Hughes scores 28, leads Syracuse to 84-71 victory over BC
BOSTON (AP) — Elijah Hughes scored 28 points and Buddy Boeheim added 21 to lead Syracuse to an 84-71 victory over Boston College on Tuesday night.
Bourama Sidibe had 12 rebounds for the Orange (17-13, 10-9 Atlantic Coast Conference), who scored 10 of the last 13 points in the first half to turn a one-point game into a 35-27 halftime lead and never trailed in the second. Losers of six of its previous nine games, Syracuse enjoyed a home court of sorts at Conte Forum, where the BC students were on spring break and the majority of the half-filled arena was rooting for the Orange.
Derryck Thornton scored 18 points, Jay Heath had 17 and Steffon Mitchell had 11 rebounds and 10 assists for BC (13-17, 7-12). Thornton had six and Heath had five of a school-record 19 3-pointers for the Eagles, who have lost four in a row heading into the regular-season finale against No. 7 Florida State.
The Eagles missed 24 of their 30 attempts from 3-point range in a 26-point loss at Syracuse on Jan. 15 — including all 14 in the first half. But on Tuesday night, they hit three of their first four at home to open an early lead before going into a slump, missing 10 of their next 12 from beyond the arc.
BC was without three of its top six players — Jared (ankle) and Jairus (knee) Hamilton, and Nik Popovic (back), who together accounted for 28 points and 12 rebounds per game.
BIG PICTURE
Syracuse: The Orange have a bye on the first day of the ACC tournament but need an extended run in the conference tourney to have any chance to return to the NCAA Tournament after last year’s absence.
Boston College: With only the ranked Seminoles remaining, the Eagles are unlikely to surpass the seven conference wins that has remains a high point in Jim Christian’s six years in Chestnut Hill.
UP NEXT
Syracuse: Regular-season finale at Miami on Saturday.
Boston College: Finish up the regular season at No. 7 Florida State on Saturday.
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