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Quadir Copeland’s spin move freed up space on the left wing and he immediately attacked a sagging Quinten Post. Penetrating middle, Copeland cupped the ball in his right hand before switching left to perform a dump-off pass to Maliq Brown.

Brown received the feed and finished a left-handed layup as Post abandoned him to guard Copeland. Draped behind Brown was a helpless Prince Aligbe, who committed the foul.

Presented with the first of two consecutive and-one opportunities with 15:24 remaining, Brown pointed toward Copeland. The latter had already wheeled away, fist-pumping in sync with Judah Mintz near midcourt. And BC’s 14-point second half lead — generated as part of a 21-0 run — inched within reach.

The two linked up for a handful of baskets and stayed in front of their defensive assignments which caused the Eagles’ advantage to dwindle. Brown and Copeland spearheaded a stretch where Syracuse cashed in on 9-of-10 field goal attempts. The deficit trickled to four, then two, but the Orange never completed their comeback.

Just three days removed from a convincing 77-65 home victory over NC State, SU (14-7, 5-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) fell 80-75 at Boston College (13-8, 4-6 ACC). It coughed up a considerable first-half lead and faced an uphill battle following the break but Brown and Copeland’s play gave Syracuse a fighting chance. Escaping Conte Forum with a second consecutive ACC win even seemed realistic until the Eagles’ offense erupted.

“They made really good plays with each other. They were aggressive. Maliq and Quadir, they were the ones that got us back into the game, so they played hard, we just couldn’t get it done,” Syracuse guard J.J. Starling said.

Long before Brown cemented a starting spot, replacing the injured Naheem McLeod, he’s impressed. A career-high 26 points at Duke on Jan. 2. Thirteen points in a victory over Oregon on Dec. 17, 2023, and another 15 against Pittsburgh on Dec. 30, 2023. Coming off the bench, he was dependable on either end. When the 7-foot-4 McLeod struggled with smaller defensive assignments or head coach Adrian Autry’s quick pace of play, Brown filled in seamlessly whenever called upon.

Though Copeland still resides on the sideline to start contests, he’s embraced Syracuse’s sixth-man role — now the undisputed first to check in. A reliable ball-handler equipped with flash and swagger, Copeland holds an ACC Player of the Week Award following a 22-point outing at Pitt and, more notably, swished home SU’s buzzer-beating 3 in a 72-69 triumph over Miami on Jan. 20.

The two complement each other’s game — Copeland the feeder and Brown the finisher. It’s a chemistry that began when the two were freshmen throughout the 2022-23 campaign and one which has willed Syracuse into the win column multiple times earlier this season. It’s a connection, built up through endless repetitions in practice playing on the same team before Brown “got a little fancy on me,” Copeland joked, alluding to his teammates’ promotion from the bench.

But it’s also a pairing that is still prevalent and almost toppled a seemingly insurmountable Boston College cushion.

“I just find him when he’s open and he makes eye contact with my passes so he knows when they’re coming,” Copeland said about finding Brown. “It’s just easy.”

In almost identical fashion as the aforementioned possession, Copeland drove into Aligbe but was stopped at the left elbow. Instead of pitching backwards for Mintz to reset the offense, however, Copeland spotted Brown in a mismatch situation guarded by the shorter Chas Kelley III. The SU guard found Brown with a lob pass, who finished through contact to cut BC’s lead to 51-41.

Then, on the next trip after Copeland converted off of a feed from Benny Williams, he raced across halfcourt before feathering a bounce-pass under the hands of an unsuspecting Post. The delivery found Brown on a back cut. Without taking a dribble, Brown avoided a late Post contest to finish a reverse lay-in off the window to trim BC’s lead to six.

Across the Orange’s next four offensive tries, Brown and Copeland either assisted or scored. Brown executed a straight-line drive and finished over Armani Mighty. Copeland took Mason Madsen deep inside the paint and hit a hanging floater. Trailing by four, Williams saved a loose-ball to Copeland, who sent a dart over his shoulder to a cutting Brown for a lefty layup — a play which had Starling hopping in uncontrollable excitement.

“Just finding the best spots. Getting the ball moving and attacking their guy,” Brown said when asked how he and Copeland work so well together.

The Eagles, though, continued to deliver heavy punches. Claudell Harris Jr. splashed a catch-and-shoot 3 from the left wing before Copeland could even get a hand up to give Boston College a 59-53 lead with 7:54 left to play. Twenty seconds later, Harris Jr. caught a pass from Post as Copeland was caught under a Devin McGlockton pin-down screen. Another 3-ball and a nine-point cushion.

Shortly afterward, what seemed to be the knockout blow: a 30-foot bomb from straight-on over a skin-tight Copeland contest near the four-minute mark. Both players almost fell but Harris Jr.’s attempt rang true, 72-59.

“He just made shots…Stuff happens. He got shots, I contested, he made them. That’s basketball,” Copeland said.

It felt like something had to give. It didn’t. The Eagles rode Harris Jr.’s heroics to a much-needed victory. Brown held Post, Boston College’s leading scorer, to a single-digit scoring game and seven turnovers but that didn’t matter. When the Orange needed their energy players desperately, Brown and Copeland answered. They always have. Only this time, SU fell slightly short.

“It’s wins and losses at the end of the day. Tomorrow’s a new day and we focus on the next game,” Copeland said. “Simple as that.”

Published on January 31, 2024 at 12:38 am

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff