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CHESTNUT HILL — Syracuse’s had its fair share of troubles in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Losses to Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Florida State produced a 0-3 start.

The Orange reached the win column for the first time with a narrow defeat over Georgia Tech Tuesday. Saturday in Chestnut Hill, SU had its first chance at back-to-back wins in ACC play.

Syracuse (8-8, 2-3 ACC) defeated Boston College (9-7, 1-4 ACC) 79-71 Saturday, capturing its second-straight win in ACC play. A gauntlet awaits, with games against powerhouses like Duke and North Carolina and new heavyweights in Louisville, Clemson and Pitt. Still, Syracuse fought back with a 33-17 run despite trailing by eight in the second half, notching a signature comeback win.

With 8:51 to play in the game, Syracuse trailed 54-46. The Orange were struggling mightily, showing no success in the second half. Suddenly, bucket by bucket, the Orange climbed back with a 10-0 run, recapturing the lead with just over five minutes to play.

BC tied it when Joshua Beadle scored a jumper. But in the next possession, Kyle Cuffe Jr. knocked down a 3 for 59-56 lead. The Eagles scored a layup, cutting into the deficit with four minutes to go. Then, it was Cuffe again from beyond the arc. He swished another triple to add on.

J.J. Starling then finished inside despite BC’s continuous answers on the other end. At 1:58 to play, SU flipped it to a 68-60 advantage, never surrendering the lead the rest of the way.

At the start, Starling put SU in front early, muscling his way inside for an early floater. On the other end, Starling secured a poor pass from Donald Hand Jr., quickly turning it into a mid-range jumper from Jyáre Davis.

Davis got going, using his frame for an easy slam. The flush put Syracuse up 8-4 with 15:25 to play.

Following a defensive stop, Elijah Moore attempted a 3 which rang back iron. Starling corralled the rebound and immediately put it up and in to extend the lead. He then attempted a left-handed posterizer dunk but was denied.

BC gradually cut into the deficit, led by Hand. The Eagles’ leading scorer entered the game with 14.3 points per game and got on the board on his third attempt, a mid-range jumper. Minutes later, he drilled a 3 to give Boston College a 13-12 lead.

A quick pace of play had the game rolling until 12:30 left in the first half. Out of the break, Lucas Taylor ignited for Syracuse.

The Georgia State transfer is averaging just 5.3 points per game in 20.7 minutes of play. Against BC, Taylor knocked down back-to-back triples to put Syracuse ahead 18-13. He then drove inside and dished to Jaquan Carlos. The guard swished it, putting SU ahead 21-13 and capping a 9-0 run.

The Eagles battled back as Syracuse hit a major scoring lull. Following Carlos’s 3 at the 10:04 mark, the Orange didn’t find nylon until 4:46 left when Eddie Lampkin Jr. spun inside for a layup. Throughout the drought, BC went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 21-20. Freshman Donnie Freeman missed his second-straight game with a lower leg injury, limiting the Orange’s attack.

Meanwhile, Starling missed his next five shots after the first two conversions, adding fuel to Syracuse’s already stagnant offense.

Lampkin’s layup jumpstarted an SU 6-0 run. Following Lampkin’s make, Davis worked inside for an and-one but missed the free throw. Lampkin then went to work again, going right at Boston College center Chad Venning.

After a foul by Venning, Lampkin was assessed a technical foul for trash-talking. Hand knocked down the two free throws while Lampkin missed his pair. Dion Brown brought the game within two points with a 3 and Elijah Strong’s jump shot tied it at 27. But, Starling eventually scored with under a minute in the half to retake the lead.

Hand knocked down two more free throws to tie it, but Bell forced a foul on a 3, making all three free throws. The Orange started the game 0-for-5 from the charity stripe before Bell’s makes.

With seconds to play, SU’s defense made a crucial mistake. It allowed Beadle to sink a buzzer-beater to tie the game at the hall, erasing any momentum from a previous eight-point Syracuse lead.

BC quickly got going in the second half. Venning worked inside for an and-one just 12 seconds in. Venning went at Lampkin and produced seven points in the first four minutes of play.

With the help of Venning’s production, Boston College pushed out to a 41-36 lead, its biggest yet. Starling, however, refound his stroke with continuous answers on floaters and a downhill, acrobatic layup. His finish with over 12 minutes to play put Syracuse behind 46-44, but Hand retook momentum with a scoop into the bucket plus the foul.

The Eagles poured it on to build a 54-46 lead — its largest of the game. SU’s stagnant offense quickly turned into Starling or bust, using him in an isolation role, looking to find a way to get to the hoop. It worked, but limited the overall group.

Then came an Orange avalanche. SU broke off its 10-0 run, flipping the game on its head and setting up a down-to-the-wire battle. Then, it was Starling who took Syracuse home.

He scored 10 points across the final six minutes, helping SU take advantage and build a winning streak in the ACC.

Published on January 11, 2025 at 5:28 pm

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky