Syracuse came back from a seven-point deficit in double overtime and nearly pitched a shutout in triple overtime to secure a 95-86 victory over Boston College at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange (11-13, 5-8 ACC) held the Eagles (10-13, 2-10) without a field goal for nearly the final eight minutes in sending BC to their eighth loss in nine games. SU forced Boston College to miss their last nine shots from the floor as they outscored the guests by a 19-3 margin to close the game.
Nearly three hours prior to that, Elijah Moore started the game hot, draining a long 3-pointer on the first Syracuse possession, then adding another triple the next time down the court. All told, Moore had the first eight points of the day for the Orange as they took three different four-point leads in the opening minutes.
Boston College responded quickly, rattling off eight straight to take their first lead of the day at 16-12 at the under-12 media timeout. Both teams struggled on offense for the next couple minutes, but SU eventually pieced together a 7-2 stretch to go in front by a single point.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth multiple times before Syracuse closed the half strong, tallying the final nine points before the horn for a 34-27 halftime lead. Jyare Davis started the second half with a bucket to push the lead to nine, but the Eagles immediately came back, slicing the lead down to four.
The two teams alternated scores for multiple possessions, but the Orange ended that trend by posting a 10-2 run to take their first double-figure lead at 56-45 just over eight minutes into the second half. BC responded with a 10-3 run of their own to draw back within 59-55 and force a timeout from SU coach Adrian Autry.
A couple minutes later, a Boston College 3 pulled the guests within 59-58, but Chris Bell gave SU a little room with a mid-range jumper, then Starling some more with a pair of foul shots. After an Eagle basket, Davis scored in the post and Starling drained a mid-range push shot to make it an 8-2 run for a 67-60 Syracuse lead with a little over two minutes remaining.
BC scored twice, then Starling missed the front end of a one-and-one, leaving the door open at 67-64. After the two teams called three total timeouts, Fred Payne rattled home a 3-pointer to knot the score. Jaquan Carlos’ heave fell short, sending the game to overtime.
The two teams wrestled over the lead in the first extra session. As the one-minute mark approached, Lucas Taylor dropped in a nifty reverse lay-up for a 75-73 Orange lead. The Eagles responded with a 3-point play. Starling made the first of two foul shots to tie the game at 76 with 30.4 seconds left. Carlos thwarted the last Boston College attack by stripping the ball, eventually leading to Starling pull-up that went off the heel and double overtime.
The guests scored on their first three possessions of the second overtime, jumping out to an 83-76 lead with just over three minutes on the clock. SU chipped away, pulling within 83-82 with just over a minute left. The Eagles pushed the lead back out to three, but Starling answered with a lay-up to make it 85-84.
After Donald Hand Jr. missed two foul shots, Starling was fouled going to the rim with 11.1 seconds on the clock. Starling made the first, but missed the second. The Eagles rebounded, but Kyle Cuffe Jr. stripped the ball away and his halfcourt shot drew the back iron, sending the game to a third overtime.
Davis posted up twice around a BC free throw to help Syracuse to a three-point lead in the first minute, then Starling added a lay-up for a 91-86 advantage halfway through the period. The Orange defense made that lead stand up until the final horn.
Starling had 28 points to lead SU while Davis mostly banged his way to 16 points inside. Lampkin did his share of physical play, as well, nearly posting his ninth double-double of the season in the first half and clinching it early in the second, as he totaled 14 points and 18 rebounds. Bell chipped in with 12 points and Moore added 11.
Hand led the Eagles with 28 points, including hitting five 3-pointers. Joshua Beadle backed him with 16 points. Chad Venning added 11 points while Fred Payne had ten and Dion Brown nine.
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