Boston College women’s basketball closed out its worst season in program history on Sunday, falling 90–65 to Syracuse on the road.
The Eagles (5–26, 1–17 Atlantic Coast) finished the season in the last spot in the ACC after going on a mid-season 20-game losing streak. Syracuse (22–7, 12–6), meanwhile, is firmly positioned to make the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse got out to a fast start, earning an 8–0 lead before Erin Houpt could put BC on the board with a jump shot 3:23 into the first quarter. Syracuse’s Uche Izoji immediately returned fire on the other end, though, putting the Orange up 10–2.
Izoji finished with 24 points, marking the seventh time this season the freshman center has scored 20 or more points.
The rest of the quarter passed in a similar fashion. Syracuse dominated on the inside, scoring 18 of their 23 points in the paint and finishing the first quarter up 23–13.
BC’s Jocelyne Grier drove inside for a layup to open the second quarter, cutting Syracuse’s lead to eight. But Izoji returned fire with a six-point run on her own, while BC didn’t score again until the 6:26 mark, when Grier made one of two attempts from the free-throw line.
Despite Grier’s miss, one of the the only things keeping BC within reach was their performance at the line. Houpt helped slow the Orange’s momentum by knocking down four straight free-throws, trimming the Orange’s lead to 11. The Eagles relied heavily on those opportunities as a team, as BC scored nine of its 17 second-quarter points from the line.
The Eagles nearly matched Syracuse in the second quarter, only getting outscored 18–17. It wasn’t enough to erase Syracuse’s early lead, however, and the Orange maintained a cushioned 41–30 advantage at halftime.
Syracuse continued its dominance coming out of the half as Dominique Darius hit a 3-pointer, pushing the lead to 14.
The Eagles found sporadic offensive capabilities later on in the frame, with Kayla Rolph converting on three free throws and Lily Carmody finishing a fast-break layup. Still, the Orange didn’t budge and Madeline Potts ended the third period with a 3-pointer that stretched Syracuse’s lead to 70–48.
The Orange outscored the Eagles the fourth quarter 20–17, closing out the regular season comfortably with a 25-point win. Syracuse’s bench players made their presence known, contributing
