuse leads 1-0.

Last time they played

The Orange were only up by six points heading into the fourth quarter the last time they faced the Bison, which occurred in November 2018. While SU was leading, there were a combined 45 turnovers between the two teams through the first three quarters.

But Syracuse outscored Bucknell 16-8 in the final quarter, with Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi scoring eight points in the last 10 minutes of play. Meanwhile, the Bison had eight turnovers and failed to keep up with the more talented SU players. Djaldi-Tabdi finished with a team-best 19 points and eight rebounds, while Tiana Mangakahia recorded her fourth straight game with at least 10 points. Mangakahia continued this streak for the next 11 games.

The Bison report

Bucknell features the lowest scoring offense in the Patriot League. In the Bison’s opening three games of the season, they failed to reach 50 points in any of them.

However, their field-goal percentage is in the middle of the pack in the conference. The key issue has been that Bucknell averages the fewest shots taken in the Patriot League. This resulted in three straight losses against St. Joseph’s, Fairleigh Dickinson and the Hokies to start the year.

But in the last two games (both wins), the offense has taken over 50 shots each time. Thus, the Bison notched wins over Cornell and Iona to move one game closer to .500.

How Syracuse beats Bucknell

The Orange lost by double digits against Penn State on Monday after a fourth quarter where PSU shot 65% from the field. And against a Bucknell team that struggles to generate shots, limiting the Bison on field goals will be vital. But this could be trouble as SU allows nearly 70 shots per game. 

On the other end of the court, Dyaisha Fair and Teisha Hyman need to be involved in the final frame. Fair only made one bucket in the final 10 minutes against Penn State, while Hyman fouled out with less than two minutes remaining. Both Hyman and Fair are of All-ACC talent, and they need to prove that by making an impact on the court. 

Stat to know: 0.74

While the lack of field-goal attempts sinks Bucknell to one of the worst scoring averages in all of Division-I, its offense is a little more efficient when it actually gets shots off. Along with having the third highest made field-goal percentage in the Patriot League, the Bison have a points per play average of 0.74, per Her Hoop Stats. This puts Bucknell as one of the top five scoring offenses in the country, more than what its standard scoring average indicates.

Player to watch: Emma Shaffer, No. 52, forward

Shaffer has been Bucknell’s disruptor down low as she has recorded the most rebounds on the team by a wide margin. Her 39 rebounds are 20 more than the next closest player on the roster. It has helped her become one of top board collectors in the Patriot League. According to Her Hoops Stats, she has the sixth-highest total rebounding percentage in the conference. Shaffer is also one of the two Bison players to average at least 10 points or more.