Mangakahia, Djaldi-Tabdi Push No. 14 Orange Past 25th-Ranked Virginia Tech in OT

Sunday, January 6

Blacksburg, VA

2 PM

Syracuse University

13-2

Virginia Tech

13-2

OT 1

Syracuse

Virginia Tech

Mangakahia, Djaldi-Tabdi Push No. 14 Orange Past 25th-Ranked Virginia Tech in OT

1/6/2019 4:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Down to the wire against the Hokies, the Orange escaped Cassell Coliseum with an overtime victory on Sunday afternoon.

No. 14 Syracuse survived a spirited comeback effort by RV/No. 25 Virginia Tech and won 75-73 in overtime to earn a seventh straight win, improving to 2-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play and 13-2 overall. Guard Tiana Mangakahia and forward Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi combined for 45 of the Orange's 75 points, pacing Syracuse offense's throughout the game and providing the final daggers down the stretch.

"Good teams find a way to win games, and we have a good team," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "We played tough. On the road in this conference, it's not easy to win, but we did a good job and got it done."

Mangakahia finished with a season-high 27 points to lead the Orange. She carried Syracuse in crunch time, scoring four of Syracuse's eight points in overtime. She also dished out nine assists and pulled down six rebounds.

Djaldi-Tabdi notched 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and tallied seven boards, as Virginia Tech struggled to contain her in the paint. Forward Digna Strautmane added 10 points, along with a team-high 10 rebounds, to record her first double-double of the season.

The Orange were hot from the opening tip, jumping out to a 24-12 first-quarter lead behind strong field-goal shooting. Syracuse was 8-of-18 from the floor in the first quarter, knocking down three three-pointers in the process.

In the second quarter, Virginia Tech settled into a rhythm offensively and defensively as the game began to even out. The Hokies suffocated the Orange in the second, limiting Syracuse to only eight points on three made baskets. The Orange were 0-of-7 from behind the arc en route to shooting 19 percent from the floor in the period.

Despite those struggles, Syracuse never trailed and entered the half with a 32-29 lead. The Hokies closed their three-point halftime deficit in the third quarter though, tying the game at 49 to start the final period of regulation.

The Orange held a five-point advantage with 25 seconds left to play in the fourth before Virginia Tech's Taylor Emery, who scored 27 points in the game, forced overtime with her game-tying layup with seven seconds to go.

Emery came out firing to open the overtime period, hitting a deep three-pointer to give Virginia Tech its largest lead of the game, 70-67.

Then, Syracuse took over. The Orange closed the game on an 8-3 run, fueled by Mangakahia's four points, which included the game-winning three-pointer with 1:37 left to play in overtime.

Syracuse next returns home for an ACC showdown against North Carolina. The game tips off at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13 inside the Carrier Dome. Tickets are available online. Fans can watch live on ACCN Extra.