No. 15 Syracuse (11-2) defeated UCF (10-2), 57-52, in a low-scoring battle in SU’s second game of the St. Pete Shootout. Tiana Mangakahia scored 13 of her 15 points in the final quarter of the game to spark the Orange to a win over the defense-heavy Knights.

“She’s a really good player and she has the skill set to do that stuff,” SU head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “And that’s what she does.”

Mangakahia has been in this position before. Hillsman noted it’s a regular occurrence that Mangakahia takes over in the final quarter of games. Against DePaul earlier in the season, Mangakahia’s late scoop layup vaulted the Orange over the Blue Demons as the buzzer sounded on the game.

For two seasons, Mangakahia has been a ball-dominant force for SU. Her assist numbers have hovered around the country’s elites and her scoring has often lifted Syracuse out of an abyss.

Before Mangakahia took control of the game, Syracuse produced its worst offensive performance of the year. In Syracuse’s final game before the start of conference play, SU missed 11 of its first 15 shots and UCF established control of the early lead. The Orange’s 35.3 percent shooting from the field and 57 points were both season lows for the normally explosive and fast-paced Syracuse.

The struggles began in the first half. Four SU players picked up two early fouls, including Mangakahia, who didn’t record her first point until midway through the second quarter on a jumper. Emily Engstler picked up her third with 41 seconds remaining in the first half. Hillsman said the foul trouble complicated things. Syracuse took away the Knights’ big scorers, Hillsman said, but then UCF punched the ball in down low. All the while, Hillsman urged his post players not to foul.

Throughout the game, the Orange, who average 82.1 points per game (19th in the NCAA) succumbed to the Knights’ style of play, who’s 55.1 points allowed ranks 30th in the country.

“We got solid looks. I thought we got some really good looks in the paint,” Hillsman said. “We just got to make shots.”

Despite shooting just over 31 percent from beyond the arc in the first half, SU kept firing. Miranda Drummond drained a 3-pointer after missing her first five from beyond the arc. And an Isis Young triple sent them to the locker room with a two-point lead, outscoring the Knights by eight points in the second quarter.

But the Orange continued their poor shooting into the second half. The Knights earned its first basket on a quick 3-pointer. Then the Orange missed four-straight 3-pointers as UCF converted on two more shots to take a firm lead in the game. SU didn’t score until the midway mark of the third quarter as UCF opened on a 7-0 run. A Kiara Lewis jumper brought Syracuse back within three points as the buzzer sounded at the end of the third quarter, but Syracuse still lacked a spark.

Toward the end of the game, Hillsman said he told Mangakahia to look for her shots more.

Mangakahia didn’t score her third and fourth points until she was awarded a trip to the line with 8:13 remaining in the fourth quarter of the game. But then she found a rhythm. Mangakahia scored all but two of her 15 points in the final frame as she earned nine trips to the free throw line and sunk every one. Hillsman said Mangakahia didn’t try to exploit the aggressiveness of the Knights, but rather all of Mangakahia’s production came from the “flow of the game.”

She knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 48 and converted an and-1 opportunity to push Syracuse ahead for the first time all quarter.

“She had to really shoot the ball for us to win the game,” Hillsman said.

Syracuse, which normally wins games with its offense, was thrust into a defensive battle with the Knights. In the final quarter, Mangakahia racked up two steals, including a swipe on the inbound with a second remaining on the game clock. Mangakahia was fouled and drained both of her free throws at the line, which sealed the win.

Syracuse returns to action in 2019, with a Jan. 3 matchup with Clemson to begin conference play.

Published on December 22, 2018 at 10:36 pm

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