The best start in Syracuse Orange history is toast.
The Boston College Eagles walked into the Carrier Dome confident and left with an exciting 62-59 victory over the previously unbeaten and No. 1 team in the country.
Canadian point guard and NBA hopeful Olivier Hanlan (Aylmer, Quebec) came up huge for the Eagles in a game-high 20-point effort, including the key lay-up at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime.
Hanlan also played a game-high 45 minutes and shot a solid 6-of-14 from the field, including 4-of-9 from beyond the arc, while adding 3 assists.
In their first meeting of the season, Syracuse came out on top, pulling out a tough 69-59 victory on the road on January 13th, 2014. It seems like BC made some adjustments, limiting the Orange to a season-low 20-62 shooting (32.1%) and a miserable 2-of-12 from outside the arc.
The victory moves Boston College to 3-10 in ACC play with only six games remaining.
Fellow Canadian point guard and Syracuse freshman Tyler Ennis finished with a solid all-around effort, scoring 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists in 43 minutes.
Both Ennis and Hanlan are expected to be a part of the upcoming young talent that is expected to add depth to Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team (SMNT) backcourt, which already features San Antonio Spurs guard Cory Joseph.