Women’s Basketball Falls After Second Half Comeback by Hokies
By Brittany Ehrlich
Syracuse women’s basketball suffered a tough 85-70 loss to Virginia Tech in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The Orange, usually known for their resurgence efforts, allowed the Hokies to make a big comeback in the fourth quarter.
“An amazing, amazing second half by Virginia Tech, I’ve got to give them all the credit,” head coach Quentin Hillsman said. “Kenny [Brooks] did a fantastic job of making adjustments in the second half. He went to a zone and kind of slowed us down a little bit. We didn’t make shots, and we weren’t able to get into our pressure. I’ve got to give them all the credit for having a great second half.”
Syracuse led by 16 with 6:54 to go in the third quarter and it looked as if it was over. The Hokies weren’t ready to quit and cut the Orange lead to nine, 65-56, by the end of the third on a 6-2 run.
That’s when things started to turn around in favor of Virginia Tech.
VT outscored the Orange 29-5 in the final frame and held SU scoreless from the field (0-for-16) to win by 15.
“Fourth quarter, they shot 72 percent from the field,” Hilsman said. “We shot zero percent; we don’t make a shot. From three, they were 4-for-5 and we 0-for-10 and we don’t make a shot. You can’t win a game if you don’t make a shot.”
Even with a disappointing second half, Syracuse did have an impressive start. SU shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first quarter and knocked down 10 shots. In the second quarter, the Orange shot 47.1 percent to tally a 50 percent shooting percentage in the first half.
Four Syracuse players also finished in double figures including Tiana Mangakahia with 17 and nine assists followed by Digna Strautmane with 16 points and six rebounds.
The Orange now return home to prepare for the rest of postseason and await their fate in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is on Monday, March 12th at 7 P.M.
