With 25 seconds left and Boston College trying to cut Syracuse’s lead into two possessions, BC guard Makayla Dickens saw an open teammate streaking to the hoop. The Eagles would’ve had a wide-open layup, but Dickens’ bounce pass skipped out of bounds. 

That play was one of the Eagles’ 23 turnovers — seven more than SU forces on average — which SU turned into 22 points. 

Syracuse’s new-look lineups and active guards in the press led to its 89-79 win over the Eagles (12-10, 5-6) Thursday night in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Orange (11-11, 5-6 Atlantic Coast) led the entire game after a quick 1-0 deficit and Teisha Hyman, starting in place of a sick Gabrielle Cooper, tied her career-high with 16 points to go along with point guard Kiara Lewis’s 23. 

Entering Thursday’s matchup, Syracuse had lost three of its past four games and struggled to score early throughout the month of January and into February. Prior to playing the Eagles, SU had hit 20 first-quarter points just twice in that span. Seven, 10, and 11-point performances in first-quarters dug holes for the Orange. But against Boston College, Syracuse used a new starting lineup and unusual five-player combinations to build an 11-3 lead halfway through the first. 

Along with Hyman — typically used in the sixth-man role — graduate transfers Brooke Alexander, Whisper Fisher and Elemy Colome played more minutes than usual. And their experience paid off. 

With 2:56 remaining in the first, Colome grabbed a steal by midcourt and skipped an over-the-head bounce pass to Alexander in the corner for a 3-pointer. Later, Alexander drove along the baseline and found Fisher by the free-throw line for a short jumper. The Orange’s 22 first-quarter points were the most since Jan. 2 against Florida State, and they entered the second frame leading by five. 

On the first play of the second quarter, the trio continued to contribute. Colome caught an entry pass on the block before finding Fisher on the other block with a quick touch-pass for an easy layup. 

Later in the quarter, the usual starters — and Hyman — returned. Sophomore guard Emily Engstler blocked a Boston College jumper from the outside, collected the rebound and pushed the pace. As she crossed half-court, Engstler (nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists) found junior Digna Strautmane with a cross-court pass for a transition 3. 

A minute into the second half, Syracuse extended its lead to 14 with an Engstler 3 off two offensive rebounds. Hyman kept SU in front by taking a steal at half-court in for an and-1 layup on the fastbreak. 

Even though Boston College won the third quarter, 27-23, SU forced seven turnovers and scored 10 points off them. The Orange would force eight more in the final frame, controlling the game’s pace. 

With 3:48 remaining, Engstler gathered the ball at the top of the key and found Hyman on a backdoor cut for a reverse finish. The bucket put SU up 10. Another Hyman score kept BC at bay, and the Eagles would never get within two possessions of SU again.

Published on February 6, 2020 at 9:37 pm

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