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Down six to open the fourth quarter, Tiana Mangakahia was the answer for Syracuse. When she inbounded from the baseline to Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi, Mangakahia scampered to the edge of the arc as Djaldi-Tabdi turned and smoothly flipped the ball back to her. The Australian drained the 3, her second straight, and Syracuse retook a one-point lead.

“I just saw no one was in front of me, and I heard Coach Q on the side. He was like ‘Knock it down,’” Mangakahia said. “I just shot it.”

Moments earlier, Mangakahia had driven inside and picked out Kiara Lewis for a layup and Djaldi-Tabdi for another. Her back-to-back assists and 3-pointers fueled an early 10-2 run to begin the fourth quarter. 

And moments later, Mangakahia cut inside, drawing multiple UNC defenders’ attention. She picked out Kamilla Cardoso for a layup on one possession and kicked out to Lewis on the next for a 3 that put Syracuse in definitive control of a back-and-forth game that featured 12 lead changes.

“Ended the game on a 30-9 run, and that’s all about guts, heart and just playing hard,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “And they were exhausted … (but) that’s what we got to do. We got to step up and play.”

On Tuesday afternoon, No. 23 Syracuse (7-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast) played a well-rounded offensive game — minus the third quarter lull — securing a 88-76 win over UNC (7-5, 2-5 ACC). The Orange continued the momentum they started with Sunday’s 35-point victory over Miami, their first game after a three-week hiatus due to COVID-19. They continued the “unselfish” play that Priscilla Williams said fueled their win over the Hurricanes. 

Mangakahia contributed to 24 of the Orange’s 27 fourth quarter points, finishing with 13 assists and her second straight double-double. Both Cardoso and Emily Engstler had double-doubles as well, marking the first time three Orange players recorded a double-double in the same game since 2011. The Orange notched 46 points in the paint and 19 offensive rebounds, too. 

Tiana Mangakahia contributed to 24 of the Orange’s 27 fourth quarter points against North Carolina.Courtesy of Mark Konezny | USA TODAY Sports

The Orange’s defense was spotty, particularly in the third quarter, and they were especially vulnerable on the fast break. But SU’s offense shot 67% from the field in the fourth quarter and secured its third consecutive victory.

It took Cardoso nearly the whole first quarter to score her first bucket, but the freshman delivered in the game’s final 10 minutes. She received passes inside, secured crucial defensive rebounds that prevented Tar Heels’ second-chance points and had two blocks in the closing two minutes. 

“That game could have been a lot tighter if she didn’t get in there and get a hand on some of those balls,” Hillsman said of Cardoso. “She’s definitely a force in the paint, and her ability to close down on penetration is really good.”

The last time the two teams faced off, on Dec. 17, one of UNC’s keys was containing Cardoso, Tar Heels head coach Courtney Banghart said postgame. North Carolina wanted to “stay underneath her and root her out,” which Banghart said they successfully did — Cardoso finished 4-of-12 from the field for 11 points. 

Limiting Cardoso and SU’s success in the paint during the first matchup was crucial for an unranked UNC team. It meant the then-No. 18 Orange were forced to fire shot after shot from beyond the arc, and on that day, those shots weren’t falling. Syracuse sank only 25% of shots from 3, and got blown out in a 24-point defeat that remains SU’s only loss this season.

“We couldn’t let that be the same thing here,” Hillsman said of SU’s rematch with UNC. “So, our kids came out with a sense of urgency.”

Syracuse’s offense was far more dynamic Tuesday. Unlike during the first meeting, the Orange didn’t force unwarranted 3s, instead using their size inside to convert opportunities in the paint. 

Mangakahia paced Syracuse’s offense early on — and in the clutch. She drove inside and found the kick-out pass, which set up a wide-open 3 for Lewis for the game’s first points. Minutes later, she pulled up at the elbow for an easy two and  connected with Lewis and Engstler for back-to-back assists. The latter came when Mangakahia unleashed a no-look pass that found a wide-open Engstler for the backdoor layup. The fifth-year player notched her 400th career field goal in the first quarter, too.

In the third quarter, though, Syracuse struggled to secure offensive rebounds after winning the battle 13-1 in the second quarter. In the final two minutes of the third quarter, Cardoso raised her hands high in the air and corralled the pass in the paint. She turned, missed her layup and lost the rebound to Janelle Bailey.

In a flash, Bailey found the outlet pass, and one more deep look from Kennedy Todd-Williams — that beat the entire Syracuse defense — set up an easy layup for the Tar Heels. For 30 minutes, the Tar Heels punished Syracuse on the break. They capitalized on Syracuse’s 17 turnovers with speed, outrunning the Orange’s defenders to the bucket. But in the final frame, Syracuse shifted to sets with more high-ball screens on offense to help defend against UNC’s 29 fast break points, Hillsman said. 

“We had our guards a little bit higher so they had less space to cover to get back and stop the transition points,” Hillsman said.

In Syracuse’s first game against UNC, the Orange came out flat and trailed by double-digits for three full quarters in an embarrassing upset. For much of the third quarter on Tuesday, it looked like Syracuse may collapse once again. But SU’s ability to “(share) the ball,” something Mangakahia said Hillsman emphasizes before every game, ultimately ignited a balanced, well-rounded fourth quarter comeback. 

“We just found the gut in us to just push through. We knew we had one more quarter, and we knew we couldn’t give this game away,” Lewis said. “They pretty much disrespected us at their home floor, and we couldn’t let that happen again.”

Published on January 19, 2021 at 2:37 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16