'Cuse 3-Point Attack Leads To 92-85 Win, Orange Advance to Semifinals

Friday, March 8

Greensboro, N.C.

11 AM

Syracuse University

Miami

'Cuse 3-Point Attack Leads To 92-85 Win, Orange Advance to Semifinals

3/8/2019 1:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Press Conference

GREENSBORO, N.C. – #18/16 Syracuse (24-7) set an ACC Tournament record with 14 3-pointers and defeated Miami (24-8), 92-85, in the quarterfinal round on Friday morning. Syracuse advances to face No. 1 seed Notre Dame on Saturday at noon on ESPNU.

"Guys, obviously you're here this time of year just to survive and advancing," head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "You've got to give Miami a lot of credit. They're a great basketball team. And it's one of those deals where you're in the best conference in the country, the best teams in the country and unfortunately one of us has to go home today because Katie does an amazing job and those kids are really tough and good players.

Our team, we just gotta get out. We knew we had to make shots. We knew -- the first game we played them at our place we just didn't make shots. And we know when we can make shots we can get into our pressure and force tempo. And that was the biggest thing we wanted to do. We just wanted to put the ball in the basket so we can play defenses that we could call, not playing against an unsettled floor the entire game."

Guard Tiana Mangakahia joined in on the record-setting effort with 13 assists, another ACC Tournament standard.

Five Orange shooters scored in double-digits, including Mangakahia, who led all Orange scorers with 25 points. Miranda Drummond (19 points), Gabrielle Cooper (15 points), Digna Strautmane (15 points) and Kiara Lewis (10 points) each tallied double-digit point totals for Syracuse. Cooper had five 3-pointers, Drummond four, Strautmane three and Lewis two.

SURVIVE AND ADVANCE!! 🍊🍊🍊🍊 pic.twitter.com/8X0ij1lEob
— 'Cuse Women's Hoops (@CuseWBB) March 8, 2019

The Hurricanes put together an early 5-0 run, which created a 7-2 advantage. A steal by Cooper led to a Mangakahia layup, cutting the Hurricanes lead to one, 9-8, with 5:32 to play in the quarter. Strautmane tied the game at 13-all with a three pointer at the four-minute mark of the quarter. An 8-0 Miami stretch propelled them to a 21-13 advantage at 1:20. Cooper made another 3-pointer with under a minute to play. Drummond was fouled behind the arc and sunk three free throws to close the gap to 21-19 to end the period.

Lewis sparked the Orange offense at the start of the second quarter with a jumper to tie the game at 21. Two Lewis 3-pointers followed, giving 'Cuse their first lead of the game, 27-25, with eight minutes left to play in the half. Three straight treys from Drummond, Strautmane, and Cooper widened the Orange advantage to 36-30 halfway through the second quarter. Strautmane's third 3-pointer of the game pushed Syracuse to an 11-point lead over Miami, 41-30, at 3:46. The Orange would maintain their double digit margin into halftime, and led at the intermission, 50-37.

Miami cut the Syracuse lead to nine early in the second half, but Cooper's fourth 3-pointer of the game brought the Orange back to a double-digit cushion, 55-43, at 8:35. With under two minutes to play in the quarter, the Hurricanes shaved the deficit to 66-60. The Hurricanes would continue to close in on the Orange advantage, ending the period down by five, 67-62.

Miami's 6-0 run to start the final 10 minutes of play gave the Hurricanes their first lead since the six-minute mark of the second quarter, 68-67. Two 3-pointers from Drummond gave the Orange a four-point advantage, 75-71, with 6:46 left to play. With under two minutes left in the contest, the Orange held an 82-76 lead. Cooper hit her fifth trey of the game to push the Orange to a nine-point lead, 76-85, with 53 seconds to play. 'Cuse remained in control the rest of the encounter.

Syracuse will face the #4 Notre Dame tomorrow in the ACC Tournament semifinals at noon. Fans can watch live on ESPNU.