Tiana Mangakahia sets Syracuse’s single-season assist record in loss to Virginia Tech
Codie Yan | Staff Photographer
Tiana Mangakahia set up Gabrielle Cooper on the left wing early in the fourth quarter for the record-setting dime.
The ball was in Tiana Mangakahia’s hands for a split-second. It had swung around the perimeter to her early in the fourth quarter against Virginia Tech.
She saw an open Gabrielle Cooper a few feet to her left on the wing. The pass went right to Cooper’s hands, and the ensuing shot fell.
That assist was Mangakahia’s 11th of the game and 232nd of the season. She went on to add two more assists in the game. With the 232nd assist, she broke Alexis Peterson’s single-season Syracuse record of 231, set last year.
“It’s a fantastic goal,” Mangakahia said, “and I need to keep trying, that goal is gonna be to keep trying to break it.”
The strong passing was not enough for Syracuse (17-6, 5-5 Atlantic Coast) to overcome Virginia Tech (15-8, 4-6) in SU’s first home loss of the season, 73-64, on Thursday night.
Tonight marked her 11th double-double of the season — all of the points and assists variety. A self-described “pass-first point guard,” she leads the country in both assist average and total assists.
Earlier today, Virginia Tech’s head coach Kenny Brooks gave high praise to Mangakahia.
.@CoachBrooksVT on @Tianamanga, "If there's a better point guard in the country, I want to see her."
We have @CuseWBB–@HokiesWBB for you tonight at 7:00 @ACCNetworkExtra
— Brian Higgins (@BrianHigginsSU) February 1, 2018
Now at 234 assists for the season, Mangakahia ranks fifth all-time in the ACC for single-season assists. Next up on the list is Dawn Staley, South Carolina’s head coach, who recorded 235 in a season for Virginia. Topping the conference list is Notre Dame’s former star guard, Lindsay Allen, who racked up 282 in a season.
“When you see names like Dawn Staley,” Hillsman said, “it’s like, wow, that’s an amazing feat to be chasing.”
Syracuse is guaranteed to play seven more games this season, counting the first round of the conference tournament. With Mangakahia averaging 10.2 assists per game, she’s on pace to fly by Allen’s conference mark with approximately 71 more assists this season.
Regardless of where she ends up in record books, Mangakahia will just keep trusting her teammates to make shots. It’s worked so far.
“It’s not just about me, it’s about the girls hitting shots and the posts, dump off passes and catching them and making them,” Mangakahia said. “I think it’s, really, it’s the team’s effort.”
Published on February 1, 2018 at 10:39 pm
Contact Billy: wmheyen@syr.edu | @Wheyen3
