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Syracuse entered Thursday night’s game undefeated in the Carrier Dome this season — 6-0, plus a win in Carmelo K. Anthony Center over Division II Lincoln after the game was moved. 

Against Wake Forest, that didn’t change for the Orange.

In SU’s third game in six days — and after only one day of rest following Syracuse’s loss to Georgia Tech — the Orange did enough to beat the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest hung around, but Syracuse’s offense fired frequently from deep, and connected in the paint, making enough shots to hold the Demon Deacons within arms length.

Here are three takeaways from Syracuse’s (10-4, 7-4 Atlantic Coast) 85-78 win over Wake Forest (8-8, 5-7). 

Syracuse prevents another slow start

SU has trailed by double digits at the end of the first quarter in three of its last four games, — by 16 against Georgia Tech, by 13 against Notre Dame and by 19 against Clemson. Thursday evening, Syracuse trailed only 19-18 after 10 minutes and led by one by the end of the first half.

Slow starts have plagued the Orange, digging them huge deficits that can be taxing to come back from, Tiana Mangakahia said last week. Against Wake Forest, Syracuse did enough to prevent that. 

The Orange had five first-quarter blocks, including one in which Kamilla Cardoso swatted the ball down as Ivana Raca jumped for an underhand layup from the left side of the bucket. Cardoso missed both free throws during her first trip to the line but redeemed herself minutes later by sinking both to tie the game at 14 apiece.

One-on-one against Gina Conti, who finished with 25 points, Mangakahia recovered from a first-quarter turnover by snatching the ball from Conti’s hands in the paint. Mangakahia laid out and grabbed the loose ball.

Syracuse’s offense — and defense — certainly wasn’t at its best during the first quarter. At times, Conti and Wake Forest dissected SU’s full-court press with ease, and the Orange shot 7-of-18 from the field in the first 10 minutes. But, especially compared to recent first quarters, the Orange did enough on both ends of the court to keep pace with the Demon Deacons.

Syracuse never trailed by more than five points and even sunk a buzzer-beater deep-shot through Mangakahia at the end of the half.

Strautmane with a season-best game

Just two days after Strautmane scored her 1000th career point against Georgia Tech, the senior forward had a season-high 17 points, in addition to four blocks and eight rebounds. At the end of the second quarter, she heated up, pulling up at the elbow and sinking a two-pointer. On the next play, she pulled up at the free-throw line and sank another.

Digna Strautmane was two rebounds away from a double-double against Wake Forest. Courtesy of Mark Konezny | USA Today Sports

When she heated up, Syracuse’s offense began to click. Strautmane’s hustle kept Syracuse close in the first half, when they eventually took a one-point lead at halftime.

In the final five minutes, Strautmane charged out against Raca, who was facing her own bucket. Strautmane reached around and poked the ball loose. Kiara Lewis pounced on the loose ball, and Cardoso got fouled as Syracuse went up by 12. In the third quarter, she got into a shooting battle with Raca, draining a 3-pointer to respond to Wake Forest’s.

Strautmane finished 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-6 from beyond the arc in a strong showing for the senior.

Syracuse needs to improve at the line

Against Georgia Tech, head coach Quentin Hillsman said “it’s tough to win that game” when SU conceded 21 free throws and had only four of its own. The Orange didn’t make a shot from the stripe and notched 46 points in the paint, a ratio that Hillsman said SU needed to improve. 

“We should have a few more opportunities, more than four, at the free-throw line,” Hillsman said postgame. 

Against Wake Forest, Syracuse had 25 opportunities at the free-throw line — an improvement, but not enough. The Orange are the worst team in the ACC at shooting free throws, and they finished 14-of-25 on Thursday. Mangakahia even screamed as she missed a free throw in the final minute of the game.

Syracuse fired 22 shots from deep and converted 40 points in the paint, but the Orange didn’t draw quite as many fouls as they’re capable of. With 6-foot-7 Cardoso in the paint, and Mangakahia, Priscilla Williams, Lewis and Emily Engstler all showing an ability to drive inside and draw contact, Wake Forest struggled to defend them all.

In the second quarter, Cardoso held the ball above her head at the top of the arc. With multiple feet of separation and the opportunity to drive inside and draw a foul, Cardoso instead tossed backward to Lewis — a missed opportunity for points in the paint or at the line. 

Syracuse was inconsistent and shaky late from the line, shooting 11-of-19 in the fourth quarter. Lewis missed both attempts in the final 30 seconds, and so did Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi. The Orange were in control for the vast majority of the second half, fueled by a third-quarter run, but they left the door open for longer than necessary with missed free throws.

Published on February 4, 2021 at 8:11 pm

Contact Roshan: rferna04@syr.edu | @Roshan_f16