WHITE PLAINS — Tiana Mangakahia crashed to the floor, causing the SU bench to erupt. Her physical layup on the right side of the basket had just given Syracuse a nine-point lead, and an ensuing free throw made it 10. It was part of a 13-0 run to begin the second half for the Orange, started by a Mangakahia 3 and ended with a Mangakahia putback.

She finished with a game high of 26 points, 11 more than the second most on SU. After getting outplayed by Texas A&M’s star point guard Chennedy Carter in the first half, Mangakahia flipped the script. A 15-9 advantage in points for Carter after 20 minutes was overshadowed by a 17-3 response by Mangakahia in the second half, and as Carter’s success offensively evaporated so did the Aggies’ hopes of a victory.

Led by their point guard, No. 18 Syracuse (2-1) outscored Texas A&M 41-30 in the second half en route to a 75-65 win over the No. 20 Aggies (2-1) on Wednesday at the Westchester Community Center.

“I think Tiana’s getting tired of hearing about all the point guards she’s playing against,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “Because she’s pretty good herself.”

Mangakahia kicked off the scoring in the second quarter with a deep ball but was promptly answered by Carter. The junior controlled the ball in the left corner in front of the Gabrielle Cooper before pump faking and draining a 3.

The period culminated with a final Mangakahia to Carter sequence, sparked by a poor pass by Mangakahia straight into her counterpart’s hands. As Carter pushed the Aggies upcourt, Mangakahia plucked the ball away and turned possession around. She found Kadiatou Sissoko, whose layup put the Orange ahead by one before the Aggies responded with one of their own before halftime.

But Syracuse’s lead guard came out firing in the second half. A 3-pointer by Mangakahia pushed Syracuse back ahead for good, kicking off the 13-0 run to begin the half that included the tough and-1 by the Australian to put the Orange up 10.

“I thought she accepted the challenge,” Hillsman said. “She really took it personal at halftime and was the point guard that we needed her to be.”

Texas A&M ultimately ended the run, but the Aggies couldn’t end Syracuse’s momentum. SU continued its hot streak, outscoring A&M 26-12 in the third quarter to enter the fourth quarter up 60-47. Mangakahia poured in 10 points during the run.

After scoring a game-leading 15 points in the first half, Carter disappeared in the second. Aside from a free throw, she was held scoreless in the third quarter. After beginning the fourth on the bench, Carter stayed there until there were just under seven minutes left in the game and the Orange lead had been pushed to 16.

“We had spoken about (Carter) before the game,” Mangakahia said. “(At halftime) we adjusted to her and came out a little bit more aggressive.”

Mangakahia sustained her dominance into the final period, proving too much for Carter and Texas A&M to handle. After two Miranda Drummond free throws put the Orange up 15, Mangakahia banged her third triple to push SU’s lead to 18, its largest of the night.

But just as Syracuse looked to be in control of the game, the Aggies breathed life. They began to press the Orange and SU got flustered, turning the ball over 10 times in the fourth quarter alone. Texas A&M scored nine-straight points to bring the Aggies within seven.

After the teams traded turnovers, the Aggies were fouled and hit a free throw, cutting the SU lead to 71-65 with 1:27 to go, when Hillsman called a timeout.

“Those last two and a half, three minutes of the game,” Hillsman said, “that was on me.”

On the inbound after the timeout, Drummond went deep. Mangakahia found her near the opposite 3-point line, getting the Orange out of their defensive half in which they’d been trapped in.

The pass gave Syracuse room to breathe after a sequence in which its fans couldn’t. It allowed the Orange to open up the floor and keep the ball away from the Aggies, who didn’t force another turnover the rest of the game. Mangakahia hit two free throws with 39 seconds to go, fouling out Carter in the process.

Carter slumped toward the bench and argued with her coach in frustration. Mangakahia remained on the court.

“I love playing against great players,” Mangakahia said. “I loved that competitive nature with her.”

One sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter saw Mangakahia commit a blocking foul against Carter, only for her to draw a charge on the Aggies’ point guard a possession later.

Mangakahia bounced up and clapped in Carter’s direction after the charge. That was Carter’s fourth foul. Her fifth allowed Mangakahia to ice the game. After the charge, Carter slumped her head. After the following foul, she vehemently vented on the bench.

When asked if she noticed Carter’s frustration throughout the game and if it fueled her, Mangakahia smiled and paused, contemplating her response: “Yes.”

Published on November 14, 2018 at 9:04 pm

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