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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Syracuse came into the contest against Boston College after SU’s first loss of the season, a 24-point drubbing in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Orange also had to overcome the loss of starting point guard Tiana Mangakahia, who sustained a foot injury against Miami on Dec. 10. 

Sunday, though, the No. 18 Orange (5-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) outmatched the Eagles (4-3, 0-3) in SU’s 83-70 win. Here are three takeaways from SU’s win in Conte Forum:

Inside the arc

Syracuse took 148 3-pointers in its first five games this season, the third-most in the conference. The Orange only converted 25.7% of them, a mark that had SU 14th out of 15 ACC teams in that category heading into Sunday. And in all five games, the Orange had an obvious size advantage in centers Kamilla Cardoso (6-foot-7) and Amaya Finklea-Guity (6-foot-4). 

Against the Eagles, whose tallest player was 6-foot-3, the Orange did the majority of their work inside the paint. In the early going, that meant a bevy of Cardoso layups. She scored SU’s first seven points under the rim or at the stripe following a shooting foul within two feet of the basket. Cardoso finished with a career-high 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting. 

The Orange only took eight 3-pointers the first half, compared to their 24 first-half attempts against UNC. Guard Kiara Lewis was content to drive the lane, and when the Eagles began to overplay Cardoso, she had a free lane to the basket for her own chance at two points. It worked in SU’s favor, too. Lewis finished with a 20-point game of her own to go along with a season-high eight assists. 

While the Orange still converted under 30% of those looks, the lack of 3-pointers taken prevented another poor shooting performance from downing the Orange. 

No Tiana, no problem… sort of 

For the greater part of the first half, the loss of Mangakahia didn’t hinder Syracuse. Freshman Kiara Fisher made her first career start in the fifth year’s place, but Lewis handled much of the on-ball duties. 

Lewis reverted back to her role from a season ago, and she was able to frequently get in the lane to set up dishes to open bigs or uncontested layups. 

The Orange missed Mangakahia most in the final five minutes of the first half. After widening its lead to a game-high 19 points, the Orange turned the ball over five times in the waning minutes of the first half. The Eagles exploited the youth of Fisher and Taleah Washington, once bodying Fisher off the ball en route to a transition finish. Fisher finished with three turnovers and three points.  

In the second half, Syracuse seemed to take back control. Lewis slowed the tempo following BC scores and gave SU time to survey the floor before attacking. On one possession, Lewis dropped her defender on the floor with a behind-the-back crossover and dished to freshman Priscilla Williams for an open 3-pointer. Another time, she came off Cardoso’s screen and faked inside before kicking to Emily Engstler, who found Cardoso for an open layup. 

The Eagles ultimately forced 23 turnovers, but with the program’s assist leader in Mangakahia averaging 5.2 turnovers per game so far this season, it’s unclear whether her presence would’ve changed that. 

Emily Engstler had seven points and 11 rebounds in Syracuse’s win over Boston College. Courtesy of the ACC

Engstler’s role needs to increase

The junior started every game for the Orange last season, albeit one without Mangakahia and the additions of two ESPN 100 top-10 freshman in Cardoso and Williams. But in SU’s third ACC game, Engstler came off the bench for the fourth time this season.

When she was in, her efficiency was the second-highest on the team. She played 32 minutes, bringing down a team-high 11 rebounds, including 10 on the defensive end.

The inability of Cardoso, Finklea-Guity and SU’s guards to box out on defensive possessions gave the Eagles numerous second chances for layups or chances to go to the stripe. Engstler put a stop to that by capping an Eagles run that could’ve extended far beyond 12-2 at the end of the half. 

While her 6-foot-1 frame didn’t provide the size advantage of SU’s centers, her versatility on offense stretched the Eagles defense. She converted her only 3-point attempt while getting into the lane for two finishes off pick-and-rolls.

Even from the sideline, her energy was contagious. When the Orange opened the half on a 6-0 run, she was the first on the bench to rise from her socially distanced seat and clap. Head coach Quentin Hillsman rewarded her with a substitution two minutes into the second half, and on the ensuing possession, she looked off a defender before finding Williams wide-open for an easy layup on a backdoor cut.

Published on December 20, 2020 at 4:20 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu