Syracuse Upset Number 11 Florida State

Story by Peter Benson

SYRACUSE, NY - Syracuse women’s basketball upset number 11 ranked Florida State at the Carrier Dome on Sunday. 

The win sees the Orange at 2-2 in conference play while the Seminoles picked up their first ACC loss of the season. Syracuse continued their dominance at home, remaining undefeated in the Dome in the ACC this season.

“It’s a signature win,” Syracuse women's head coach Quentin Hillsman said.

Drummond’s Career Night

The victory was courtesy of junior forward Miranda Drummond’s career game. Drummond’s 38 points saw her as the only Orange player with double digits. Her performance was efficient too, shooting 14-20 from the field (70 percent) and 8-13 from beyond the arc (61.5%).

“Miranda was amazing today,” Hillsman said. “She took shots with confidence. She took some big ones.”

Her career night looked in doubt however. In the fourth quarter, Drummond pulled up at mid court with what looked like a rolled ankle. She limped off with a grimace on her face sitting on 29 points, equalling her career high. Some quick treatment and she was back on though, much to the pleasure of the crowd. 

Drummond then caught fire at the right time. Down the stretch she scored nine points, all three-pointers as the Orange closed the big upset out. 

“I knew this was a really important game,” Drummond said. “I had to knock down shots.” 

Down Under

The opposite could be said for star point guard Tiana Mangakahia. The sophomore struggled mightily, scoring her first points with 2:19 left in the third quarter. Her five points marks her worst total of the season which came as a surprise on the back of her career game against Georgia Tech where she had 44 points.

While she wasn’t scoring, Mangakahia still played a significant role in the game, providing 13 assists and recording four steals. The Australian was, in Drummond’s eyes, a big reason why she had a career night.

“She created a lot of the shots for me,” Drummond said. “I thought she did what she had to do.”

Mangakahia left the game in the fourth quarter with what Hillsman said was a scratch on the side of her left eye. The guard left the court in tears but her coach put it down to shock more than anything else. 

In back-to-back games, the Orange have relied on Mangakahia (against Georgia Tech) and Drummond (against Florida State). Hillsman isn’t too worried about the reliance on one player carrying the team.

“It works. We’re 2-0,” Hillsman said, laughing. “As long as we’re winning, I’m not trying to figure it out.”

Three-Point Disparity

One stat ended up defining the game: three-point shots made. A slow first half saw the Orange and Seminoles combine to go 8-31 from beyond the arc (26%). In the second half, Syracuse stepped it up, going 4-10 in the third quarter and 4-6 in the final quarter and Florida State couldn’t keep up.

“We try to keep the ball moving, keep the pace moving, keep the pressure up,” Hillsman said.

Down the stretch, it felt like everything was going in. Drummond was feeling it and knew the signature win was in reach.

“It’s a good feeling,” Drummond said. “ I usually know if it’s going in."

Syracuse are leading the ACC in three-point shots made and added 13 more this evening while Florida State only managed 7 on 25 attempts. That proved to be the difference in this game.

Not Perfect Though

One thing that Syracuse is still struggling with is rebounding. Florida State employed two bigs against the Orange and bullied center Amaya Finklea-Guity inside, out rebounding Syracuse 49-37.

The one thing that could have derailed the Orange was allowing 24 offensive rebounds which led to 23 second chance points for the Seminoles. On another day, Florida State would likely have ridden their domination on the glass to victory.

“It was one of me and two of them,” Finklea-Guity said. “Every time I felt like I got one, the other one would get the rebound.”

This display marked the sixth time in as many games that Syracuse have failed to out rebound a team. 

The Orange head on the road to face NC State next Sunday while Florida State go home to face interstate rivals Miami on Thursday.