Boston College had the first point of the game and Syracuse had just about everything else. Save for that opening salvo and a slow offensive start, the Orange (10-7, 3-3 ACC) controlled the contest and used a 25-5 run that lasted just over six minutes to all but end the game before halftime. The burst gave SU a 24-point lead as they soared over the Eagles (9-8, 3-3) at the Carrier Dome, 76-50.
BC simply could not make a shot in the first half, shooting 5-of-27 from the field and missing all 14 attempts from long range. Syracuse, meanwhile, was effective on offense most of the evening, shooting just under 52 percent from the floor and 8-of-18 from long range. The Orange even had a pristine night at the charity stripe, making all 12 of their free throws.
SU also had one of their better efforts on the glass of the season, owning a 40-28 advantage in rebounding. Syracuse also poured in 24 fast break points, keying their offensive effort.
Both teams were slow out of the gate. While they got on the board first by a free throw, Boston College went the first eight minutes without field goal. Meanwhile, the Orange only mustered a pair of foul shots during that time and held an 11-7 lead a dozen minutes into the game.
That, however, was when SU got rolling.
Buddy Boeheim hit a long three from the left wing and backed that up with lay-ups on consecutive possessions. Elijah Hughes swished a three from the left break to make it ten straight points for Syracuse.
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After the two teams traded a pair of markers, the Eagles added a foul shot. Boeheim connected on another three, then Hughes scored twice more, the latter coming when he turned a steal into a breakaway slam. Bourama Sidibe muscled up for a basket inside, then Howard Washington left the ball for a Marek Dolezaj lay-in. The 11-0 burst closed a 25-5 run that gave the Orange a 36-12 lead with under two minutes left in the opening half.
SU took a 38-13 lead to the locker room, making the second half academic. The two teams alternated scored until Hughes scored on consecutive possessions to give Syracuse a 48-19 lead just over four minutes into the second half. Joe Girard III would stick a three to match that 29-point margin three-and-a-half minutes later.
Boston College responded with their lone run of the night, posting a 12-4 stretch that narrowed the margin to 59-38 shortly after the midpoint of the second half. Boeheim and Girard responded by hitting threes from near the top of the key, boosting the margin to 27 points coming out of the under-eight media timeout.
The Orange lead never shrank below two dozen points over the remainder of the game.
Buddy Boeheim led the way for Syracuse, hitting four threes as he piled up 22 points, including 15 in the opening half. Elijah Hughes backed him with 19 points. Joe Girard III added a dozen points and Marek Dolezaj carded his second double-double of the season, notching 10 points and 11 rebounds.
C.J. Felder topped the Eagles with nine points and nine rebounds. Jairus Hamilton matched Felder with nine points, as well. Jared Hamilton added seven points while Chris Herren Jr. and Julian Rishwain each chipped in with six.
The Orange will return to the road on Saturday when they close their season series at Virginia Tech. The Hokies (13-4, 4-2) used a big second half rally to defeat SU at the Carrier Dome on January 7, 67-63. Jalen Cone paced VT with 19 points, hitting four of his five three-pointers after halftime, while Elijah Hughes topped the hosts with 18.
Virginia Tech has won seven of eight games, including their last three. Landers Nolley II, who leads the Hokies with 18.1 points per game, has rolled up 50 points in the last two outings, including 29 points against North Carolina State.
The Syracuse-Virginia Tech game will get underway at 12:00pm Eastern on Saturday and be televised on regional sports networks.
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