Syracuse University
12-2, 0-1
Notre Dame
12-1, 1-0
Orange Fall Short in Upset Bid at Notre Dame
12/28/2017 10:19:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The Syracuse women's basketball team faced a 87-72 defeat at No. 2/2 Notre Dame on Dec. 28 to open conference play. Sophomore guard Tiana Mangakahia paced the Orange in points (26), rebounds (nine) and assists (eight).
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
The Orange hung with the Fighting Irish in the first quarter as sophomore Gabrielle Cooper posted back-to-back baskets to open scoring for Syracuse. A dish from Mangkahia to Miranda Drummond tied the ballgame at 15 at the 3:00 minute mark in the quarter. The Orange closed out the first 10 minutes of play trailing 20-15.
Syracuse trailed for the entirety of the second period but kept the game tight, closing the scoring margin to three after Drumond drained a 3-pointer with 7:36 left in the quarter. Redshirt junior Isis Young joined the 3-point parade at the 3:45 mark, as the Orange finished the night with nine threes. Mangakahia knocked down a pair of baskets from the charity stripe to make the score 42-38, Fighting Irish, heading into halftime.
The third quarter was full of back-and-forth action as the Orange took their first lead of the game off a layup by Drummond at 5:04 in the frame. The teams traded the lead before an 11-0 run by the Fighting Irish gave the home team a 64-58 lead at the end of the third.
Notre Dame held onto the double-digit lead throughout the fourth quarter despite a pair of 3-pointers by Mangakahia.
OF NOTE
Mangakahia led the Orange in points (26), rebounds (nine), assists (eight) and steals (two), becoming the first Syracuse player to pace the team in all four categories since Tracy Harbut did so on Jan. 3, 2006 against Louisville.
The Australia native set a new career-high in rebounds (nine) and in made 3-pointers with four against Notre Dame.
This was the fourth season in a row that Syracuse has opened conference play against a ranked opponent, posting a 1-3 record over the four-game span.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Mangakahia shining in ACC play:
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) December 29, 2017
?? 18 points
?? 8 rebounds (career-high)
?? 7 assists
70-58 Notre Dame, 8:10 Q4 pic.twitter.com/L0sXMghWs2
Q'S THOUGHTS
"We've got to do a better job of getting inside and boxing out and rebounding the ball and only giving them one shot," said head coach Quentin Hillsman. "We did a good job of competing in the second half but we have to answer runs. They made the run and we didn't answer it in the fourth quarter."
UP NEXT
The Orange continue conference play in Charlottesville, Va. when they take on Virginia on Dec. 31. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will air on ACC Network Extra or can be heard on ESPN 97.7 and Cuse.TV.
For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.
