No. 18 Syracuse women’s basketball defeats Boston College, 83-70

The Syracuse Orange women’s basketball team (5-1, 2-1) defeated Boston College (4-3, 0-3) in Chestnut Hill on Sunday afternoon, 83-70. Kamilla Cardoso went 10-11 from the field, leading all scorers with 24 points. The freshman also added seven rebounds, a steal, and a block.

Tiana Mangakahia did not play on Sunday due to a lingering foot injury from the Miami game. Freshman Kiara Fisher started in her place, alongside Cardoso, Kiara Lewis, Priscilla Williams, and Digna Strautmane.

After a blowout loss to North Carolina on Thursday, the Orange came ready to compete in Boston. ‘Cuse led by 16 after the opening quarter, 31-15. Cardoso tallied 14 points in the opening 10 minutes.

In the second quarter, Syracuse grew its lead as large as 19 at the five-minute mark. But, a 12-2 run by the Eagles shrunk the Orange gap to nine at halftime, 44-35 ‘Cuse. Boston College outscored Syracuse 20-13 in the second quarter.

The Orange shot 52.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three in the first half. ‘Cuse outrebounded BC, 26-19, and outscored the Eagles in the paint 28-20. Cardoso led all scorers with 18 points (7-7), while Emily Engstler contributed a near double-double with nine rebounds and seven points in the first half.

Syracuse opened the second half with an 8-2 run to regain their double-digit lead, 52-37 at 8:08. Boston College came within eight of ‘Cuse’s lead in the quarter, but the Orange used their speed and full-court press to close the third frame with a 71-58 advantage.

The Orange and Eagles traded shots in the final 10 minutes of the contest. BC was unable to gain any long run against the ‘Cuse zone, earning Syracuse its second Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season, 83-70.

In addition to Cardoso, Lewis and Williams tallied double-digit scoring in the contest. Lewis contributed 20 points and eight assists, while Williams scored 14 points in 14 minutes.

Engstler and Strautmane tallied double-digit rebounds with 11 and 10, respectively. Both players scored seven points each and Engstler blocked three shots.

Washington (6), Fisher (3), and Amaya Finklea-Guity (2) rounded out the scoring effort for the Orange.

Syracuse shot 54.4 percent from the field in the contest, a huge improvement from the North Carolina loss (29.3). The Orange also outrebounded the Eagles 43-35 and outscored BC in the paint, 52-30.

Positive: Last game, the Orange went 9-36 in three-point range. On Sunday, ‘Cuse scored four of their 14 attempts. Instead of rushing three-point shots, the Orange focused on their big players and gaining points in the paint. Syracuse also improved on its free throws, shooting 89.5 percent from the line compared to its season average of 57.3.

Negative: Engstler exited the court in the final seconds of the game with a non-contact injury. There is no word yet as of Sunday on what the injury was. Mangakahia & Engstler out could be deadly for ‘Cuse, but both players have over a week to recover before the next game.

Syracuse will have an 8-day break for the holidays before returning to action at home versus Morgan State on Dec. 28. The Orange will battle the Bears at 7 p.m. EST on ACC Network.