In front of a season-high 7,568 fans in the Carrier Dome on Monday night, No. 17 Syracuse (20-7, 9-5 Atlantic Coast) fell to No. 4 Notre Dame (26-3, 13-2), 98-68. With a chance to defeat a ranked opponent on their home floor for the first time this season, the Orange fell flat and lost by their largest margin all year.

Here are three immediate reactions from the game.

Where’s Tiana?

Notre Dame broke the game open in the second quarter, when it outscored the Orange 22-8. That included a 16-0 run in which many of the points came with Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse’s point guard and best player, on the bench. Backup point guard Kiara Lewis ended up taking eight shots in the first half to Mangakahia’s one and played six more minutes than her. It took until the 2:48 mark in the third quarter for Mangakahia to score her first points of the game, but by that time, Syracuse trailed by 28. Mangakahia scored 17 points in the second half, but in what could be her last game in the Carrier Dome ever, she failed to make an impact until the game was out of hand.

Pains in the paint

With the additions of players like Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi and Emily Engstler in addition to sophomores Digna Strautmane and Amaya Finklea-Guity, Syracuse has had a strong inside presence all season. Against Notre Dame, they were silent. Instead, the Irish’s Brianna Turner (6-foot-3) and Jessica Shepard (6-foot-4) controlled the post. Turner’s 22 points and Shepard’s 17 bolstered UND’s efforts inside, which ultimately resulted in a 60-40 points in the paint advantage.

Not-so free throws

Syracuse came into the game fifth in the ACC in free throw percentage, shooting 74.7 percent on the season. That percentage dipped below 50 versus the Irish and quelled any real chances of fighting into the game. The Orange shot 6-for-15 from the line, including a 2-for-7 third quarter in which they made their strongest comeback bid of the game. Notre Dame, on the other hand, made 15 of its 18 free throws. Syracuse cut the Irish’s lead to 20 in the third, the lowest it would be in the second half, but never seriously threatened thanks to missed opportunities at the foul line.

Published on February 25, 2019 at 7:45 pm

Contact Eric: erblack@syr.edu | @esblack34