UM women have poor shooting night, lose 69-58 to No. 20 Syracuse in ACC opener
The 20th-ranked Syracuse Orange was every bit as big and tough as University of Miami coach Katie Meier expected, the Hurricanes had a bad shooting night and lost their Atlantic Coast Conference home opener 69-58.
Miami shot just 29.2 percent from the field and 32 percent from three-point range. The Canes were outrebounded 50-42 and turned the ball over 20 times.
Destiny Harden led Miami with 11 points. Freshman Nyayongah Gony had eight points off the bench. Center Sydnee Roby, coming back from concussion protocol, had seven points and five rebounds. Seniors Kelsey Marshall and Taylor Mason struggled with their shots, going a combined 4-for-21. Marshall was 2-of-11 from the perimeter.
“The third quarter our seniors did not play at the level I expect them to play or how they will have to play,” said UM coach Katie Meier, who had several animated conversations with players during the game. “We looked really immature at times. We have a heck of a to-do list. We will learn a lot from this game.”
Syracuse led from the start, jumping out to an 9-0 lead on a Kamilla Cardoso layup off an assist from Tiana Mangakahia, who missed last season while battling breast cancer, undergoing eight rounds of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy and reconstruction. Miami had no answer for Cardoso, a 6-7 center from Brazil.
“They’re huge this year,” Meier said. “They were much tougher in the paint. We looked like rag dolls a couple of times. They’re a very, very difficult team to stop. It took a lot of effort to keep them under 70.”
Cardosa scored 14 points with eight rebounds. Mangakahia finished with 14 points and a game-high seven assists.
Meier said the bright spots were the UM bench, which combined for 32 points, and the play of Roby, whom the coach said was “the most composed of anyone on our team.”
Gony said the game was “an awakening for her.” She added: “I still have a lot to learn. Everybody is great at this level. Your moves that worked at a different time of your career don’t work anymore. You have to learn and adjust.”
Miami dropped to 3-1. Syracuse improved to 4-0.