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  Article by Dan Tortora

  On the final day of 2022, two northeast foes found themselves on the court for an afternoon bout to see who would ring in the new year with a victory.

  Overall, the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team leads the Boston College Eagles 55-26 in their head-to-head series, with the Orange winning the last eight games.

  This battle in the northeast began in 1959, with the Eagles defeating the Orange in each of the first three games.

  Boston College was first on the board in this the 82nd overall contest between the schools, thanks to a layup by senior forward T.J. Bickerstaff just 27 seconds into the match-up.

  Syracuse's first points came over a minute later, when true freshman forward Chris Bell connected on a jumper in the paint.

  By the 13:46 mark, the Eagles had doubled the output by the Orange, leading 12-6.

  A three by senior guard Joe Girard, III, followed by his assist to senior guard Symir Torrence who finished at the rim gave Syracuse their first lead of the game, 16-15, with exactly 10 minutes on the first-half clock.

  Girard would connect from long range again, aiding the Orange to their last eight points en route to a 19-17 lead on the Eagles at the 8:39 mark; this deep shot by Girard would elevate him to 10 points.

  Syracuse would advance out to a seven-point lead in the first half, which was also the largest lead by Boston College in the half, but the Syracuse lead was erased by the 4:18 mark, with a three by graduate guard Makai Ashton-Langford tying the game at 24-all.

  The Orange would respond to the Eagles tying the game by ending the first half on a 12-3 run, ahead 36-27 at the break.

  Freshman guard Prince Algibe would waste no time in the second half, getting Boston College their first points out of the break in a mere 12 seconds off of his layup that msde it 36-29.

  Less than two minutes into the second half, Syracuse senior center Jesse Edwards would pick up his third foul, leaving him with two to give and 18:17 to play.

  Edwards would pick up his fourth foul less than a minute later, at the 17:14 mark, and sophomore transfer center Mounir Hima would check in.

  With 12:57 remaining, the Eagles had cut their deficit to one point, 46-45, after freshman forward Devin McGlockton went 2-for-2 at the line.

  On the very next possession, McGlockton cashed in from long range at the 12:26 mark to move Boston College ahead 48-46, their first lead since the 9:40 left in the first half, a span of 17 minutes and 14 seconds.

  But sophomore forward Benny Williams would answer immediately with a three of his own, providing the lead back to Syracuse, 49-48, while giving himself double-figures in scoring on the day, with 10 points.

  Sophomore guard Jaeden Zackery would take the lead back for the Eagles with an old-fashioned three-point play, making his layup and the subsequent free throw, to bring the score to 51-49.

  Orange true freshman guard Justin Taylor knocked down a three in response to regain the lead for Syracuse at 52-51 with 10:42 left to play in the game.

  At the 7:19 mark, Hima would pick up his fourth foul, joining teammate Edwards with one to give apiece.

  Right before the six-minute mark, Girard made his fourth deep shot of the day, and first of the second half, giving him 20 points and the Orange a 10-point lead, 65-55.

  At the 5:03 mark, Benny Williams secured a double-double by grabbing his 10th rebound.

  With Syracuse ahead by 10, 67-57, at the 4:59 mark, Edwards returned to the floor, with Hima coming out, each still with four fouls.

  The Orange would roll from here, winning 79-65 over the Eagles to extend their winning streak in the head-to-head series to nine games, giving them their 56th overall victory over the Eagles.

  Syracuse has now won six of their last seven games and gets back to winning after losing 84-82 at home to the Pittsburgh Panthers in their previous match-up.

  Overall, the Orange are now 9-5 and 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

  With the loss, the Eagles move down to .500 on the season at 7-7 and are now below .500 in the ACC, at 1-2.

  Four out of five Syracuse starters ended the game in double-figures in scoring: Girard with 24 points, true freshman point guard Judah Mintz with 18, Benny Williams with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his aforementioned double-double, and Edwards with 10 points to go with eight rebounds.

  Three of Boston College's starters concluded the contest in double-digits in scoring: Ashton-Langford with 14, followed by Algibe and Bickerstaff with 12 apeice.