On different ends of a court in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center on Tuesday morning, Kiara Lewis and Tiana Mangakahia lofted 3-pointers. Each operated from different parts of the arc — Lewis from atop the key and Mangakahia from the corner — while Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman and associate head coach Vonn Read watched. The pair studied as SU’s two guards fine-tuned the offense that Hillsman and Read built the program on. The same strategy that cost them against Georgia Tech.

Following the Jan. 20 road loss, each Orange guard had to make 100 3-pointers before leaving the gym. The volume shooting was a palette cleanser for the previous 8-for-42 performance from deep. But two nights later, the drill didn’t matter.

For the second-straight game, No. 13 Syracuse (15-4, 4-2 Atlantic Coast) missed the bulk of its shots. For the second-straight game, it lost. This time on its home floor. SU posted a 36.4 percent field goal percentage — its third-worst performance of the season — in its 84-71 defeat to Miami (17-4, 5-1) on Wednesday night. An abundance of fouls stagnated a normally fast-paced offense. And the scoring balance SU had achieved with its bigs and guards vanished in crucial moments. After not losing at home in nearly a year, Syracuse led for only 2:33.

“Guys,” Hillsman said to start his postgame press conference, “sometimes it comes down to something simple, right? You gotta be a leader. It’s time for me to be a leader. We got to make some shots. We’re not shooting the ball well. We gotta get it fixed.”

Syracuse benefited from 3s in the first quarter, while Miranda Drummond — SU’s second-leading scorer (11.4 ppg) — watched from the bench after suffering a calf injury the night before the game. Kadiatou Sissoko kicked off her first collegiate start with a pass to Gabrielle Cooper which resulted in a 3. A Cooper steal 10 seconds after led to a step-back 3 for an early lead.

But shooting fouls granted the Hurricanes a lead for the majority of the contest. UM’s freebies broke the Orange press and when SU forced a turnover, it couldn’t capitalize. In the first, Mangakahia quickly grabbed an inbounds pass and flung it to Lewis who charged toward the hoop. But the layup attempt was knocked away and turned into a Miami breakaway.

Later in the frame, Sissoko flicked a pass to Emily Engstler in the corner. Engstler was in the midst of four-point, five-rebound and three-block half, but her shot fell short, and UM preserved its lead. Miami zoned Syracuse for the “entire game,” Hillsman said. The Orange featured three-out, two-in offensive sets and managed multiple corner 3s. But they kept missing, shooting a combined 13-for-74 from 3 in their last two games.

“There were opportunities for players to step up and make plays,” Hillsman said. “They didn’t get it done.”

SU’s bench had chances because its starters faltered. Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi finished with eight points but three turnovers, including a three-second violations on Syracuse’s second offensive possession of the second quarter. Amaya Finklea-Guity entered the game, but then missed a left-handed layup. Syracuse recorded four points in five minutes to open the second quarter and entered the break down eight.

A Miami three-second violation gave SU the ball to open the half and ended with a Cooper 3 that clanked off the rim. An Orange forward grabbed the rebound, but then Digna Strautmane missed, too. Syracuse pulled down a third board, but Cooper couldn’t connect. The SU bench — which had risen off their seats after all three attempts — slumped down.

With 7:58 left in the fourth quarter, it seemed as if the comeback was possible. Finklea-Guity spun and cut the deficit to four with a layup, sparking Miami to call a timeout and Hillsman to sink his hips and clap his hands as he greeted his team off the court. Yet, Mangakahia whiffed on the following 3-point attempt, and UM pushed further away.

As the Carrier Dome crowd bubbled, waiting for SU to take over, Kelsey Marshall caught a pass a few feet from the arc and nailed the dagger 3. She left her follow-through in the air, jogging to half court before slicing downward. The Dome quieted, and the next cheers came from the Miami bench.

“We were right there,” Lewis said, “but we didn’t execute.

“I think (missing shots) definitely gets into our head. … (3s are) what we’re known for.”

Published on January 23, 2019 at 10:55 pm

Contact Nick: nialvare@syr.edu | @nick_a_alvarez