Syracuse Holds Off BC Comeback Attempt

Wednesday, January 10

Syracuse, N.Y.

9 PM

Syracuse University

11-4,2-2ACC

Boston College

10-5,1-3ACC

Boston College

Syracuse

1/10/2024 11:04:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Adrian Autry Press Conference Chris Bell Interview Maliq Brown Interview Photo Gallery

Sophomore forward Chris Bell scored a game-best 20 points as Syracuse (11-4, 2-2 ACC) thwarted Boston College's (10-5, 1-3 ACC) comeback attempt to win, 69-59.

Bell went 8-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, and added two rebounds, two steals, an assist and block.

Sophomore center Maliq Brown tallied 19 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists, steals and blocks, while sophomore guard Judah Mintz went 7-of-8 from the line, finishing the game with 10 points.

WHEN THE GAME WAS DECIDED
Brown sparked the Orange offense late, putting up 10 of Syracuse's final 15 points in the remaining 5:51 of the game, including four dunks. His dunk off a pass from Quadir Copeland with the game tied at 55 at 4:44 started a 14-4 run that sealed the victory. Mintz scored four from the line during the run in the final two minutes.

STEALING THE FIRST HALF
The Orange opened the contest with back-to-back 3-pointers by Bell and Justin Taylor and soon had an 8-0 advantage less than two minutes into the contest. When the Eagles narrowed the gap to eight points, 17-9, Syracuse responded with an 11-0 run that included five points from Bell. Boston College finished the first half by tallying the final eight points and the teams went to the locker room with the Orange in front, 32-22.

Syracuse's defense in the first 20 minutes was stellar as the squad recorded 12 first-half steals, paced by Copeland's three. Bell, Brown and Mintz also recorded a pair of thefts.Bell made the 12th steal and finished off the play with a breakaway dunk that gave Syracuse its largest lead, 28-9, with 3:54 remaining in the first.

Syracuse forced 13 turnovers in the first half and outscored the Golden Eagles by a 16-6 margin off turnovers.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
Down 32-22 at the break, Boston College used a 17-6 run over a 6:06 span to cut Syracuse's lead to 49-48. BC made four of its eight triples during the stretch, including Mason Madsen's 3-pointer with 8:14 on the clock to make it a one-point game. Prince Aligbe's layup at 7:27 gave the Eagles a 50-49 advantage.

Trailing for just 52 seconds, the Orange roared back courtesy of Bell's 3-pointer of the game, good for the 52-50 lead.

Following Devin McGlockton's point at the charity stripe for the Eagles to level the game at 55, Syracuse went on a 14-4 run over the final 4:44 to seal the victory.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Syracuse's starting five featured sophomores Maliq Brown and Quadir Copeland, who both made their first starts of the season. This was Copeland's first career start.
Wednesday's game was the 84th all-time meeting between Syracuse and Boston College, and Syracuse's 58th win.
The Orange have posted 26 of those victories have come inside the Dome, good for the third-most against an opponent in the facility behind Cornell (30-2) and Colgate (31-2).
The Orange surpassed Florida State (138) for the conference lead in steals with 17 Wednesday, giving them a season total of 146.
The 17 steals were the most in a contest since Syracuse recorded 18 on Nov. 30, 2021, in the team's 112-110 double overtime victory versus Indiana.
Syracuse forced eight turnovers over the final 9:34 of the first half and 13 total in the first 20 minutes of action.
The Orange had a 28-11 advantage in points off turnovers.
Syracuse played without starting center Naheem McLeod, who missed the contest with a right foot injury.

UP NEXT
Syracuse hits the road to take on #7 North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Saturday, Jan. 13, inside the Dean E. Smith Center. Tipoff is slated for noon and the game will be televised on ESPN.

TICKETS
Syracuse men's basketball tickets are available online (cuse.com/tickets), by phone (1-888-DOMETIX) and at the Dome Box Office (Gate B).

For complete coverage of Syracuse men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).

Gallery: (1-10-2024) Syracuse vs. Boston College