GREENSBORO, N.C. – Regardless of what path the Syracuse women’s basketball season takes from here, this much is certain – Orange fans will long remember what transpired Friday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Syracuse edged Florida State, 68-67, in the most dramatic of fashions as freshman Kamilla Cardoso rebounded an airball and rolled in a follow shot as the buzzer sounded. The win propelled the Orange (14-7) into Saturday’s noon semifinal against top-seeded Louisville (22-2).
But the manner in which Syracuse reached the point of Cardoso’s heroics may have been the most remarkable part of Friday’s win. The Orange trailed by 15 points in the first half and by double digits for most of the third quarter.
Even after finally tying the game in the early stages of the fourth quarter, Syracuse saw FSU score seven unanswered points to seemingly take control again.
But it was never over – until Cardoso made sure it actually was.
The final push to victory began with five quick points by Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi that brought the Orange to within 67-66 with 1:23 remaining in the game. Both teams missed chances in the frantic minute that followed, but Syracuse got the final chance when Cardoso snared the rebound on a missed layup attempt by FSU’s Bianca Jackson with 16 seconds left.
Djaldi-Tabdi missed a 3-pointer from the left wing as the clock wound down to six seconds, but a held-ball situation kept Syracuse in possession. Following a timeout, the Orange looked inside on the inbounds play, but the ball wound up for grabs among heavy traffic in the lane.
Djaldi-Tabdi finally secured the ball and flipped a pass to Kiara Fisher on the right baseline. Fisher rushed a shot that missed everything – except for the arms of Cardoso, and the freshman beat the clock with her follow that dropped over the front of the rim for the Orange’s first lead of the afternoon – and the win.
Cardoso finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds, leading five Syracuse players scoring in double figures and keying the Orange to a 41-32 edge on the boards.
The Seminoles’ Jackson led all scorers with 25 points.
Few envisioned Friday’s ending at the outset, when FSU grabbed a 9-0 lead and held the Orange without a field goal for the first five minutes of the game. The Seminoles shot 54 percent in the first half and led by 15 points late in the second quarter before settling for a 39-27 edge at the break.
FSU maintained control for the first half of the third quarter, with Jackson’s jumper at the 4:49 mark making the score 51-38. But then the Orange sprang to life, closing the period on a 14-3 run that culminated with Emily Engstler’s 3-pointer from halfcourt at the buzzer.
It was suddenly game on, and even more so when Engstler connected again from 3-point range with 8:39 remaining in the game to tie things up at 55-55.
FSU countered with seven unanswered points – five by Jackson on a layup and a 3-pointer. But the Seminoles could never push their lead above seven points, and the Orange again chipped away, setting up Cardoso’s heroics.
OF NOTE
- Syracuse came out on the short end of a 67-54 score at Louisville in the regular-season meeting between the teams on Jan. 21.
- The Orange lost starting guard Priscilla Williams to injury late the first half and had to be carried from the floor on a stretcher. Syracuse’s ranks were already depleted with senior Tiana Mangakahia, the team’s third-leading scorer, missing her second consecutive ACC Tournament game with a lower body injury.
- Florida State (10-8) missed out on a chance to reach the ACC Tournament semifinals for the third time in four years. The Seminoles upset top-seeded Louisville in the semis last year before falling to NC State in the championship game.