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GREENSBORO, N.C. — With Syracuse leading 22-21 in the second quarter, forward Emily Engstler caught a pass with her back heel planted on the 3-point arc. After pump faking and drawing her defender off-balance, Engstler dribbled once to her right. With more separation — and a clearer look at the basket — Engstler pulled-up, sinking the long-range 2. 

On SU’s next possession, Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi caught a pass behind the arc. With room to shoot, Djaldi-Tabdi followed head coach Quentin Hillsman’s strategy and hoisted. As Djaldi-Tabdi’s shot caromed off the left side of the rim, Engstler wedged herself between two BC rebounders.

As the missed shot began its downward trajectory, Engstler leapt, snaring the rebound over the outstretched arms of Boston College’s Ally VanTimmeren. After resetting the offense, veteran guard Kiara Lewis tried her luck at a 3. Once again, SU’s shot missed, and once again, Engstler was in position.

Engstler jumped from the left block and leaned right for the rebound. After grabbing the ball, Engstler landed sideways, on the back of Taylor Soule, with another possession secured. 

With Tiana Mangakahia sidelined with a lower body injury, Syracuse was without its top scorer from its Feb. 25 game against Boston College. The Orange were also missing Taleah Washington, Kiara Fisher, Khamya McNeal and Faith Blackstone — who violated team rules, according to the broadcast. With a depleted rotation, Syracuse (13-7, 10-7 Atlantic Coast) relied on a tall lineup on Thursday. Veteran leaders Engstler, Digna Strautmane and Lewis led Syracuse in its narrow 67-61 victory over Boston College (7-12, 2-12), as the trio combined for 42 points. After SU led for the whole second half, the Eagles nearly shocked the Orange when they cut Syracuse’s lead to 63-61 with just 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

“Without Tiana, we really struggle with trying to get cohesive lineups in the game,” Hillsman said. “We did a really good job of just getting our veteran players on the floor and just biting down and getting some tough rebounds.”

The last time Syracuse played Boston College, the Orange defeated the Eagles 92-75 in the Dome after five Syracuse players scored in double digits. Mangakahia tied a season-high with 19 points after shooting 5-of-10 from the field and 7-8 from the free-throw line. But without Mangakahia, Syracuse was forced to turn to alternative scoring options on Thursday.

That late-February win over BC ended Boston College’s regular season, as the Eagles finished with just two conference wins — against Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. The Eagles defense allowed the second-most points in the ACC, with opponents shooting nearly 46% from the field — ranking 328th in the nation. 

After winning its first round ACC tournament matchup against Pittsburgh, 67-56, Boston College had won two of its past three before Thursday’s second-round contest. In its victory over the Panthers, BC was led by a career-high 33 points from junior Cameron Swartz. 

Kamilla Cardoso finished with four points in 11 minutes. Courtesy of Sara Davis | ACC

Swartz was pivotal in BC’s fourth quarter comeback despite foul trouble. With 32 seconds left and SU leading by seven, it seemed like the Orange would ease to a quarterfinals matchup with Florida State. But Swartz then nailed a 3, four seconds into the shot clock. 

Boston College quickly fouled Djaldi-Tabdi, who made 1-of-2 free throws. With Syracuse leading by five, BC’s Makayla Dickens quickly heaved a 3 on the next possession, which connected. But after cutting Syracuse’s lead to a one-score game, SU’s Djaldi-Tabdi hit both free throws after another foul, securing the Orange’s victory.

“Our veteran players really, really stepped up and played well today,” Hillsman said.

Lewis began to facilitate after failing to score early. Late in the second quarter, the redshirt senior dribbled along the top of the key and called to teammate Amaya Finklea-Guity to abandon her interior post positioning and set a screen. After Finklea-Guity screened Lewis’ defender, the post player rotated back down to the basket. 

As Finklea-Guity rotated, her defender stuck to Lewis, double-teaming SU’s guard. Noticing the wide-open Finklea-Guity, Lewis cut into the perimeter, drawing both defenders away from the basket. After dribbling between her legs, Lewis fired to her fellow senior for one of Lewis’ three assists in the first 20 minutes. 

But Lewis also struggled to manage her scoring role and the facilitating role of her backcourt counterpart. With Mangakahia out, Lewis began possessions at the top of the key — rather than in her usual off-ball setup on the right wing. With two minutes left in the first quarter, Lewis dribbled near the top of the key and found a sliver of an opening in the Eagles defense. 

Boston College’s Swartz stepped in front of Lewis while she drove to the basket and instigated contact. Both players fell to the hardwood. 

“Foul!” Hillsman yelled.

The officials agreed — except they tacked an offensive foul on Lewis.

Despite first-half and late-game struggles, Hillsman’s team eventually outmatched Boston College despite playing just seven players. Strautmane’s 13 points was her third-best scoring output of the season. The 6-foot-2 forward nailed a trio of 3s and knocked away passes while playing at the top of the 2-3 zone.

“It was a little different, especially for Digna,” Lewis said. “She’s playing at the top of the zone with me. Something that hasn’t happened all season.”

Whether it was through Lewis’s drives to the basket, Strautmane’s long-range shots or Engstler’s instincts under the rim, Syracuse relied on its veteran playmakers to down the lowest-ranked team in the ACC tournament. 

Syracuse began the third quarter on a 10-4 run to give itself a comfortable 10-point advantage after a transition 3 from Strautmane. 

“That’s when your mid-range has to come into play and got to be able to knock down outside shots,” Lewis said. “I missed like my first four shots, but I was able to get into some type of groove.”

While SU’s trio played the whole game, BC’s top playmakers struggled with foul issues. Following a career-game against Pitt, Swartz played 27 minutes and scored 11 points. Boston College head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee sat Swartz for the remainder of the first half after two early fouls. Soule also dealt with foul trouble in the waning minutes and was on the bench with four fouls with less than five minutes remaining.

While defeating Boston College was expected, a shorthanded Syracuse team was satisfied with advancing and playing another tournament game, regardless of the narrow victory.

“This was the game to win, and every other game might come a little easier,” Engstler said. “It’s really hard to beat a team three times no matter who they are. We just played them, and we didn’t have Tiana. So we get through this game. I mean, I feel that we’re here ready for some revenge at Florida State.”

Published on March 4, 2021 at 4:54 pm

Contact Thomas: [email protected] | @ThomasShults_