Coming off a huge road win at Clemson, Syracuse women's basketball looks to secure its third straight win at Boston College Thursday night. A win at BC would be the Orange’s second straight road win.
The game against Clemson saw Dyaisha Fair continue to show her elite scoring ability with a 27-point performance. The Tigers’ defense was simply unable to stop her, especially in the second half.
The win saw Syracuse successfully put two halves of basketball together, something Head Coach Felisha Legette-Jack has spoken about several times this season. Consistency has been one of the biggest struggles for her team, but the Orange looked as consistent as a team can be in South Carolina.
Five Syracuse players recorded double-digit scoring totals against Clemson. Georgia Woolley continued her streak of high-level play, recording 14 points, and five rebounds. Defensively, Woolley was locked in, recording six steals on the night. This comes after two 23-point performances from the sophomore guard.
Syracuse’s matchup against BC is an even one. Both teams are 3-2 in conference play and have very similar records; BC has played two more games than SU and sits at 13-5 on the season, while the Orange are 12-4.
The Eagles and the Orange share two common opponents. Both BC and SU beat UAlbany earlier in the season, but more importantly, both teams have played NC State. Syracuse lost a heartbreaker against the Wolfpack 56-54, but BC managed to pull off the upset, beating NC State 79-71 in Raleigh.
The Eagles are led by Dontavia Waggoner, a junior guard who is averaging just under 14 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounds and steals, averaging 7.5 and 3.2 per game, respectively. Her size makes her a tough matchup for the majority of the Orange’s roster. At six feet tall, Waggoner is taller than four of Syracuse’s starters.
A young star for the Eagles facilitates a good deal of their offense. Taina Mair is the reigning ACC rookie of the week after her sensational performances in BC’s victories over NC State and Florida State. In those two games, Mair averaged 16 points, 8.5 assists and six rebounds.
BC is not an excellent shot-blocking team, something Syracuse’s bigs can hugely benefit from. Dariauna Lewis and Asia Strong have shown how effective they can be in the paint all season, with Kyra Wood only recently bursting onto the scene for the Orange. While the Eagles’ leading shot blocker, sophomore center Maria Gakdeng, is six-foot-three and therefore holds the size advantage, she only averages 1.6 blocks per game.
Both teams come into the matchup on two-game win streaks, but the quality of these wins is not the same. Syracuse’s two wins have come against unranked Pitt and Clemson, while BC’s wins have come against a top 10 NC State and a Florida State squad that received five AP Top 25 votes this past week.
Syracuse’s ball movement against Clemson was incredibly successful in setting up smart shots. Continuing that team play will be crucial if the Orange want to stay hot against a very evenly matched BC squad.
Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.