Orange Survive in 3OT vs. BC

Saturday, February 8

Syracuse NY

3:15 p.m.

Syracuse University

11-13,5-8ACC

Boston College

10-13,2-10ACC

OT 1

OT 2

OT 3

Boston College

Syracuse

2/8/2025 6:08:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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J.J. Starling led five Syracuse players in double figures with 28 points Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome as the Orange (11-13, 5-8 ACC) came out on top in a thrilling three-overtime affair against Boston College (10-13, 2-10 ACC), 95-86.

Boston College erased an 11-point second-half deficit and sent the game to overtime after beating the buzzer on a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of regulation. However, Syracuse answered with a comeback of its own in double overtime, recovering from a seven-point deficit to force another a third period. The Orange then outscored the Eagles, 10-1, in the third overtime to secure their second victory over the Eagles this season.

Eddie Lampkin Jr. registered his ninth double-double of the campaign with 14 points and a team-best 18 boards, with Jyare Davis adding 16 points, Chris Bell notching 12 and Elijah Moore delivering 11.

How The Game Was Decided
The contest was settled in triple overtime following a furious second-half comeback by Boston College. Syracuse held a late two-point advantage in the first overtime period before Chad Venning gave the Eagles a 76-75 lead with 53 seconds after a successful three-point play. Starling was fouled on the next Orange possession but could only split a pair of free throws to tie the score. Syracuse forced a Boston College turnover on the ensuing possession, but Starling's buzzer-beater attempt did not go, pushing the game into a second overtime.

Boston College scored the first seven points of the second overtime, but the Orange stormed back with a Jaquan Carlos basket and a pair of Bell free throws to get back within three, 83-80. Starling then pulled Syracuse within one after making two at the stripe, which Fred Payne matched with two of his own for Boston College on the other end to make the score 85-82. Starling scored three points via a layup and a free throw in the final 32 seconds of the period to tie the score at 85 and force a third overtime.

This time, it was Syracuse jumping out to a quick lead, with Davis scoring the Orange's first four to begin the period before Starling converted on a layup to grow the lead to five, 91-86. Syracuse went 5-of-6 on free throws in the final 1:08 while holding Boston College scoreless over the final 4:23 to secure the victory.

Late Boston College Rally
Syracuse led by as many as 11 in the second half and were up by 10 with just under nine minutes remaining when Boston College launched a late rally. The Eagles scored eight straight behind a pair of 3-pointers from Donald Hand Jr. and a jumper by Payne, making the score 59-58 in favor of the Orange.

Bell halted the Boston College run with a jumper, and a pair of Starling free throws then put Syracuse ahead by five. Following a Joshua Beadle layup, Davis responded on the other end with a basket to restore the five-point Orange advantage, with Starling then converting on a layup with 2:18 remaining to extend the lead to seven, 67-60. Boston College did not get back to within one possession until a Hand basket with 12 seconds left made it 67-64.

Starling was fouled on the inbound and went to the free throw line for a one-and-one, but he missed the front end to allow the Eagles a final chance to tie the game. After Syracuse expended a pair of fouls to give, Payne knocked down a deep triple to level the score at 67 with 1.2 on the clock. Carlos got off a final 3-point attempt at the buzzer from beyond half court, but it fell short, sending the game to overtime.

Starling Takes Over In Second Half
Starling came out firing after intermission, scoring 14 points in the second half. He went 5-of-8 from the field in the second half and knocked down two shots from beyond-the-arc on three attempts.

Syracuse's leading scorer on the season scored 10 of the team's first 15 points in the second half, as his strong start helped the Orange build an 11-point lead with 12:12 left in regulation.

Late First-Half Surge
The Orange finished the opening half on a 9-0 spurt spanning the final 3:25, turning a two-point deficit into a seven-point advantage. Moore opened the run with a 3-pointer to give Syracuse back the lead before J.J. Starling hit a jumper two possessions later.

Following a Jyare Davis steal on the next Boston College trip, Lucas Taylor tipped in a layup to give the Orange their first largest lead of the half to that point, and Eddie Lampkin Jr. then capped the frame with a dunk to extend the lead to seven entering intermission, 34-27.

Moore Of That
Elijah Moore scored Syracuse's first eight points of the game, with the first six coming off a pair of 3-pointers on the opening two possessions. He then converted a layup that gave the Orange an early 8-4 advantage. The freshman connected on another triple to launch Syracuse's closing 9-0 run.

Moore finished the first half with a team-high 11 points, making 4-of-6 shots from the field and all three of his attempts from beyond-the-arc.

Notable Numbers

Syracuse improved to 2-0 in overtime games on the campaign with the victory. The Orange previously defeated Youngstown State, 104-95, in double overtime on Nov. 16 at the Dome.
This was Syracuse's fourth ever game to finish in triple overtime and the first since Feb. 18, 1984, against Connecticut, which the Orange won, 87-85.
Starling's 28 points were his most since he scored 38 in the double-overtime win against Youngstown State. This was his fifth effort this season with 25 or more points.
Davis went 6-of-10 from the field in his 16-point performance. It was his most points in a game since he had 20 against Notre Dame in December and his ninth time scoring in double figures on the season.
The double-double for Lampkin Jr. was ninth of the campaign. His 18 rebounds were his second most on the season, just short of his 23 versus Pittsburgh. The center also led the Orange with three assists on the day.
Bell scored 12 points off the bench, going 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also matched his season high with six boards.
Moore reached double figures for the first time since he scored 16 against Maryland in December. His 11 points were his most against an ACC opponent this season.
Coming off a season-high 10 points against Duke, Naheem McLeod delivered a pair of blocks in his five minutes of action off the bench.
Starling, Carlos and Kyle Cuffe Jr all collected two steals to lead the Orange. Syracuse took the ball away 10 times via steals in the contest, the most for the Orange in a game since Dec. 28 against Bucknell when they had 13.
The Orange outscored the Eagles in the paint, 52-36, while Boston College made 11 shots from beyond-the-arc compared to Syracuse's seven.
Boston College went 0-of-6 from the field in the final overtime while the Orange went 3-fo-5.
For the game, Syracuse shot 47-percent from the field (35-of-74) compared to Boston College's 43-percent clip (33-of-77). The Orange shot 13-of-23 in the second half (57-percent).
Syracuse finishes the regular season 2-0 against the Eagles with the win after previously defeating Boston College at Conte Forum on Jan. 11, 79-71. Starling averaged 27 points across the two victories, with 44 of his 54 points against the Eagles this season coming in either the first half or overtime.
Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by Hand's 28 points.

Up Next
The Orange return to the road Tuesday for a test at Miami. The contest is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip and will air live on ACC Network.

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 X (@Cuse_MBB) and Instagram (@cuse_mbb).