CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Freshmen Malachi Richardson and Tyler Lydon spurred a 16-2 second-half run that stretched Syracuse’s lead to as many as 15, distancing the Orange (18-8, 8-5 Atlantic Coast) from ACC bottom-dweller Boston College (7-18, 0-12) in a 75-61 win on Sunday afternoon at Conte Forum.

Here are three quick reactions to Syracuse’s fifth consecutive win.

Better half

Syracuse shot a meager 3-of-13 from behind the arc in the opening half and the Orange was forced to pound the paint against seven-footer Dennis Clifford. In the second half, a brigade from beyond the arc yielded much more favorable results for SU and eight deep balls accounted for 60 percent of Syracuse’s scoring in the latter 20 minutes.

Four different players hit at least two from beyond the arc. Gbinije led the way with four, Richardson tacked on three and Lydon and Trevor Cooney each contributed a pair.

The Orange finished 11-of-23 from behind the arc and had the deep ball to thank for avoiding a scare against the conference’s worst team.

Out of nowhere

Matt Milon was averaging 4.5 points per game coming into Sunday’s matchup, but he had 20 in the first half.

The 6-foot-4 freshman guard hit all four 3-pointers he took and went a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line, keeping the Eagles in a game that, on paper, they had no business being in.

In the second half it was Clifford who kept the hosts in the game until Syracuse distanced itself. But Milon still chipped in five second-half points to set a career-high and log his name in the “no-name shooter that beats the Syracuse zone” books.

Giving to charity

In its second-best foul-shooting performance of the season, Syracuse shot an efficient 16-for-18 from the line against the Eagles.

Only Gbinije and Tyler Roberson missed a foul shot while Richardson, Cooney and Lydon hit all of theirs.

Published on February 14, 2016 at 3:02 pm