CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Syracuse (15-6, 6-2 Atlantic Coast) bounced back from its worst loss in more than two years with a 77-71 victory over Boston College (11-8, 2-5) on Wednesday night at Conte Forum. The Orange have won eight of their last 10 games.

Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s win.

Double bounce back

As Syracuse bounced back from a 22-point loss, so did Battle. The junior shooting guard scored only 10 points in each of his last two games, but he returned to his full self in a 28-point performance — plus six dimes. He asserted himself by attacking the basket off the dribble, and he found his shooting stroke in the second half.

After one blow-by to the basket, Boston College head coach Jim Christian said: “Stop the ball one f*cking time” to his team. When Battle drilled back-to-back 3-pointers, Christian stomped his feet. The Eagles had few answers for Battle, who showed what he can do offensively and the player he can be.

Perimeter-oriented team

In recent weeks, Syracuse has gone from midrange and drive-heavy to perimeter oriented. The start came Jan. 19 against Pittsburgh, and the Orange has positioned shooters on the wings more frequently.

“We need to do a better job of finding open shooters on the wings,” SU head coach Jim Boeheim said on Jan. 19.

With SU’s interior struggles, the 3-point threat has done wonders for the Orange offense. Syracuse finished Wednesday 11-for-26 from deep, a 42.3-percent clip.

Nothing glamorous, but a win

BC racked up two bad losses in nonconference play and likely won’t rise near the top of the conference this season. But a road win in the ACC represents a step forward, almost regardless of the opponent. Next up is Pittsburgh on the road, followed by Florida State and Boston College at home. Now’s the time for SU to capitalize and pick up wins against unranked opponents before a series of ranked opponents loom in mid-February.

Published on January 30, 2019 at 10:02 pm

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