MBB Loses Late Lead, Then Game To Syracuse

Duke, Clemson, Louisville, Pitt, Wake Forest and UNC all had three or more ACC wins heading into the day. That left BC with the others, the group of teams with two or fewer wins against the rest of the ACC.

So, when Syracuse visited Conte Forum for a late afternoon tilt, the matchup between the Eagles and Orange was one of two up-and-down teams, but teams that are still technically right in the thick of the early ACC seedings race, making this old school Northeast battle an important one.

The Eagles had near double-digit lead with about seven minutes to go, but as has been the case most of this season, BC couldn't finish, losing 79-71.

Joshua Beadle and Chad Venning each had 17 points while Donald Hand Jr. had 20. The Eagles shot 44% (27-62) and just 25% from three (4-16). The rebound battle was dead even at 36-36, but BC also hurt itself going 13-20 from the free throw line.

BC drops to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in the ACC. Syracuse improved to 8-8 and 2-3.

"I thought we did a lot of things right and we came up short," said Earl Grant. "I thought we played a really good game. Six turnovers, we were rebounding well...we tried to execute pretty well...overall, you know, we did a lot of things right.

"The margin was slim for us to win that game."

After a tough offensive half for both teams that saw them play to a 32-32 stalemate heading into the break, Venning went on a personal 7-0 run while Beadle added a fast break layup off a steal to give BC a 41-36 lead four minutes into the second half.

Both squads traded buckets back-and-forth the next few minutes. Hand Jr. made a shot while falling down at the 11:57 mark, getting fouled in the process. Coming out of a timeout he knocked down the free throw to make it 49-44 Eagles.The Orange hung around, with a layup cutting the BC lead to 51-46 as the clock ticked under 10 minutes to go before a Chas Kelley runner pushed it back to seven.

Things unraveled quickly and as the game moved under the six minute mark, the Orange tied it at 54-54. On the next possession, a 'Cuse runner as the shot clock wound down made it 56-54 Orange with 5:35 remaining.

A Beadle jumper made it 56-56 before an Orange three. A Venning put-back cut it back to one with under four to go. After a timeout, the Orange buried a corner three to make it 62-58.

Strong missed two free throws on the ensuing Eagles' opportunity and a layup on the other end made it a seven-point game with under three left. The lead eventually moved to 68-60 as the clock ticked under two minutes.

Down 70-61 entering the final minute, Hand Jr. hit a layup to keep the Eagles somewhat alive. Unfortunately, forced to play the free throw game, a few Beadle buckets ultimately meant little as BC dropped another home game.

"I feel like the coaching staff is doing a great job," said Hand Jr. when asked if the struggles for BC are more about the staff or the players. "They can't play the game for us. Once we get on the court, we have to execute. They tell us the right stuff. We practice the right stuff every day. It just comes down to us executing when we have to in the game."

It wasn't a pretty start for either team, but BC began 2-7 and quickly fell in a 10-4 hole. But, a hook shot from Venning and a fade away from Hand Jr. soon cut it to 12-8. A block by Venning at one end and a layup for Strong at the other made it 12-10 and a Hand Jr. three with 12:45 left gave the Eagles their first lead at 13-12.

'Cuse was able to build a 27-20 lead over the next few minutes as the Eagles struggled to score. After Hand Jr. hit two free throws for a technical out of a timeout and the Orange missed two free throws down the other end, a top of the key three for Dion Brown cut it to 27-25.

A floater in the lane by Strong tied the game at 27-27 in the final two minutes. 'Cuse hit a bucket, but Hand Jr. went hard to the rim, was fouled and made two free throws to knot the game back up. 'Cuse got three from the charity stripe in one possession, but at the halftime buzzer Beadle buried a corner three to tie the game up.

Now, BC has a quick turn around with a matchup at Notre Dame on Monday before the circus that is Cooper Flagg and Duke roll into Conte next Saturday.