Syracuse women's basketball will host its second straight opponent from New York state when Siena comes to the Hill on Wednesday evening. The Orange and the Saints, out of the Metro Conference, are scheduled to tip off at 6:00 pm EST on November 11 at the JMA Wireless Dome, with live-streaming coverage on the ACC Network Extra.
So far in the young 2026-27 season, the 'Cuse (2-0 overall) has looked mighty impressive on the defense side. In two blowout wins, Syracuse women's basketball held Sacred Heart to 48 points and then Central New York neighbor Cornell to the same 48 points.
On a national scale, the Orange's scoring defense is currently tied for No. 48 overall. Within the Atlantic Coast Conference, SU's points allowed per game are No. 4 in the league.
Siena (1-2 overall) opened its 2026-27 campaign with an 11-point victory over Brown at home. But the Saints have dropped two straight since then, albeit by small margins. Siena lost to Maine on the road by two points and fell to Binghamton at home by a half-dozen points. The Saints are located in Loudonville, N.Y., which is about five miles away from Albany.
Syracuse women's basketball will host Siena on Wednesday night.
Last season, the Saints went 13-17 overall and 11-9 in league play. In the Metro Conference's preseason Coaches' poll ahead of 2026-27, Siena was picked to finish at No. 2 in the league, behind Fairfield.
The Orange's defense will be tested by three Saints guards. Sophomore Francesca Schiro was on the preseason All-Metro Conference first team. Sophomore Kaiya Rain Tucker was named to the preseason second team, and redshirt junior Nicole Melious was named to the preseason third team.
On Monday, Schiro was named the Metro Conference player of the week. In Siena's first three games this season, she is averaging 36.7 minutes, 22.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 4.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Schiro is making 50.0 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from beyond the arc and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Melious is averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. Tucker, meanwhile, is averaging 10.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
In their all-time series together, Syracuse women's basketball is 6-4 against Siena, according to SU Athletics. The Orange has won three straight in the series, although the Empire State teams haven't battled in a while. Most recently, the 'Cuse defeated the Saints at home, 102-65, in November 2016.
To date in 2026-27, three Syracuse women's basketball players are averaging at least 10 points per game. They are sophomore center Uche Izoje, junior guard Emely Rodriguez, a transfer from Iowa, and fifth-year guard Tyi Skinner, a transfer from SMU.
Izoje was last season's Atlantic Coast Conference rookie of the year. She is averaging 19.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game in 2026-27. Rodriguez is averaging 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.5 steals per contest. Skinner checks in at 12.5 points, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
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