Strong Second Half Propels Orange Past Hartford

Monday, November 20

Syracuse, N.Y.

11:00 a.m.

Syracuse University

3-0

Hartford

1-3

HARTFORD

Syracuse

Photo by: Michael J. Okoniewski

11/20/2017 1:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Cuse TV: Hillsman Postgame Cuse TV: Players Postgame Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Orange (3-0) tallied their third consecutive win as they bested Hartford (1-3), 75-63, on Monday morning at the Carrier Dome. Sophomore Tiana Mangakahia recorded 10 assists for the third consecutive game and paced the Orange with 17 points for her second double-double of the season.

HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Sophomore Gabrielle Cooper sparked the Syracuse offense, draining back-to-back 3-pointers to open scoring for the Orange. Hartford responded with three consecutive threes and pulled to within one at the 4:15 mark in the first quarter. Freshman Digna Strautmane sunk a jumper to kick off an 8-0 run for the Orange, giving 'Cuse a 24-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Hawks gained some momentum in the second quarter, tallying a 3-point shot to open the second frame. At the 5:33 mark, shots began to fall for the Orange as they knocked down three consecutive 3-point shots, two by Cooper and one by Strautmane, to take a 38-23 lead. The teams traded baskets through much of the second quarter but Syracuse held a 42-30 lead heading into halftime.

'Cuse began to pull away in the third quarter following a pair of 3-point buckets by Isis Young at the 7:16 mark. Young and redshirt junior Miranda Drummond combined for 14 of the Orange's 19 third-quarter points, giving Syracuse a 12-point lead for the remainder of the quarter. The Orange maintained a nine-point lead throughout the final quarter of play thanks in part to an eight-point fourth quarter by Mangakahia.

OF NOTE
The Orange had at least three players score in double-digits for the third consecutive game. Mangakahia paced the Orange with 17 while Cooper (15), Drummond (13) and Young (12) added to Syracuse's point total.

Drummond not only tallied her first double-double of the season (13 points, 10 rebounds) but she also tied her career-high for steals with three against the Hawks. The forward has scored 10+ points in every game for the Orange this season.

TWEET OF THE GAME

Tiana Mangakahia reached double figure assists for the third straight game & recorded a double-double for the 2nd game in a row w/ 17 points, 10 assists & 7 rebounds. pic.twitter.com/1imfnzIH2s
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) November 20, 2017

SCHOOL DAY
The Orange welcomed over 5,000 Syracuse-are students to the Carrier Dome for School Day.

This crowd is ready to go on School Day at the Dome! ???? pic.twitter.com/ycSnA7nS6d
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) November 20, 2017

Q'S THOUGHTS
"I think first and foremost is winning and our goal was to protect the home court and I think we did a good job of that today," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "Hartford is a really tough team. They've had some games that they've lost the last couple of games but they've been in every game. They are a tough group of kids that work really hard. I'm really proud of our team. We did a fantastic job in the second half of speeding up the game and trying to take away their 3-point shots."

UP NEXT
The Orange are headed to Washington D.C. to participate in the Paradise Jam from Nov. 23-25. Syracuse returns to the Carrier Dome on Thursday, Nov. 30 to host Northwestern as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be aired on ACC Network Extra.

Fans can purchase tickets for these games online, by phone at 1-888-DOMETIX, or by visiting the Carrier Dome box office (Gate B) during normal business hours.

For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.