Syracuse Athletics Mourns the Passing of Basketball Star Tiana Mangakahia
9/12/2025 8:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Tiana Mangakahia, a beloved Syracuse basketball standout known for her infectious personality and inspiring many through her courageous cancer battle, passed away on Sept. 11, 2025, at the age of 30. She was surrounded by family and friends in her hometown of Brisbane, Australia.
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"Syracuse Athletics mourns the passing of Tiana Mangakahia," Director of Athletics John Wildhack said. "Tiana defined courage, inspiration, and passion. An All-American on the basketball court she was an even better person off the court. She was kind, considerate, caring, and always uplifting even during the most challenging of times.
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"We extend our thoughts and prayers to Tiana's family and friends. She will always be Forever Orange."
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"The ultimate fighter!" Syracuse Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "We talk about 'We Fight On' with our women's basketball team. Tiana embraced it, she lived it and inspired others through her fight. We are fortunate to have had Tiana as one of our own. Her legacy will live forever at Syracuse. May she rest in peace."
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Mangakahia was a star guard for the Orange from 2017-21, earning All-America and All-ACC honors. In November 2019 she underwent surgery while battling stage 2 grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer), causing her to miss the 2019-20 season. She courageously returned to the court a year later in Nov. 2020, inspiring many. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in communications and rhetorical studies from Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts before extending her studies into the Sport Venue and Event Management graduate program at Syracuse's David B. Falk College of Sport.
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A two-time WBCA Division I Coaches All-America Honorable Mention selection, Mangakahia etched her name in the Syracuse record books during her three seasons with the Orange. She graduated as the program leader in career assists (736), assists per game (8.7) and free throw percentage (.873). She earned All-ACC honors in all three seasons, twice garnering first team recognition.
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Mangakahia was the 2018-19 Syracuse Female Athlete of the Year. She helped guide SU to three NCAA Tournaments including a top-16 seed and the right to host the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at the JMA Wireless Dome.
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She holds single-game Syracuse records in assists (17 vs. Vanderbilt), free throws made (20) and free throws attempted (21), both of which were against Georgia Tech in a game which Mangakahia scored 44 points on Jan. 4, 2018. Her 44 points in a game represents the second-most in program history. She tied her career mark of 44 the following season when she helped SU upset a ranked Florida State team on the road, on Feb. 28, 2019.
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Mangakahia recorded just the fourth triple-double in program history when she poured in 34 points against North Carolina, adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Jan. 13, 2019. She set a program-record for assists in an ACC Tournament game with 13 against Miami on March 8, 2019, and was twice named to the All-ACC Tournament Team.
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In 2021, Mangakahia was honored by the ACC with the Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award. She was also a recipient of the Syracuse 8 Courage Award while at Syracuse.
After completing her collegiate career, Mangakahia went undrafted and ultimately signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. She went on to play professionally in Russia, France and her native Australia.
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In 2019, she was named to the Australian Senior National Team (Opals) preliminary roster for the 2020 Olympics but was forced to bow out after her initial cancer diagnosis. In 2021, she made her Opals debut at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup where she helped Australia bring home a bronze medal.
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Mangakahia retired from basketball in 2023 when her cancer unfortunately returned. After living with the disease for nearly two years, she returned to basketball in 2025 when she signed with her hometown club the Southern District Spartans in Australia's NBL1 finishing the season with 12.1 points and 3.6 assists per game.
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"Syracuse Athletics mourns the passing of Tiana Mangakahia," Director of Athletics John Wildhack said. "Tiana defined courage, inspiration, and passion. An All-American on the basketball court she was an even better person off the court. She was kind, considerate, caring, and always uplifting even during the most challenging of times.
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"We extend our thoughts and prayers to Tiana's family and friends. She will always be Forever Orange."
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"The ultimate fighter!" Syracuse Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack said. "We talk about 'We Fight On' with our women's basketball team. Tiana embraced it, she lived it and inspired others through her fight. We are fortunate to have had Tiana as one of our own. Her legacy will live forever at Syracuse. May she rest in peace."
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Mangakahia was a star guard for the Orange from 2017-21, earning All-America and All-ACC honors. In November 2019 she underwent surgery while battling stage 2 grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma (breast cancer), causing her to miss the 2019-20 season. She courageously returned to the court a year later in Nov. 2020, inspiring many. She graduated in 2019 with a degree in communications and rhetorical studies from Syracuse's College of Visual and Performing Arts before extending her studies into the Sport Venue and Event Management graduate program at Syracuse's David B. Falk College of Sport.
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A two-time WBCA Division I Coaches All-America Honorable Mention selection, Mangakahia etched her name in the Syracuse record books during her three seasons with the Orange. She graduated as the program leader in career assists (736), assists per game (8.7) and free throw percentage (.873). She earned All-ACC honors in all three seasons, twice garnering first team recognition.
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Mangakahia was the 2018-19 Syracuse Female Athlete of the Year. She helped guide SU to three NCAA Tournaments including a top-16 seed and the right to host the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Tournament at the JMA Wireless Dome.
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She holds single-game Syracuse records in assists (17 vs. Vanderbilt), free throws made (20) and free throws attempted (21), both of which were against Georgia Tech in a game which Mangakahia scored 44 points on Jan. 4, 2018. Her 44 points in a game represents the second-most in program history. She tied her career mark of 44 the following season when she helped SU upset a ranked Florida State team on the road, on Feb. 28, 2019.
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Mangakahia recorded just the fourth triple-double in program history when she poured in 34 points against North Carolina, adding 10 rebounds and 10 assists on Jan. 13, 2019. She set a program-record for assists in an ACC Tournament game with 13 against Miami on March 8, 2019, and was twice named to the All-ACC Tournament Team.
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In 2021, Mangakahia was honored by the ACC with the Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award. She was also a recipient of the Syracuse 8 Courage Award while at Syracuse.
After completing her collegiate career, Mangakahia went undrafted and ultimately signed a training camp contract with the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. She went on to play professionally in Russia, France and her native Australia.
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In 2019, she was named to the Australian Senior National Team (Opals) preliminary roster for the 2020 Olympics but was forced to bow out after her initial cancer diagnosis. In 2021, she made her Opals debut at the FIBA Women's Asia Cup where she helped Australia bring home a bronze medal.
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Mangakahia retired from basketball in 2023 when her cancer unfortunately returned. After living with the disease for nearly two years, she returned to basketball in 2025 when she signed with her hometown club the Southern District Spartans in Australia's NBL1 finishing the season with 12.1 points and 3.6 assists per game.
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