Observations from SU’s domination of BC: Offensive boards, Darius dimes
Dominique Darius dished out 10 assists in Syracuse's domination of Boston College Thursday night, tied for her most in a game this season. Courtesy of SU Athletics
Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our sports newsletter here.
When Syracuse women’s basketball last played Boston College, it left the court distraught.
The Eagles — who the Orange had beaten by 25 three days earlier — came back from down 19 to stun the Orange. It was the loss that ended a pitiful 12-18 campaign in Felisha Legette-Jack’s third season as head coach.
It was also an ugly reminder of what it’s like to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. A team you destroyed just days ago can turn around and end your season. No game is truly comfortable.
Thursday’s rematch was about as close as you could get to one, though. In their first battle with the Eagles since last March, the new-look Orange righted their wrongs by obliterating one of the worst teams in Division I.
Here are some observations from Syracuse’s (19-4, 9-3 ACC) 93-59 drubbing of Boston College (4-21, 0-12 ACC):
Izoje bounces back
Uche Izoje’s performance in Miami Sunday was one to forget. Matched up against 6-foot-6 Ra Shaya Kyle, Syracuse’s freshman phenom was held to just six points on a season-low 3-of-12 shooting.
Her matchup on Thursday, though, was far more favorable. And Izoje took advantage in every way. The freshman center dropped 18 points and eight rebounds before sitting most of the second half.
Izoje nearly had a double-double by halftime, scoring 12 points and nabbing seven boards on 6-of-10 shooting. She took just three field goals in the second half and made all of them before resting early.
Even when Izoje was double or triple-teamed, Legette-Jack drew up creative ways to get her the rock. With just under five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Dominique Darius launched an alley-oop off an inbound from 30 feet away, which Izoje finished at the rim.
Izoje even attempted her first 3-pointer of the season when she was left open in the first quarter. While it clanked off the iron, it’s a sign of the trust she’s been granted in SU’s offense. Legette-Jack previously said it’s an aspect of Izoje’s game that Syracuse’s staff is actively trying to grow. Even though that one didn’t fall, it seemed like everything else did.
All over the O-boards
Against a Boston College squad averaging just 21.2 defensive rebounds a game — ranked 356th of 363 D-I teams, per SportsReference — Syracuse was always going to dominate the glass. And indeed, the Orange — who entered the matchup ranked sixth in the nation in offensive rebounds per game — had a field day.
SU outrebounded BC 50-22 and 20-6 on the offensive glass. It contributed to 28 total second-chance points and allowed the Orange to take 12 more field goals than the Eagles.
Syracuse tallied double-digit boards in every quarter, including 15 in the first. Every starter had at least four for the Orange, while no BC player had more than three. It ultimately paved the way for a blowout.
3s galore
If Boston College wanted any chance of pulling off an upset Thursday, the only realistic way was by catching fire from 3. The Eagles certainly tried that strategy, chucking 26 3-pointers.
They were efficient at first. BC fired 10 3s in the first quarter compared to just six shots inside the arc. It started on the Eagles’ second possession, when Erin Houpt canned a triple to show SU its first deficit in two games. Boston College attempted a 3 on its first five trips down the court.
That pace slowed a bit in the second quarter as the Eagles struggled to keep up. They went 1-of-6 from deep en route to a five-point quarter, tied for the fewest points scored by an SU opponent in a quarter under Legette-Jack.
Even with nothing to lose in the second half, BC took just 10 3s. It’s still one of the highest totals of any ACC opponent this season.
The Orange, meanwhile, takes the fewest 3s of any team in the ACC. They caught fire Thursday, hitting 10 at a 43.5% clip. Laila Phelia hit three and Maddy Potts hit four as the Orange totaled 23 attempts on the day.
Darius dishes the rock
Since transferring to Syracuse, Darius has taken a drastically different role than the one she occupied in her first four seasons of college basketball. Darius has enjoyed the most minutes of her collegiate career with the Orange this year, but it’s been in a rather unfamiliar position. The former wing has made the transition to SU’s starting point guard.
Darius previously admitted it’s come with some growing pains, and she’s learning the intricacies of the position on the fly. She’s had to teach herself how to become more of a facilitator rather than just a scorer. Still, she entered Thursday’s matchup averaging just 3.2 assists per game, part of just 15.1 total assists per game as a team.
On Thursday, though, Darius looked like a true pass-first point guard. She tallied a tied-for-career-high 10 assists to pair with 10 points and seven rebounds, her first-career double-double. She dished half of SU’s 20 total assists on the evening.
On a night in which just about everything went right for the Orange, Darius was at the forefront of it all.
