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In Syracuse’s first meeting with Boston College this season on Jan. 10, the Orange obtained a 69-59 home win. Despite facing a double-digit deficit and scoring a season-low 22 points at halftime, BC rallied to take a 50-49 advantage with 7:27 left but couldn’t hold on down the stretch. SU forward Maliq Brown held Eagles star Quinten Post to zero points, spearheading a defensive masterclass which resulted in 22 Boston College turnovers.

Early at Conte Forum on Tuesday, Syracuse overcame a slow offensive start to embark on a few scoring spurts. The visitors’ success, however, was cut short after J.J. Starling exited following a scary fall which prompted a 6-0 Eagles run and a 37-30 halftime deficit for the Orange.

Finding itself in a quick 14-point hole coming out of the break, SU rallied furiously to come within two off of a Brown layup at the 9:53 mark before BC’s Claudell Harris Jr. took over. Despite starting the contest on the bench, the Charleston Southern transfer swished four second-half triples to give the Eagles a double-digit lead. Syracuse never found an answer.

Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (14-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) 80-75 loss at Boston College (13-8, 4-6 ACC):

Overcoming a Slow Start

Darting past BC’s Devin McGlockton on a straight-line drive, Justin Taylor converted a lefty layup for SU’s first basket of Tuesday’s contest. It came at the 15:40 mark. The Orange had gone 0-for-6 from the field prior to Taylor’s make and struggled immensely in creating clean, open looks.

A deep pull-up from Judah Mintz missed before Starling misfired in the exact same spot. Turnovers led to free throws for opposing star Post and a breakaway layup for Jaeden Zackery which gave Boston College a 7-2 lead.

But nearing midway through the opening half, Syracuse found its stroke. Three-pointers from Brown and Starling resulted in a 10-4 run to generate a 12-9 lead for the Orange, prompting a Boston College timeout.

From there, SU’s offense flowed, seemingly getting whatever it wanted. Starling canned a floater in the paint following seamless ball movement, Brown crashed the offensive boards for comfortable put-backs and Mintz finished a swift give-and-go to slam home a two-handed jam. Another 6-0 Syracuse run ensued.

Following the first four minutes, Syracuse’s early shooting struggles had evaporated. What started as an early BC lead morphed into a 20-11 Orange advantage with 8:50 remaining before halftime.

Starling-less Struggles

Rubbing the back of his head as he walked gingerly to SU’s bench, Starling sat out for the final 2:30 of Tuesday’s first half. Moments prior, Starling fell heavily — his feet swept up from under him — while contesting a Mason Madsen 3-point attempt in the left corner. Madsen had pump-faked and collided dangerously with the incoming Starling.

Without its second-leading scorer (12.4 points per game), Syracuse’s offense fell apart, missing its next seven shots. Attempting to find rhythm after a scoreless start, Chris Bell chucked up a few ill-advised 3’s and Brown missed one from the right corner. Kyle Cuffe Jr. pushed the issue on a wild rightward drive where his effort careened off the backboard.

Starling’s absence was encapsulated perfectly during Syracuse’s last two possessions of the opening half. Shouldering the offense responsibilities himself, Mintz executed two forced drives into a crowded paint which culminated in consecutive turnovers.

Starling later returned to begin the second half with the Orange trailing 37-30. He missed his first shot, leading to a Zackery triple and a sudden 41-30 BC cushion.

Backups Offer Solid Contribution

Throughout the season, head coach Adrian Autry has voiced SU’s capability to go “nine or 10 deep,” preaching a brand of basketball which utilizes a deep bench. Phenomenal bench play has won games for Syracuse this season. Across a four-game winning stretch — which included victories over Oregon and Pittsburgh — SU’s bench notched 44 and 52 points, respectively.

Quadir Copeland and Benny Williams saw action early, per usual, but front court pieces Peter Carey and Mounir Hima earned valuable minutes in the first half to offset Brown’s two quick fouls. Carey’s sixth-ever collegiate point came off of a Copeland lob before he flushed another dunk moments later after receiving a dump-off feed from Mintz.

To start the second half, a couple of crafty Copeland deliveries picked out Brown for and-one opportunities which drew Syracuse within 51-45. Then, a slew of baskets littered with Copeland and Brown’s fingerprints translated into a plethora of layups and a long 2 from the left block. With 11:09 remaining, Boston College led just 55-51.

Many, if not all, of Harris Jr.’s crucial 3-point makes came on slightly late Copeland contests. Despite that, Copeland finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four steals while Williams added seven points. The bench, altogether, contributed 20 points — seven shy of Boston College’s total.

Monster Maliq

Outplaying Post, the reigning ACC Most Improved Player, in their first matchup this season, Brown’s stellar, all-around game shone through once again on Tuesday. A dominant interior presence throughout the evening, he finished with 15 points on 58.3% shooting while pulling down six rebounds.

Defensively, Brown consistently fronted Post and pestered him by poking the ball loose in and around the paint. When Post managed to create separation, Brown closed him down to wall-up and influence any ensuing effort.

Offensively, the SU forward never had trouble carving out space down low. He became the recipient of many second-chance points off of chasing offensive rebounds relentlessly. Following misses from Syracuse drives inside, Brown was the first one off the floor in pursuit. He even swished a right-corner 3 to breathe life into a struggling Orange offense early on, though he finished 1-for-3 from range.

Published on January 30, 2024 at 9:35 pm

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff