Syracuse hung on for a 73-64 win over Boston College on Tuesday evening on the road. Here are some quick thoughts on the game:
- Syracuse is now 55-4 in the last nine campaigns when they shoot 34 percent or better from three-point range while holding their opponent to 30 percent or worse from beyond the arc, including 5-0 this season.
- While he went through some struggles early in the night, Joe Girard III was lights-out as a closer, scoring 17 of his 19 points after halftime. That effort included 11 after the under-four media timeout, highlighted by a stepback three from the corner in front of the Syracuse bench over seven-footer Quinten Post. Girard nearly outscored the Eagles by himself in that time, trailing them 12-11.
- Boston College got off to a brutal start on offense, missing their first ten shots, including four threes, and turning the ball over four times before their first basket. Their first half shooting performance was painful at times, as they missed their first 11 shots from beyond the arc and ended the half 1-for-15 from deep as they shot 30.6 percent overall.
- Cole Swider continued his blistering pace from three-point range. His 5-for-8 performance from deep lowered his mark over the last four games to 73.7 percent (13-of-19). His 21 points tied a season-high and he is averaging 17.3 points per game during the Orange’s four-game win streak.
- Symir Torrence was a jolt to the SU offense in the first half. He set up each of Swider’s three triples in the first half and added a banked push shot from just above the right baseline.
- Swider and Buddy Boeheim combined to knock down five three pointers during a span lasting just over five minutes in the second half. That flurry pushed a 13-9 Syracuse lead out to 32-20 and BC would never get within two possessions after that.
- It has been a while since he had a bad game, so we will allow Jesse Edwards to forget about this one. He finished with five fouls, two rebounds, one block, and one steal in 13:46. Frank Anselem took advantage of the opportunity, posting five points and six boards, giving him five points or more in four of the last six games.
- While he did have a hot streak of shooting late in the first half, Buddy Boeheim struggled considerably the rest of the night. After scoring on three straight possessions, Boeheim missed nine of ten shots over the final 24 minutes of action and also committed three turnovers in the game.
» Related: Girard takes control as Syracuse tops Boston College
NEXT UP:
SU will put a bow on this two-game road trip Saturday when they face Virginia Tech. The Hokies (14-10, 6-7) have won their last four games, all in conference play, most recently routing Pittsburgh at home on Monday night, 74-47.
Four different players average double digits in scoring for Virginia Tech, paced by Keve Aluma, who scores 15.3 points per game. Hunter Cattour, Justyn Mutts, and Nahiem Alleyne support Aluma at just over ten points per game. Mutts leads the team in rebounds (7.3 per game) and assists (3.0 per game) while Cattour (61 threes on 46.9 percent shooting), Alleyne (46 threes on 38.7 percent shooting), and Storm Murphy (40 threes at 38.1 percent shooting) are all strong perimeter threats.
Saturday’s tip-off for the Orange and the Hokies is set for 6:00pm Eastern on with ESPN2 televising the action.
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