Syracuse University
12-3, 0-2ACC
Virginia
9-6, 2-0ACC
'Cuse Faces 68-63 Setback at Virginia
12/31/2017 5:04:00 PM | Women's Basketball
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Syracuse women's basketball team (12-3, 0-2) could not complete the fourth quarter comeback as the Virginia Cavaliers (9-6, 2-0) came out on top, 68-63, Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
Freshman Digna Strautmane recorded the Orange's first bucket of the game and drew a foul for a 3-point play just about halfway through the first quarter. Junior Raven Fox poured in a 3-pointer to kick-off an 11-0 run for Syracuse, giving the Orange a commanding 17-11 lead at the end of the first.
The Orange came out firing in the second quarter, knocking down a pair of threes in the opening minutes of the frame. However, the Cavaliers went on an 8-0 run with 3:41 remaining the half to tie the game at 29. A layup and a 3-pointer by Tiana Mangakahia in the closing seconds of the quarter gave Syracuse the 36-32 lead heading into halftime.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Virginia's Aliyah Huland El sparked the Cavaliers offense and gave the home team a 40-38 lead three minutes into the second half. The Orange responded with two 3-pointers of their own by Mangakahia and Jasmine Nwajei to put Syracuse up by two at 3:47 in the third. The teams traded the lead in the final minutes of the frame with Virginia holding the one-point advantage going into the final 10 minutes of play.
Down by four with 2:05 remaining in the game, Miranda Drummond knocked down a huge 3-point bucket to pull the Orange to within one. Redshirt junior Isis Young tallied Syracuse's 13th three of the game in the final minute of the game but the Orange could not overcome the five-point deficit.
OF NOTE
Mangakahia posted a team-leading 20 points against the Cavaliers, which is the fifth time this season that the sophomore has eclipsed the 20-point mark. The Australia native knocked down five 3-pointers in the game, setting a new career-high for made threes.
As a team, the Orange poured in 13 baskets from beyond the arc, marking the eighth time this season that Syracuse has tallied 10+ 3-pointers. 'Cuse has posted an 7-1 record when recording 10 or more threes in a game.
TWEET OF THE GAME
All threes, all day! Nwajei joins the 3-point parade.
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) December 31, 2017
45-43 Orange, 3:40 Q3 pic.twitter.com/FhrGlFKwhJ
UP NEXT
The Orange return to the Carrier Dome for the first time since Dec. 9 in the ACC home opener against Georgia Tech on Jan. 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air on ACC Network Extra and can be heard on Syracuse IMG Radio Network or Cuse.TV.
For the latest news on the Syracuse women's basketball program, follow /SyracuseWBB on Facebook, @CuseWBB on Instagram, and @CuseWBB on Twitter.
