Syracuse hasn’t beaten Georgetown in seven tries. SU’s last win in the rivalry with the Hoyas came on Feb. 26, 2008 in a 68-67 win at the Carrier Dome.

The losing streak, though, hasn’t been full of one-sided games. In the last three meetings at the Carrier Dome, Georgetown’s margin of victory has been three points or less every time, including a 65-62 win on Feb. 25.

In its final home Big East matchup against Georgetown, the Orange is looking to reverse the trend.

“It’s four years, now,” senior guard Carmen Tyson-Thomas said. “We’re ready to take this big rivalry, and we’re home in the Dome, and we’re ready to bring it.”

Syracuse will take on Georgetown on Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Carrier Dome, in the second half of a basketball doubleheader that includes a men’s noon matchup with Villanova. The Hoyas carry a 10-5 record (1-1 Big East) into the game, while the 13-1 Orange is coming off a win in Saturday’s conference opener at Marquette.

For the team’s seniors, including Washington, D.C., native Elashier Hall, the game marks the final opportunity to beat the rival Hoyas at home. The group will get a last chance to beat Georgetown on the road on Feb. 12.

The Hoyas are led by 5-foot-11 senior guard Sugar Rodgers, who has led Georgetown in scoring in each of her four years. This season, however, Rodgers isn’t just leading the Hoyas with her average of 25.9 points per game – she is also leading the nation.

Syracuse counters with its own dominant force, senior center Kayla Alexander, who ranks 28th in the country averaging 19.5 points per game. Still, containing Rodgers will require a total team effort, and SU’s freshman contingent is quickly preparing for Rodgers’ quick-shooting mindset, Alexander said.

“We really want this win against Georgetown,” Alexander said. “What we’ve been telling the freshmen, though, is Sugar Rodgers, you have to get up on her when she crosses half the court. Because she will shoot it from there.”

Aside from Rodgers, only one other Hoya – junior forward Andrea White – is averaging in double figures, with 11.1 points per game. This reads similar to SU’s point distribution, with Tyson-Thomas the only other Orange player to average double digits with 10.9 points per game.

As a team, Syracuse ranks third in the Big East offensively at 77.8 points per game – 11th in Division I– while the Hoyas are eighth in the conference at 66.3 points per game.

Still, Alexander has gained respect for Georgetown defensively over her career, as the Hoyas have engaged Syracuse in a number of tight defensive battles. SU can expect a challenge from Georgetown’s defense on Saturday, Alexander said.

“As far as their defense, they are really scrappy,” Alexander said. “They get after it, and they get their hands on everything. They gamble a lot.”

With Georgetown’s aggressiveness, it becomes important for Syracuse to keep its offense under control. If risky or sloppy passes are kept at a minimum, Georgetown’s chances of generating turnovers decrease.

Making it easier for Syracuse to stay poised should be the home environment. Over the seven-game losing streak to the Hoyas, the Orange has appeared more competitive at home – SU has lost the three home matchups by a total of six points, while losing the three road games by a total of 52 points. Georgetown won a neutral-site matchup in the 2011 Big East Tournament, 61-60.

“As long as we are poised on the offensive end, taking care of the ball and not creating turnovers,” Alexander said. “If we just do our thing, we should be fine.”

Over the last five years, SU has seen its effort fall short to Georgetown time and again. This year, the Orange comes into the first matchup with a better record, along with plenty of confidence from a demanding non-conference slate.

The teams are certainly familiar with each other, and an SU loss on Saturday would not be for lack of knowledge of the opposition.

It would be simply lack of execution.

“Every game is important,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We understand how to get beat; they’ve beaten us. We understand exactly what we’ve got to do to win the basketball game.”

Published on January 11, 2013 at 9:17 pm

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