Syracuse 95, Boston College 86: Orange men's basketball wins a marathon in triple overtime

Halfway to 6OT

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — For the second time this season, the Syracuse Orange missed three consecutive front-ends trying to close out a win inside the JMA Wireless Dome. Against Colgate, the Orange escaped after the Raiders couldn’t get a shot off.

On Saturday, the Orange wound down the clock from 40 seconds to 20 seconds after grabbing an offensive rebound on the first miss (JJ Starling), but then missed again (Eddie Lampkin), and Boston College went down the floor to cut the lead to three.

Starling missed another front-end, and Syracuse fouled up three with six seconds left, but it had a foul to give, and Boston College crossed half-court on the inbound, calling timeout with 4.4 seconds to play.

It would come back to bite, as Fred Payne came off a screen from Chad Venning on the inbound, and had enough space to drain the game-tying three with 1.2 seconds left.

But five extra minutes of basketball wouldn’t be enough. And then ten minutes of extra basketball wouldn’t be enough. It took three overtimes for this one to be decided.

The Orange opened up a nine-point lead in the third overtime, forcing a few turnovers, and getting just enough on the offensive end. Syracuse exhaled with its second multi-overtime win of the season, 95-86 over Boston College to improve to 5-8 in the ACC.

In the first extra session, free throws would be the Orange’s Achilles heel once again. After Venning put the Eagles ahead with an and-1 in response to Lucas Taylor’s clutch basket, Starling drew another foul. He would make the first to tie the game, but miss the second, giving Boston College a chance to win the game with 22 seconds left. They wouldn’t be able to convert, and double overtime was on the way.

The Eagles opened up the second overtime with a three-pointer from Josh Beadle, and Donald Hand scored in the lane to bring the lead out to five, forcing a Red Autry timeout. But even after the Boston College lead reached seven, Syracuse would claw back.

Pressure defense forced a few turnovers, and a few key free throws going down brought the game back. Hand went to the stripe with a chance to up by three, but he missed both. Syracuse went down the floor, and Starling drew a foul with 11.1 seconds left. Once again though, he wouldn’t be able to do the full job. He rolled the first one in, but missed the second, giving Boston College the ball back.

Once again though, BC turned it over, and gave Kyle Cuffe a heave at the buzzer, which wouldn’t go, taking the game to a third overtime.

Finally, Syracuse separated itself in the third overtime, with Jyare Davis scoring twice, and then Starling extending the lead to five. The Orange held on, and picked up a grueling win.

Way back at the start of the game, Elijah Moore delivered back-to-back threes on the game’s first two possessions, and scored Syracuse’s first eight points.

Syracuse went on a 9-0 run to take a 34-27 lead into the break, holding BC scoreless for the final 3:51. Hand drained a three to put BC ahead 27-25, but a leaf turned over from there. Moore sunk his third three of the half, and Syracuse forced turnovers on three of the next four Boston College possessions and made a few baskets to extend the lead to the furthest either team would have it.

Even though Starling scored just four points in his 13 first-half minutes and shot 2-7, the Orange found just enough to feel good going into the break.

Jyare Davis scored on the opening possession of the second half to push the lead to nine, but five points in a row brought Boston College back within four, and threatening to shrink it further. Then Starling finally found his footing. He drained a long two from the left corner, and answered two more BC baskets with scores of his own, including a triple.

Once Syracuse opened the lead back up to nine, thanks in large part to Starling’s ten points early in the half, Autry pulled him out of the game with 12:38 to play. He stayed on the bench for over five minutes as the Eagles cut the lead down from 11 (which it reached shortly after Starling checked out) to four. Autry took a timeout to get his star back in the game, but Syracuse’s scoring drought continued, reaching over four minutes.

The Orange survived a three-chance possession for Boston College, but allowed a three to Hand on the very next trip that cut the lead down to one. Finally, Syracuse ended the scoring drought, as Bell made a jumper from the foul line.

Heading into the final media timeout, Starling drew a foul, and drained the two foul shots after the break for his first points since checking back in. With just over two minutes to play, he extended Syracuse’s lead to seven with a runner.

The pace of the game slowed drastically, and each possession mattered significantly more down the stretch, but it all came down to the free throws in regulation.

Starling led Syracuse with 28 points, while Lampkin added yet another double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds. Moore - who scored 11 points in the first half - did not play after the 13:48 mark of the second half.

Hand’s 28 led Boston College, but the Eagles went cold in the third overtime, and left with a loss.

Syracuse’s next game is on Tuesday in Coral Gables against Miami.