Chestnut Hill, Mass. — Boston College finally broke through in ACC play Saturday, using a late rally and a dominant overtime to knock off Syracuse 81–73 and secure its first conference win of the season.
Fred Payne led the charge with a game-high 26 points, stuffing the stat sheet with six assists and three steals as the Eagles erased a late deficit and outlasted the Orange. Donald Hand Jr. delivered the defining moment of regulation, drilling a deep game-tying three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to force overtime.
Boston College (8–10, 1–4 ACC) entered the final three minutes trailing by seven but found timely stops and clutch shooting to extend the game. Hand finished with 12 points, highlighted by his 24-foot jumper that kept the Eagles alive and energized the home crowd.
Syracuse (12–6, 3–2) controlled much of the early action, holding BC to just 29 percent shooting in the opening 10 minutes while building a 17–11 lead. Despite eight first-half turnovers, the Orange carried a 33–28 advantage into halftime.
The game remained tight down the stretch, with Syracuse grabbing a 64–60 lead on Nate Kingz’s driving layup with 1:21 left in regulation. A missed front end of a one-and-one by Donnie Freeman opened the door for Boston College, and after a defensive stop, Hand buried the tying three to send the contest into overtime.
Once extra time began, the Eagles took over. Aidan Shaw opened with a dunk, Chase Forte followed with a driving layup, and Jayden Hastings punctuated a 6–2 run with an alley-oop slam to give BC a 70–66 lead midway through the period. From there, the Eagles closed the door at the free-throw line, converting seven of eight attempts in the final minute.
Kingz turned in a standout performance for Syracuse, pouring in a career-high 27 points. Freeman added a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds, but Syracuse’s 18 turnovers proved costly.
Up Next:
Syracuse returns home to face Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Boston College will host Pittsburgh on Wednesday at Conte Forum.
