Orange Host No. 11/12 Florida State on Sunday

Syracuse (13-3, 1-2) vs. No. 11/12 Florida State (14-1, 2-0)
Game Details: Sunday, Jan. 7 | 1:00 p.m.
Location: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
Game Coverage: Watch | Live Stats | Audio | @CuseWBB Twitter
Game Notes: Syracuse | Florida State

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The Syracuse women's basketball team will play its first home game against a top-25 team when the Orange welcome No. 11/12 Florida State to the Carrier Dome on Sunday, Jan. 7. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. The game will air on RSN and can be heard on Syracuse IMG Sports Radio Network with Brian Higgins on the call.

It's Doggy Day in the Dome as fans are encouraged to bring their four-legged friends to cheer on the Orange. The first 200 fans with their dogs will receive doggy bandanas, while all fans and their furry friends are invited to participate in the "doggy zone" set up in the backcourt with local dog organizations. All dogs must enter through Gates A and C and must always be on their leash. Suggested sections for fans to sit with their dogs are 103-105 and 111-114. Relief stations will be located outside Gates A and C, as well.

Dog owners must bring documentation from their veterinarian showing vaccination records, as well as license and registration. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (1-888-DOMETIX) or at the Carrier Dome Box Office (Gate B).

Syracuse is 13-3 (1-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) following Thursday night's 88-77 home win over Georgia Tech. Sophomore guard Tiana Mangakahia led the Orange with 44 points while going 20-for-21 from the free throw line. The Australia native leads the nation in assists (164) and assist per game (10.3) while also ranking top-50 in double-doubles (7th), field goal attempts (33rd), free throws made (32nd), minutes plated (21st) and steals (30th). She is averaging a team-best 18.6 points and 10.3 assists this season while Miranda Drummond is averaging 16.2 points per game. Digna Strautmane leads the ACC in blocked shots (41) and blocked shots per game (2.56) ranking her in the top-25 nationally in both categories. As a unit, 'Cuse ranks in the nation's top-50 in multiple categories including 19th in 3-point field goals per game (9.3) and 28th in assists (259).

Florida State is 14-1 on the season and unbeaten (2-0) in ACC play checking in at No. 11/12 in this week's top-25 national polls. The Seminoles are led by Shakayla Thomas who is scoring 18.8 points per game and grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. Imani Wright is leading the team in minutes played (31.8) and is shooting 44.3 percent from the field during that time with 17.5 points per game. FSU rides a four-game win streak into Sunday's matchup and will play its seventh road match of the season.

SERIES HISTORY
Sunday is the fifth meeting in program history between the two. Florida State holds a 3-1 advantage since the first meeting on Feb. 13, 2014, when FSU defeated 'Cuse 83-59 in the Carrier Dome. The Orange is 1-1 at home against the Seminoles following an 83-73 win on Feb. 18, 2016, the last time the two teams faced off in Syracuse.

Last time they met, FSU defeated Syracuse 77-58 in Tallahassee on Jan. 19, 2017. All of the previous four meetings have taken place during the regular season.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
The only Orange averaging a double-double this season (18.6 points, 10.3 assists), Mangakahia has already made a name for herself in the NCAA women's basketball community. Mangakahia paces the nation and the ACC in assists per game (10.3) and total assists (164) and ranks 32nd in the country (first in the ACC) in free throws made (62).

The Australia native has posted back-to-back-to-back 20-point outings and has scored in double-figures in 15 consecutive games up to this point in the season. She fell one-point shy of the Orange single-game record for points scored with her 44-point performance against Georgia Tech in which she set a program record for made free throws in a game going 20-for-21 from the line.

Against Notre Dame, Mangakahia posted 26 points, a career-best nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals, becoming the first player to paced the Orange in all four categories in a game since Tracy Harbut did so on Jan. 3, 2006 against Louisville.

Mangakahia posted 10+ assists in eight consecutive games to open the season, the only NCAA Division I basketball athlete to accomplish that feat this year. She tied Tine Freil of Pacific for the most consecutive double-figure assist games in NCAA Division I history as Freil posted eight straight games during the 1989-90 season.

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Syracuse holds one of the strongest home court advantages in the nation. Prior to its loss against Notre Dame on Feb. 19, the team had won 18 consecutive home games, setting a new program record. Syracuse won 16 straight home contests from March 1, 2010 – Jan. 8, 2011.

Since the 2010-11 season, Syracuse has played all of its home contests inside the friendly confines of the Carrier Dome. The Orange own a 155-52 (.748) overall record in the Loud House. This season Syracuse is 8-0 at home.

UP NEXT
The Orange hits the road to face NC State on Sunday, Jan. 14, at Reynolds Coliseum. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. 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.