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AUSTIN, TEXAS – Emily Engstler took a step behind the line on the left wing, checked her feet and let a 3-pointer fly. Without a moment’s hesitation, she sprinted the length of the floor to get in position for a potential rebound — the only thing that kept South Dakota State so close all game. 

The ball found Engstler on the right block, and she tipped it past a Jackrabbits player to Digna Strautmane. The possession culminated in another Engstler triple, and two Syracuse steals later, the Orange had pumped their lead back up to a game-high nine points. 

Coming out of the final TV timeout in 2019, South Dakota State came alive to defeat the Orange with a 16-2 run and win 75-64. But nearly two years later to the day, Syracuse (15-8, 9-7 Atlantic Coast) used a 16-3 run to beat the Jackrabbits, 72-55, and advance to the round of 32. Despite being outrebounded by eight and shooting just 37% from the field, the Orange improved to 10-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. 

“They played great,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “The effort was huge. They really willed our team to a win.” 

The similarities between Syracuse’s 2019 team and this year’s are uncanny. The mindset of being a “top” team, despite what its current record suggests. The team’s two leading scorers that day were current redshirt senior Kiara Lewis and Tiana Mangakahia. When the fifth-year guard saw SU’s upcoming opponent, one thing came to mind. 

“I was like ‘Yes.’ I was super motivated,” Mangakahia said after the Selection Show. “I feel like we should have won two years ago.”

Syracuse emerged from the opening tip with that energy, bolting out to an early 11-2 lead. Mangakahia and Lewis both drilled 3-pointers. Engstler and Kamilla Cardoso scored inside. But for the majority of the first, second and third quarters, the same things that plagued the Orange in March of 2019 — as well as much of this regular season — manifested again. 

South Dakota State clawed back by exhausting the Orange. Rotations became more and more sluggish as the first 10 minutes wore on, and after the first quarter of play Syracuse led just 21-17. The Jackrabbits, despite not having a single starter above 6-foot-1, remedied their poor shooting start with second- and third-chance possessions while stifling SU at the other end. 

Hillsman screamed, “Tiana, that’s not there,” as the guard heaved a half-court pass into three defenders when Cardoso wasn’t even looking. Both Syracuse’s sideline and its family members in the Erwin Center yelled, “Box out,” as SDSU guard Tylee Irwin found her way past multiple SU bigs to record one of her eight rebounds, too. 

But Syracuse never let SDSU escape from arm’s reach after the Jackrabbits trudged to their first lead of the game at 24-23. The Orange relied on short scoring bursts, including a quick 10-3 spurt that sent the Orange into the half up 37-31. Engstler capped the scoring with a 3 from the corner and then a steal, coast-to-coast run and layup.

“I was a little in my head the first quarter, I can’t lie,” Engstler said. “I was a little annoyed. I couldn’t make even a layup, but by the time I got back in in the second quarter, I was kinda like, alright, gotta make a shot no matter how hard it takes.” 

In the second, Syracuse upped its pressure further. Despite having just nine active players — Priscilla Williams sidelined and other SU players suspended for breaking team protocols — Syracuse found an extra gear to surge in transition. Neither side could could pull away in the third quarter, but Syracuse finally broke the ice in the final 10 minutes. 

Engstler catalyzed the beginning of the run with her perimeter shooting, and the Syracuse defense made it stand. Following the media timeout, Cardoso recorded two of her six blocks on back-to-back possessions. SU got it quickly down the floor to Strautmane for a layup the first time, then Engstler delivered the dagger. Her final triple took an eternity to fall, rattling off both sides of the rim then hitting the backboard before falling through. It gave SU its first double-digit lead with just over four minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Both sides could trade free throws the rest of the way as the frenetic pace that behooved Syracuse the past eight minutes reverted to its previous crawl. Engstler finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds, six steals and four blocks, a far cry from the two points she mustered the last time these teams met. 

“The fact that we got to see a team that took away our opportunity my freshman year to go to the second round on our home court, I mean, good team or not, nobody wants to do that again,” Engstler said. 

Without Summit League Player of the Year Myah Selland, the Jackrabbits lacked the composure to surmount another SU tournament lead. Of the seven SU players that helped close out the game, six were on the floor when the opposite transpired. This time, Syracuse’s veterans were the ones in control. 

“We did a really good job of just playing the entire game,” Hillsman said, “So I’m really just proud of our players executing the game plan.”

Published on March 21, 2021 at 8:11 pm

Contact Tim: tnolan@syr.edu