Syracuse men’s basketball falls to Boston College 81-73 in OT

Syracuse’s men’s basketball (12-6, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) crumbled late against a Boston College (8-10, 1-4 ACC) that was still seeking its first conference win. After being outscored 17-9 in overtime, the Orange were defeated 81-73 by the Eagles inside Conte Forum.

The Orange were ahead for 33 of the 45 minutes in this game and even up by three points with just 17 seconds left in regulation. However, with just seven seconds remaining, Boston College guard Donald Hand Jr. nailed a three-pointer, which forced overtime.

“Our level and our attention to detail just wasn’t there,” SU head coach Adrian Autry said after the loss. “Our defensive focus is just not where it needs to be.”

Despite the Eagles triple that forced OT, the Orange still had a chance to pick up the victory. But once the final five minutes began BC took over and went on an eight to two run in the first three minutes of the overtime period.

“Boston College made the plays that they needed to make especially down the stretch in the second half,” Autry said about the Eagles run late in the game. “They fought harder than us and I don’t like to say that but that’s just the facts.”

In the first half, BC was shooting only 29% from the field. But once the squad got going in the second half it was a noticeable difference from the first 20 minutes. The Eagles shot 47% in the second half and 80% in overtime.

Along with the Eagles' shooting, another form of offensive success came from forcing turnovers. SU tied a season high with 18 turnovers in the loss which was 10 more than BC. It ended up leading to 22 points off turnovers for Boston College.

“You can’t win and beat anybody with 18 turnovers… I thought that was the difference,” Autry mentioned about his squad's takeaways. “The turnovers that we had, we just can’t make those.”

Despite the loss and it is a big one, there is still some positives for Syracuse to take away. Firstly, SU forward Donnie Freeman recorded his first double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds. The sophomore also grabbed all of those rebounds on the defensive end. Freeman has clearly been the leader for the Orange during conference play so far, averaging 22 points per game.

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Another positive for the Cuse was Nate Kingz, who led the team with a career-high 27 points. The senior was 67% effective from the field and nailed five of six shots from downtown.

“I don’t worry about Nate Kingz,” Coach Autry said about the guard. “He puts the work in, he’s a grinder, and he gives you 100% every time he steps up.”

Syracuse’s loss now marks two in just five games of conference play so far, and the overall record moves to 12-6. The Orange can bounce back at home next week on Wednesday against Virginia Tech.

Tipoff against VT is at 9 p.m. with our coverage on WAER with McClurg Remodeling Countdown to Tipoff begins at 8:30.