No. 18/16 Syracuse Holds Off Virginia

Thursday, January 31

Syracuse, N.Y.

7 PM

Syracuse University

17-4, 6-2ACC

Virginia

8-13, 2-6ACC

Virginia

Syracuse

1/31/2019 9:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Photo Gallery

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Junior guard Tiana Mangakahia's fourth double-double of the season, punctuated by her game-winning free-throw makes in crunch time, helped the No. 18/16th-ranked Syracuse women's basketball team hold off Virginia (8-13, 2-6 ACC), 72-68, Thursday night inside the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse improved to 17-4 overall and 6-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play with the win.

The Orange's star point guard, who scored 16 points and dished out 14 assists, connected on two free throws with a minute left to play in the fourth quarter to put her team ahead for good. The effort is the 19th double-double of her career, as well as her 21st career game with 10+ assists.

"This was a game where we had to battle," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "Tiana was amazing down the stretch. We just made some plays down the stretch and got some stops. I'm really happy we got the win, and at 6-2 we're right in the mix of things. We want to stay that way and continue to play hard and win."

It took a full 40 minutes for Syracuse to pull away from the Cavaliers. While the Orange led for all but two minutes of the contest, Virginia was always within striking distance.

Forward Digna Strautmane powered the offense in the first quarter, scoring a team-high seven points to help Syracuse hold a 22-19 advantage at the end of the first quarter. That lead, however, disappeared shortly after.

Virginia opened the second quarter on a 9-6 run and took a 28-25 lead four minutes in. The Cavaliers would not extend an advantage larger than three, but they hung around for the rest of the night.

The Orange hit their stride over the final six minutes of the second quarter, closing out the half on a 10-2 run. Mangakahia facilitated the surge with her seven first-half assists, as the Orange entered the break with a 35-30 lead.

Syracuse's lead grew to as much as eight points midway through the third quarter, but, ultimately, it wouldn't matter. Virginia's Jocelyn Willoughby's layup tied the game at 68 apiece with 1:28 left to play in regulation.

With their backs against the wall, the Orange put the ball in Mangakahia's hands, and she delivered the final dagger. She drove into the paint and drew a shooting foul before connecting on the game-winning free throws that put Syracuse ahead, 70-68, with 1:10 to go.

Willoughby's game-tying bucket was the last time Virginia would score, as the Orange shut out the Cavaliers over the final 1:28 and earned the 72-68 victory.

Strautmane was Syracuse's next leading scorer with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She and forward Miranda Drummond, who drilled three three-pointers, both pulled down a team-high six rebounds.

The Orange next hit the road to face No. 3 Louisville in Kentucky on Thursday, Feb 7 at 7 p.m. This will be the final road game for Syracuse before a five-game homestand, beginning on Feb. 10 against Boston College. Tickets to all games inside the Carrier Dome are available for purchase at Cuse.com/tickets.

Fans can stay up to date on Syracuse Women's Basketball by following @CuseWBB on Twitter and Instagram.