Four Double-Digit Scorers Lead No. 18 Orange to Season-Opening Win over North Dakota

Tuesday, November 6

Syracuse, N.Y.

3 pm

Syracuse University

1-0

North Dakota

0-1

North Dakota

Syracuse

Four Double-Digit Scorers Lead No. 18 Orange to Season-Opening Win over North Dakota

11/6/2018 5:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – There were no first-game jitters for the Orange.

The No. 18 Syracuse women's basketball team (1-0), ignited by double-digit scoring efforts from four different shooters, cruised to an 85-49 season-opening win over North Dakota (0-1) Tuesday afternoon inside the Carrier Dome.

Redshirt sophomore guard Kiara Lewis and freshman guard Emily Engstler, making their Orange debuts, shared a team-high 13 points while redshirt senior Miranda Drummond and junior guard Tiana Mangakahia each finished with 11 points.

"I think going into this game, one of the things that we really wanted to do was to be able to spread our minutes out and play the way we said we needed to play to be successful," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "I thought that we did that today, and I thought we had a really good flow to our game."

North Dakota started the game hot, connecting on its first three jumpers to open an early 6-0 first-quarter lead. Mangakahia slowed the Fighting Hawks' roll with a three-pointer at 8:42, the Orange's first basket of the 2018-19 season.

North Dakota's six-point advantage proved to be the largest lead it would hold. Syracuse and North Dakota were tied 18-18 at the end of the first period, and the Orange took control in the second quarter.

The Orange increased the intensity out of the break, finding their shooting rhythm and ramping up the defensive pressure. Syracuse shot 42 percent from the field in the second quarter, fueled by Lewis' seven points, which included back-to back threes to extend Syracuse's lead to 11 with a little over a minute to play in the half.

Syracuse entered the half up 41-30 and never looked back, outscoring North Dakota 44-19 across the final two quarters. The Orange limited North Dakota to eight points in the third quarter, thanks to their suffocating defensive pressure. The Fighting Hawks committed nine turnovers in the period.

Mangakahia facilitated much of Syracuse's second-half run, causing turnovers, getting to the rim and spreading the basketball around the court.

"When [Coach Hillsman] lets me play free, I love it," Mangakahia said. "I love to attack the basket and find open players. That's what I love to do, and I appreciate him letting me play free and letting me play my game."

Engstler broke out after halftime, scoring 11 of her 13 points in the final two quarters. She hit two three-pointers and delivered an emphatic block in the third period, punctuating a 10-0 Syracuse run that extended its lead to 20.

The Orange later opened a 29-point lead in the third quarter before claiming the 36-point victory.

Drummond carded a team-high four assists while Mangakahia pulled now a team-leading seven rebounds. Freshman guard Kadiatou Sissoko also made her collegiate debut Tuesday, finishing with nine points, three rebounds and one assist.

With their first win of the season out of the way, the Orange now gear up for a battle between nationally-ranked heavyweights. The Orange play No. 3 Oregon Saturday, Nov. 10, in Eugene, Ore.

Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.

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