– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
CHESTNUT HILL, MASSACHUSETTS — Once the Boston College basketball team stopped giving the ball away to Syracuse … they gave it to Syracuse!
Reserve guard Claudell Harris Jr. scored 14 of his 19 points in the second half as the Eagles used red-hot shooting from the field all game to lift them to an 80-75 victory over the Orange, logging their first winning streak in conference play this season. Jaeden Zackery and Devin McGlockton each scored 15 points as the Eagles, who found themselves down seven late in the first half, erupted en route to a 21-0 run bridging the first and second halves to turn the game on its head and, eventually, snap an 11-game losing streak against their long-time Big East Conference rival.
That game-changing run gave the Eagles a 44-30 lead less than two minutes into the second half, and it was capped off by a Zackery three at the 18:18 mark. Syracuse cut the lead to 55-53 on a Maliq Brown layup with 9:52 left, but Syracuse would get no closer as the Eagles went on another big run, a 12-2 spurt that built the lead back to 12 after Harris, who scored 11 straight points for Boston College during that stretch, hit the third of his four second-half threes for a 67-55 advantage. The Eagles ended the second half making eight of their final nine shots from the field.
Boston College committed 21 turnovers, with its early carelessness leading the Orange to open up a quick 20-11 lead. Ten of the Eagles’ 11 first-half giveaways came in the game’s first 15:36, and Syracuse held onto a 30-23 lead off a J.J. Starling three-pointer after a McGlockton turnover. The final 4:24 of the first half saw Boston College commit just one turnover, a stretch that coincided with the onset of its 21-0 run.
On the evening, the Eagles shot an even 60 percent from the field (30-of-50), including 16-of-26 from the floor in the game’s final 20 minutes.
Starling and Judah Mintz each had 18 points to lead the Orange, who have alternated wins and losses in their last four games. Syracuse, despite shooting 56 percent from the field in the second half (18-for-32) hurt its chances of winning by making just four of its 10 free throws in the second half in a game they eventually lost by five.
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Tuesday evening’s game, with all photos taken by Boston-area photographer Erica Denhoff. After clicking on the first photo to enlarge the picture, make sure to press the left and right arrow buttons to scroll through the rest of the pictures. There are 35 pictures in total.
Follow @Koiki_Sport Follow @ALOST_Official
