SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Here we go again.
South Dakota State gets its third crack at a Sweet 16 berth when it faces the host Orange today at 6 p.m. CT at the Carrier Dome in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The game will air live on ESPN.
“It’s just a great honor to be playing still at this point in the season,” SDSU coach Aaron Johnston said Sunday. “You start to look and it gets to be a smaller and smaller list every couple hours, so we’re really excited and pleased to be here.
“Reflecting on the game from the other day, I thought we played well, really well – well enough to advance and that’s a hard thing to do in these tournaments. To beat a really good Quinnipiac team that was excellent on offense and defense, I thought our team rose to the challenge. That’s a good thing; they should be able to draw some confidence from that and feel prepared as they go into another tough game here (Monday) night.
“So we’re looking forward to it. It’s been a great trip so far, great season, and now we’re excited to have a chance to play again (Monday).”
The Jackrabbits (27-6) – the highest seeded team in Summit League history at No. 6 – knocked off No. 11 Quinnipiac 76-65 in the first round Saturday, extending their winning streak to 17 games while stopping the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Bobcats’ run at 21.
No. 3 Syracuse (25-8) beat No. 14 Fordham, 70-49.
Fast & Furious Orange
Syracuse plays fast; pressuring and trapping defensively while letting it fly – often times early in the shot clock – on offense.
“Personnel, they’re exceptional,” said Johnston. “They really shoot the ball well; they pass the ball well; they’re a really hard team to stop. But I think the thing I just keep going back to when you watch them play is just the pace that they play at on offense and defense
“They just put a lot of pressure on you. On defense, obviously, with their multiple levels of trapping and zones they can play; they force turnovers, which can lead to offense; and even when they don’t force turnovers, they just play at a really high tempo offensively – a lot of pressure with ball screens and I just feel like watching them, they always have teams kind of back on their heels.
“So for us, I think its about finding the right tempo to play at. I don’t think we’re necessarily comfortable just slowing it down, that’s not where we’re at our best. But we still have to find a comfortable pace because I think their pace is probably a little faster than most teams. To me, that will be a big challenge and a big opportunity. You know, if we find that comfortable pace, that will be really good for us, but Syracuse has the ability to get you uncomfortable in a hurry.”
The Orange put up 77.6 points per game while allowing 67 for the year.
“They’re a really aggressive team,” said SDSU junior Rylie Cascio Jensen. “Their defense, their press is really aggressive, so just making sure we stay composed the whole game and take our time and not get rushed by their really aggressive defense is something we’ve been emphasizing.”
Syracuse ranks in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointers made and attempted, dropping in 9.5 treys per game on 27.4 attempts (34.5 percent).
“They’re really hard to guard for that reason,” Johnston said when asked about the 3-ball. “A lot of teams have a couple really good shooters that you have to think about, but really (Syracuse) has four people on the floor at all times that really shoot the ball well from the 3-point line – not just functional, but really well. And they run their offense with that in mind. They really spread you out and get themselves going to the basket.
“So you have to really pick and choose – do you want to give up some of those shots and try to discourage penetration and what they do going to the rim, or do you want to try to play some of those people one-on-one and try to take away some 3s. It really puts a lot of pressure, I think, on you defensively and also scheme-wise because you really have to pick and choose a little bit. That will be a part of what we think about now as we get ready – what’s our risk and tolerance level for certain things, and that changes in the game depending how the game is going, too.
“It is hard to beat teams when you give up a lot of 3s – it’s just too many points – so that will be a big part of what we’re going to have to try and defend.”
Syracuse forces 18 turnovers – nine on steals – per contest but commits 15.9.
More on ‘Cuse
The Orange finished fifth in the regular season in a top-heavy Atlantic Coast Conference, posting an 11-5 record. The ACC put eight teams in the NCAA Tournament, including No. 1 seeds Louisville and Notre Dame.
Syracuse received a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament before beating Virginia 67-57 in the second round and upending Miami 92-85 in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish dropped the Orange 91-66 in the semifinals.
First-team All-ACC performer Tiana Mangakahia, a 5-foot-6 junior, averages 16.8 points and 8.5 dimes per contest.
Miranda Drummond adds 11.3 points, Digna Stautmane 9.6, Maeva Djaidi-Tabdi 8.2, Gabrielle Cooper 7.1 and Amaya Finklea-Guity 6.4.
Djaldi-Tabdi was on the All-ACC Freshman Team.
The Orange outscored the Rams 24-12 in the second quarter during Saturday’s first-round game, turning a one-point deficit into a 38-27 halftime lead.
They were up 51-42 through three before pulling away.
Mangakahia flirted with a triple-double, scoring 21 points on 8-of-20 shooting, dishing out 11 assists and grabbing eight rebounds. She also came up with five of the team’s 12 steals.
Cooper added 13 points and Djaldi-Tabdi 10 off the bench.
Syrcause went 9-of-14 on 3s, including a 3-of-4 clip by Cooper, and forced 15 turnovers while limiting Fordham to 28.6 percent (16-of-56) shooting.
Syracuse’s average attendance at home is 2,442.
Jackrabbits
SDSU scores 79.9 points per game and allows 62.6.
The Jackrabbits average 7.8 makes on 21 attempts from 3-point range (37.3 percent). They shoot 48.2 percent from the field overall and are plus-7.8 on the glass.
SDSU got off to a solid start against Quinnipiac and built a double-digit lead in the second quarter before holding on late.
“I think it’s really important to get off to a good start,” SDSU sophomore Tylee Irwin said. “(Syracuse) typically comes out in the first quarter and that’s when their pace is the fastest in the game and I think it will be really important for us to just stay composed during that time.”
Second-round close calls
The Jackrabbits’ two previous second-round games were decided by a combined three points.
No. 4 Stanford beat No. 12 SDSU 66-65 on March 21, 2016, in Palo Alto, Calif., after Lili Thompson converted a traditional three-point play with 8 seconds showing on the clock.
The Jackrabbits led 62-54 with less than 4 minutes remaining.
No. 2 Baylor topped No. 7 SDSU 60-58 on March 24, 2009, in Lubbock, Texas, as Kelli Griffin banked in a runner from the right side of the lane with 5 seconds to play.
The Jackrabbits raced out to a 15-2 advantage and led by as many as 14 points in the first half before settling for a 29-28 lead at the break.
They were ahead for a majority of the second half until the Lady Bears moved on top 55-53 with 2:57 left.
Jill Young tied it up at 58-58 with a jumper for SDSU with 8 seconds to go.
“Yeah, those are tough,” Johnston said when asked about his team being on the cusp of the Sweet 16 in the past. “Our Baylor game, we really thought we had a chance to win that game, we just didn’t quite get it done. And then at Stanford, we had chances to win but didn’t.
“They’re tough and they are heartbreaking. I know our players still think about that, but we don’t live in that moment – you don’t hang on to that so closely that it dictates what happens today.
“Having any success in postseason – whether its Division I, Division II – the successes stay with you, the heartbreaks stay with you a little bit (and) that’s why it’s fun. It’s trying to embrace all of that and really not being defined by either or those – winning or losing – but trying to just enjoy and learn from them and keep moving forward. And I think our team is better now because of some of those tough losses.”
What would it mean to get to the Sweet 16?
Johnston was asked that question following Saturday’s victory.
“It would be pretty amazing,” he replied. “I think the team is hungry; I think we’re playing well; I think we have the pieces or the things it would take to play at that level.
“But you really have to play well in that game. You saw the game (Saturday) – things were going really well, we looked like that kind of team and you see momentum change and there are some times where it gets difficult. And that’s going to happen, I’m sure, on Monday as well.
“Like I said, we’ll enjoy this, we’ll get ready; but we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Miller Time
She is the Summit League and SDSU all-time leader in points and has been pretty great scoring the ball in the Dance, as well.
Miller has 104 points in the NCAA Tournament.
She averages 20.8 points, eight rebounds, 2.6 assists, one steal and 0.2 blocks per game in five outings.
Miller is shooting 48 percent (36-of-75) from the field and is 28-of-36 at the foul line. She hit her first NCAA tourney 3-pointer in the matchup with Quinnipiac and ended the game 4-of-5 after missing her first nine attempts in the event.
Roadie
This will mark SDSU’s sixth true road game in the NCAA Tournament.
The Jackrabbits are 0-5 in such games, including 0-1 in second-round games.
SDSU – NCAA DIVISION I TOURNAMENT (3-8)
2009 – No. 7 seed
Raleigh Region – Lubbock, Texas
First round (March 22): Def. No. 10 TCU, 90-55
Second round (March 24): Lost to No. 2 Baylor, 60-58
2010 – No. 14 seed
Kansas City Region – Norman, Okla.
First round (March 21): * Lost to No. 3 Oklahoma, 68-57
2011 – No. 15 seed
Spokane Region – Cincinnati, Ohio
First round (March 20): * Lost to No. 2 Xavier, 72-56
2012 – No. 13 seed
Fresno Region – West Lafayette, Ind.
First round (March 17): * Lost to No. 4 Purdue, 83-68
2013 – No. 13 seed
Norfolk Region – Boulder, Colo.
First round (March 23): Lost to No. 4 South Carolina, 74-53
2015 – No. 14 seed
Spokane Region – Corvallis, Ore.
First round (March 20): * Lost to No. 3 Oregon State, 74-62
2016 – No. 12 seed
Lexington Region – Pala Alto, Calif.
First round (March 19): Def. No. 5 Miami, 74-71
Second round (March 21): * Lost to No. 4 Stanford, 66-65
2018 – No. 8 seed
Spokane Region – Notre Dame, Ind.
First round (March 16): Lost to No. 9 Villanova 81-73, (OT)
2019 – No. 6 seed
Portland Region – Syracus, N.Y.
First round (March 23): def. No. 11 Quinnipiac, 76-65
Second round (March 25): * vs. No. 3 Syracuse, 6 p.m. CT [ESPN]
* true road game
SU Coach Quentin Hillsman
He is in his 13th season at the helm of the Orange and has taken the program to new heights.
Syracuse was a combined 28-55 in the three seasons prior to his appointment and went 9-20 in his first year.
The Orange have made 12 straight postseason appearances – eight NCAA and four WNIT – since.
They’ve been in the NCAA Tournament seven consecutive seasons.
Hillsman has a record of 288-144 at Syracuse.
The Orange were the fourth seed in the Sioux Falls Regional in 2016. They advanced to the first Sweet 16 in program history that year and just kept on going all the way to the title game, where they fell 82-51 to powerhouse UConn.
Syracuse dropped a pair of double-digit seeds to open the tourney at home before beating No. 1 South Carolina 80-72 and No. 7 Tennessee 89-67 in Sioux Falls.
The Orange defeated No. 7 Washington 80-59 in the Final Four in Indianapolis.
