After a dominating first half, the Boston College were able to fend off a second half run by Virginia to win by a score of 80-70. BC picked up yet another ACC road win , putting the Eagles at 6-3 in the conference, and 18-6 overall as they continue their quest for a tournament birth with their 5th consecutive victory.
BC got off to a blistering start in the opening half. The team shot a remarkable 68% in the half on 15-22 field goals. Led by Tyrese Rice’s 13 points and Rakim Sanders’ 11, the Eagles were able to easily amass a double digit lead by the midway point in the half. Meanwhile, the team held UVA to just 21% shooting (6-28) and kept sensational freshman Sylven Landesberg in check as he scored only 6 points in the half. BC pushed this lead to 20 points to close the half leading 42-22.
However, the second half shaped up similar to the Georgia Tech game, when BC coughed up a huge lead to let the opponent back in the game. Virginia switched to a zone defense that really gave the Eagles fits offensively. The team seemed out of rhythm and uncomfortable against the zone, and this resulted in unnecessary turnovers and easy buckets for Virginia. Coach Skinner was forced to take Rice out when he picked up his 3rd foul around the 17-minute mark. The Cavaliers responded by going on a 13-4 run with Rice on the bench to close the gap at 52-40. Skinner brought Rice back in and the team quickly scored 5 unanswered points on a Trapani three-pointer and a Biko Paris layup.
Virginia continued to fight back and cut the lead down to single digits for the first time in the second half with 9 minutes to play at 57-48. Sylven Landesberg made big play after big play for Virginia. He finished with a career high 32 points, 26 of which came in the second half. The Cavaliers run brought life back into the crowd at John Paul Jones Arena.
BC went back up by 14 points following another Paris layup and a three-pointer from the suddenly hot Tyler Roche, both on looks from Tyrese Rice. The Cavaliers would not go done without a fight, as Landesberg would put on a second half scoring clinic. He would go on to score 18 of Virginia’s 22 points in the final 7 minutes of this ballgame.
Virginia would cut the lead down to single digits, 68-59, once again with 2:30 left to play following 4 consecutive free throws by Landesberg. With just under two minutes to play Virginia came within 7 points, the smallest margin since the mid way point in the first half. But Landesberg’s remarkable efforts fell short as BC hit 12-14 free throws in those final two minutes.
Boston College was able to weather the second half surge by the Cavaliers to come away with victory, despite committing 20 turnovers in the game. The coaching staff placed a strong emphasis on rebounding last game and it has paid off once again, as the Eagles outrebounded Virginia 39-31 in this one.
BC got strong efforts from Rakim Sanders and Tyrese Rice. They each scored 20 points a piece in this game, and Sanders recorded his 3rd career double-double by adding 10 rebounds. Sanders was able to follow up his game winning shot against Virginia Tech by finishing with several tip-ins in this one. The highlight of which was an athletic, reverse tip-slam in the second half. Rice would also add 6 assists and 6 boards in a well-rounded game by the senior leader. Biko Paris played well in his extended minutes tonight. He played extensively in the second half and finished with a season high 12 points. Tyler Roche, coming off a great game against Virginia Tech, contributed once again with 8 points, including 2-3 from three-point range. Joe Trapani would tack on 12 points and 6 rebounds as well.
Reggie Jackson was held scoreless for the first time in his collegian career. He played only 7 minutes after picking up two quick fouls and did not attempt a shot in the game. It was also an unusual off night for Corey Raji. Raji scored just 4 points and hauled in a mere 1 rebound, while also turning the ball over 5 times in the game.
Boston College continues to bolster its NCAA Tournament bid with these conference wins. Every game will count down the stretch. BC travels down to Winston-Salem to play the Wake Forest Deamon Deacons on Sunday at 4pm. BC looks to avenge its 83-63 shellacking at home against #7 ranked Wake Forest.
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