Syracuse 101, Boston College 63: Orange blow out Eagles in lopsided victory

Chestnut Hill, Mass. — After taking a loss earlier in the week to Rutgers, the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team throttled the Boston College Eagles by a final score of 101-63 inside Conte Forum on Saturday. All five Syracuse starters scored in double-figures and the team broke a school record with 16 made 3-pointers.

Buddy Boeheim rejoined the team after nearly two weeks in quarantine due to contract tracing. Jim Boeheim inserted him back into the starting lineup along with Joe Girard, Alan Griffin, Quincy Guerrier and Marek Dolezaj.

Despite missing three games, the younger Boeheim started off hot, connecting on his first two 3s of the game. The Orange as a collective shot it well early as Joe Girard made his first three shots from range and Alan Griffin joined the barrage as well.

The outside shooting opened up the paint for Quincy Guerrier. The sophomore forward asserted himself around the rim in the first half. He rebounded a missed Boeheim triple and finished with an and-one. He got to the free throw line, going 4-5, which helped him put up 14 first half points.

Syracuse held a double-digit lead most of the first half, but Boston College was able to stay within striking distance thanks to junior guard Wynston Tabbs. He went 3-4 from deep and did a solid job penetrating the zone. Still, the Eagles never got the game to within three possessions after the early going.

Boeheim went with his starters for most of the first half, however Kadary Richmond and Woody Newton were inserted into the game at the 8:43 mark. Newton made his presence felt right away with a dunk and loud scream to follow. On the ensuing possession, he rebounded a Boston College miss and connected on a three to give Syracuse a 40-22 lead.

After getting out-rebounded in Tuesday night’s game against Rutgers, the Orange controlled the glass as a collective to an 18-14 edge. Syracuse shot 8-16 from deep in the first 20 minutes and took a 48-30 lead into the break.

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Syracuse came out strong to a 6-0 run out of the intermission. Boeheim got a quick steal and passed ahead to Girard, who finished with a righty lay-in. Marek Dolezaj scored inside. Then Boeheim drove and finished through contact to give Syracuse a 54-30 lead, forcing Jim Christian to call timeout.

The hot shooting for Syracuse continued into the second half as Griffin and Girard made shots, an important component of any basketball game according to most coaches. The Orange lead swelled to 30.

The cushion allowed Syracuse to give its bench some extended run. John Bol Ajak saw his first action of the night in the second half. Robert Braswell and Frank Anselem were also given minutes. Jesse Edwards came in with just over four minutes remaining and later scored his first points of the season.

The Orange controlled the glass, owned the edge in paint points and scored 101 points for the first time since Nov. 22, 2016, when the Orange played South Carolina State at home.

Griffin was the high point man with 19 to go along with 10 rebounds. Notably, Girard finished with 17 points on 5-7 shooting from deep with five rebounds and five assists. Syracuse moved to 4-1 on the season and now has a week off in between games.

Next Up

Syracuse returns home to play Buffalo next weekend. That game tips off on Dec. 19 with a tip-time TBD.