The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

During Syracuse’s three-week COVID-19 pause, Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman had nothing but time on his hands. With his team isolated, SU’s coach couldn’t practice with his players before fully starting Atlantic Coast Conference play.

Instead, the homebound Hillsman watched film and worked on his team — his NBA 2K team. “I’ve been playing a lot of PS5, playing some basketball, some 2K21,” Hillsman said after the pause. “We shoot all 3s, it is what it is, points per possession, we shoot all 3s.”

In real life, Hillsman urges his Syracuse players to shoot whenever they have an open look from 3, too. On fast breaks, SU players commonly stand around the arc and wait for catch-and-shoot opportunities. On offensive rebounds, Syracuse often finds a kick-out pass to the perimeter for a 3. SU averages over 24 shots per game from beyond the arc, one of the highest rates in the ACC, but the results have been up and down — the Orange have shot as high as 57% and as low as 11%.

But whether Hillsman is shouting at players from the sideline, or controlling them with his thumbs, the offense strategy doesn’t change.

Against Miami, Syracuse’s best game from deep, the 3-pointers just kept falling in the Orange’s 99-64 victory. 

After winning the opening tip, freshman Priscilla Williams caught a pass on the left wing of Miami’s side of the court. As the Hurricane defense backpedaled in defense, Williams passed to point guard Tiana Mangakahia. The fifth-year senior caught the pass at the top of the key, squared her shoulders to the basket and knocked down an uncontested 3. 

Two possessions later, Mangakahia returned the favor, passing to Williams on the left wing. After a quick jab step to create separation, the guard launched a deep 3, jump-starting her career high 26-point night that featured 6-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

Syracuse continued to rely on its hot shooting, nailing 17 triples, to score its most points ever in an ACC game. 

“Share the ball, move the ball, play inside-out,” Hillsman said after the Miami game. “I thought that was a key to us scoring a lot of points.”

But there have been games where playing inside-out and finding open shooters doesn’t work.

In SU’s last game against Florida State, the Orange shot just 4-of-23 from behind the arc. During a near 10-minute stretch where SU scored one point, the Orange missed eight consecutive three-pointers. Regardless if those shots are falling, Hillsman wanted his players to shoot whenever they have open looks.

“We gotta be confident and take shots,” Hillsman said. “That’s what’s important for us, to take open shots and continue to be aggressive.

In that same game, guards Kiara Lewis and Mangakahia followed Hillsman’s directions and shot 3s aggressively. But the two combined to make just 2-of-10 shots from behind the arc. 

When SU is hitting 3-pointers, the inside-out strategy of initiating the offense through Kamilla Cardoso has proved to be effective. But when the shots don’t fall, Syracuse is liable to go on scoring droughts like it did against the Seminoles.

“It’s really hard to cover the paint and then have to go that long distance to get out to a shooter, but our players committed to that, and they’re great 3-point shooters,” FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said postgame. “Luckily for us, it didn’t fall too much for them tonight.”

And for Mangakahia — a career 33% shooter from distance — shooting 3s hasn’t been a strength this year. Still, when the fifth-year senior has an open look from deep, Hillsman expects the point guard to fire. Like the rest of the team, sometimes that strategy pays off. 

With Syracuse up by two, with just over three minutes remaining against Pittsburgh on Feb. 7,  Lewis dribbled toward the basket before swinging a pass to an open Mangakahia at the top of the key. Mangakahia then nearly passed to Williams on the left wing, before pulling the ball back. As her teammates yelled to shoot, Mangakahia fired a 3, hitting her only field goal of the game and extended Syracuse’s lead.

---

More from Syracuse women’s basketball season:

• How the women’s basketball team has relied on blocking to win games
• Syracuse’s hasn’t played since Feb. 11 following a positive test and contact tracing within Notre Dame’s program
• The Orange have worst free throw percentage in six years this season

---

“(Hillsman) yells at me to shoot the ball, so I try to shoot, I do feel like I need to shoot more,” Mangakahia said. “I tell myself I gotta shoot more, and be more of a threat on offense.”

While SU’s fast paced offense and quick shots helped Williams hit six 3s against Miami — and eight earlier in the season against Division II Lincoln (PA) — it also resulted in the five-star recruit shooting 3-of-11 from distance against Notre Dame. 

Early in the second quarter against the Irish, Taleah Washington missed a 3, but Digna Strautmane grabbed the rebound. After another SU missed shot, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi grabbed another offensive rebound, before kicking out to Williams for a 3. Her shot clanked off the side of the rim, and SU was unable to capitalize off of the extra chance.

“My coaches told me to keep shooting,” Williams said after the Notre Dame game. “Obviously, nobody wants to miss a shot but … eventually they’re gonna fall.”

Published on February 17, 2021 at 10:19 pm

Contact Thomas: tgshults@syr.edu | @ThomasShults_