The regular-season opener on Friday was historic, with Syracuse smashing program records in 3-pointers made (17) and forced turnovers (43). The No. 14 Orange (1-0) returns to the Carrier Dome floor Monday at 7 p.m. for a date with Siena, where SU head coach Quentin Hillsman served as an assistant coach from 1999-2001. Monday night’s contest is the season opener for the Saints, who come off a 14-18 season.

Here’s what you need to know for the matchup.

All-time series: Tied, 5-5

Last time they met: Exactly eight years ago, Nov. 14, 2008, Syracuse beat Siena, 89-75, in the season opener. Senior guard Chandrea Jones and sophomore guard Erica Morrow led the Orange with 33 and 25 points, respectively. Jones was a First Team All-Big East honoree and the fastest player in program history to reach 1,000 points. The Orange finished the 2008-09 season with a 17-15 record.

The Siena report: In recent years, the Orange has become a title contender while Siena has stayed a middle-of-the-pack team. The Saints have posted a losing record in nine of their last 10 seasons. Over the same span, Syracuse has had just one losing season.

The Saints return their top four scorers in Kollyns Scarbrough (11.4 points per game), Jackie Benitez (10.7), Denish Petty-Evans (7.8) and Margot Hetzke (7.4). Each averaged at least 23 minutes last season and will likely start Monday night.

Fifth-year head coach Ali Jaques took Siena to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference semifinals in her inaugural season at Siena and two years ago led the Saints to a 22-13 record, their only winning season in the last decade and most wins in 12 seasons. Siena advanced to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Championship that year.

How Syracuse beats Siena: Whether Syracuse can blow out its in-state foe will depend on how many turnovers it forces and 3-pointers it knocks down. Alexis Peterson dropped 28 points on Friday, but the senior point guard won’t have to do that for SU to win. Briana Day had 16 points in just 16 minutes of play and six different SU players scored at least eight points in the well-rounded attack.

Stat to know: 17 — 3-pointers Syracuse made against Rhode Island on Friday afternoon, an SU single-game record

Player to watch: Kollyns Scarbrough, guard, No. 21

Scarbrough, a junior, has already started 67 games for the Saints. The 5-foot-10 guard’s 11.4 points per game led Siena last year, earning her conference second team honors. As a freshman, she was a MAAC All-Rookie Team Selection. Scarbrough isn’t much of a 3-point threat, but she has size and ability to get to the rim.

Published on November 14, 2016 at 12:56 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21