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On Thursday, Syracuse ended its four-game skid by defeating Pittsburgh 83-65, clinching its spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament with just one regular-season game remaining.
Offensively, after only Sophie Burrows and Georgia Woolley scored more than six points in SU’s lopsided loss to Duke, four players reached nine points Thursday. Woolley and Burrows combined for 46 points, while Kyra Wood and Shy Hawkins added 14 and nine, respectively. The Orange’s defense also forced 19 Panthers turnovers and notched 11 steals.
Syracuse plays its final regular-season contest Sunday versus Boston College, its second matchup against the Eagles after an embarrassing 92-51 loss in January. Though SU has already clinched its conference tournament spot, it can still improve its seeding with a win over BC, which possesses one of the worst defenses in the ACC.
Here’s everything to know about Boston College (15-15, 6-11 ACC) before it faces Syracuse (11-17, 5-12 ACC) Sunday in the JMA Wireless Dome:
All time series
Syracuse leads 39-27.
Last time they played…
On Jan. 19, Syracuse and BC squared off for their first of two matchups this season. With SU missing Woolley, none of its players could get going offensively. The Eagles trounced it 92-51 for Syracuse’s largest margin of defeat in three years under head coach Felisha Legette-Jack.
After just one quarter, the game looked all but over as Boston College led 32-9. But it didn’t stop there. While only Burrows reached double digits for the Orange, four BC players eclipsed the mark. The Eagles also shot 51.5% from the field and 55.6% from 3 to propel them to their dominant win.
The Eagles report
Since Syracuse and BC last played, the Eagles have been abysmal. Despite starting 3-4 in conference play, they’ve since gone 3-7, including losing four games in 10 days to open January. Boston College also dropped games to lowly Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. This has dropped them to the bottom of the ACC standings, just one spot ahead of the Orange.
Despite Boston College’s struggles, its leading scorer, T’yana Todd, has been a consistent scoring threat. She’s upped her point total since the two squads last faced to 14.3 and has scored in double figures in 13 of BC’s last 14 games. Beside her, Dontavia Waggoner has proven to be a viable second option, averaging 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.
The Eagles are middling on offense, ranking 146th with a 41.5% clip from the field and 94th with a 33.3% 3-point percentage, per HerHoopStats. But they pick up some of that slack by shining on the offensive boards, corralling an 18th-best 14.7 per contest.
BC has been terrible all year defensively, allowing 70.1 points per game, the fourth-worst mark in the ACC. It also ranks in the bottom 10 nationally in field goals (784) and 2-pointers (598) allowed, according to HerHoopStats. That porous defense wasn’t on display against Syracuse the first time. But the Eagles didn’t have to deal with Woolley, and Burrows hadn’t turned a corner yet.
How Syracuse beats BC
Syracuse’s game against Pittsburgh Thursday was a blueprint of what will lead it to success. First, SU needs secondary scorers behind Woolley and Burrows. That was Wood and Hawkins Thursday. A more diverse scoring attack allowed the two Australians to pour in over 20 points.
Also, it should continue to play active defense. The Orange’s 19 forced turnovers created increased possession time offensively, leading to an 83-point outing. If Syracuse can cause errant passes by forcing players into tough spots, instead of playing passively, it can certainly contend with BC this time.
Stat to know: 9
On Thursday versus Pitt, both Woolley and Dominique Camp recorded nine assists. It marked a season-high for Woolley, who ranks second behind Camp with 3.4 assists per game.
The two’s facilitation helped diversify Syracuse’s offense, which finished with seven different scorers, a welcome improvement from its unbalanced attack versus Duke. Senior guard Lexi McNabb said postgame that she liked the depth of SU’s guard room, which will be key toward beating BC and moving forward in the ACC Tournament.
Player to watch: Dontavia Waggoner, guard, No. 24
While Todd leads the Eagles with 14.3 points per game, Waggoner isn’t far behind at 13.3 while shooting 48.4% from the field. In SU’s last matchup against BC, Waggoner scored a game-high 22 on 8-of-13 shooting to propel a blowout win.
The Nashville, Tennessee, native isn’t just a scoring threat, though. Her 4.9 rebounds rank third on BC, and her 2.1 steals lead the team, making her presence known all over the court.
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