Tiana Mangakahia drove left, settled behind the basket and fired a pass to Gabrielle Cooper who settled more than a few feet away from the arc and launched a deep three that rattled off the rim and in, giving SU a 62-61 lead against the third-best team in the country.

Cooper took a corner 3 on SU’s next trip down the floor to make it a 67-61 game. But, as she had all night long, Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu followed with two deep 3s of her own. She ignited the crowd and tied the game.

With under a minute left to go, Ionescu found Erin Boley who connected on a 3 from the wing that proved to be the difference. No. 3 Oregon (2-0) outlasted No. 18 Syracuse (1-1) 75-73 in Eugene on Saturday night as SU’s upset bid fell short. OU was led by Ionescu, who added 26 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Orange trailed by double-digits at certain points in the game and even took the lead in the fourth, but the Ducks were too consistent.

“I thought we played OK,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “We didn’t make shots, we didn’t shoot a good percentage.”

SU’s Mangakahia led the charge with 15 points, eight assists and four boards. Their matchup was a microcosm of the game, both did well, but Ionescu was better. Hillsman’s team is .500 through two games for the first time since 2015 when the Orange lost by two to then No.4-Tennessee.

“So we have a very competitive schedule and I don’t think we’re going to be having false senses of reality right away,” Hillsman said earlier this week. “We’re going to get a really good idea of where we are.”

SU exhibited some of the same early-season rust that held it back in the first quarter of this past Tuesday’s season-opening win against North Dakota. On the road, the favorites opened up a 10-point lead in the first frame after Syracuse turned the ball over four times and shot four-for-18 from the field.

Playing in her second collegiate game, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi struggled. The center committed five turnovers in the first, while the Ducks converted with ease and shot at a 50-percent clip.

In the second quarter, a spinning layup by Kiara Lewis cut the deficit to six points with 6:20 left in the half. Fourteen seconds later, Ruthy Hebard responded with her own layup. Hebard followed with four more points and an Oti Gildon jumper gave the Ducks a 31-16 lead.

Mangakahia brought the Orange back with two assists and an and-1 layup in the last two minutes of the half. She led SU’s guard-heavy offense which accounted for all but eight of Syracuse’s first-half points.

“(Mangakahia) played well and we played (Lewis) a lot with her,” Hillsman said. “(Mangakahia) wasn’t too tired and she was in really good shape. They were able to offer some solid minutes.”

After 20 minutes, SU trailed an Elite-Eight team by seven despite shooting 28.2-percent from the field and 11.8-percent (two-for-17) from 3.

In the third quarter, two quick layups by Amaya Finklea-Guity made it a one-possession game. Yet, a pair of offensive rebounds by the Ducks’ forwards resulted in two made baskets by Ionescu that pushed the margin to eight. Hillsman called a timeout with 7:48 to go to halt the run.

With the game close once again, the Ducks attacked the paint to create separation on the scoreboard. Often, Ionescu flashed into the middle of SU’s 2-3 zone and picked out forwards inside. The Ducks finished with 18 points in the paint.

However, SU kept it close. And a layup by Mangakahia ended the third quarter with the Ducks clinging to a four-point lead.

Emily Engstler knocked down a jumper to tie the game in the middle of the fourth quarter. Ionescu again took over, knocking down a 3 in the ensuing drive. But then SU responded again with a Miranda Drummond deep ball.

But then Ionescu out-shined Mangakahia, a matchup Hillsman called “fun” earlier this week. After Cooper’s second three gave SU a slim lead, the Ducks snuffed out an upset with an 11-3 run. Two late Mangakahia layups kept the game competitive, but it was too late.

“We’re a young team on the road in a tough environment,” Hillsman said. “We had a chance to make shots up late in the game but (Oregon) made some plays down the stretch.”

A year ago SU almost upset a top-5 team in the form of Mississippi State, though the Bulldogs pulled out the victory. Saturday’s contest followed suit.

After a three-day break and a cross-country flight, Syracuse will host No. 18 Texas A&M (1-0) in White Plains, New York at 7 p.m.

Published on November 10, 2018 at 8:09 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez