Battle's 31 Leads Orange By BC

Wednesday, January 30

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

8 PM

Syracuse University

6-215-6; ACC

Boston College

2-511-8; ACC

Syracuse

Boston College

1/30/2019 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BOSTON – Led by 31 points from Tyus Battle, Syracuse (15-6, 6-2 ACC) held off Boston College (11-8, 2-5 ACC), 77-71, Wednesday night at Conte Forum.

Battle's 31 points, 21 of which came in the second half, were just shy of his season-high 32 that came in the Orange's overtime victory at then-No. 1 Duke. His 11-of-17 shooting performance was boosted by a 4-of-8 look from 3-point range. Battle also contributed four rebounds and a game-high six assists.

Buddy Boeheim reached double-digit scoring figures for the third time in his last four games, tying a career-high 13 with points. Boeheim was 3-of-5 on his 3-point attempts. Elijah Hughes had 10 points for Syracuse.

The Eagles were led by a pair of 21-point outings from guards Ky Bowman and Jordan Chatman.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Bowman made a layup for Boston College with 2:04 left in the game, cutting Syracuse's lead to six, 72-66. A pair of free throws by Paschal Chukwu put the Orange up eight before Battle added a shot from the charity stripe for a nine-point, 75-66, lead with under a minute to go. Bowman responded to a pair of free throws from Battle for a six-point deficit, 77-71, with 39 seconds remaining. The Orange survived four 3-point attempts from the Eagles to tie up the triumph.

EAGLES FLY TO START FIRST HALF
Despite Syracuse taking the first bucket of the game, Boston College soared back with a 10-0 run for a 10-2 lead. The Orange countered with consecutive baskets from Frank Howard and Battle, but the Eagles strung together five unanswered points to increase its margin to 15-6.

SYRACUSE FINDS ITS STRIDE
Six minutes into the first half, the Orange got things going. Hughes stepped back for consecutive 3-pointers that jumpstarted a 14-0 run for 'Cuse. The stretch was highlighted by the Orange defense forcing three shot-clock violations from the Eagles. Syracuse took a 20-15 lead in a four and a half minute span where they converted all six attempts from the field. .

ORANGE HOLD ONTO FIRST HALF LEAD
Syracuse managed to hold Boston College scoreless for the opening 2:51 of the second half, but the Boston College clawed its way back into the game with a 14-5 streak that cut into the Orange's lead, 51-49. Battle found an answer for BC's dunk with a three-pointer, but a second-chance basket for the Eagles pulled them within three, 56-53. After the team's traded hoops, Battle swished two straight 3-pointers to give the Orange a comfortable margin.

OF NOTE

The 'Cuse won for the eighth time in ten contests.
Syracuse totaled double-digit 3-point baskets for the fourth time in five games.
The Orange ended a modest two-game losing streak at Conte Forum and improved its series advantage to 48-26.
The Orange shot 29-of-52 from the floor (.558), the team's best showing in conference play this season.
Syracuse managed a slim 26-25 advantage on the boards, including 9-8 on the offensive end.

UP NEXT
Syracuse finishes its streak of three straight road games at Pittsburgh on Saturday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

The Orange have five remaining home games, including the sold out matchup against Duke on Feb. 23. Tickets for the remaining home games are available online at cuse.com/tickets, by phone at 1-888-DOMETIX or in person at Gate B of the Carrier Dome.