BC Beats La Salle 82-61 in Hall of Fame Tip off Tournament
By Will Templeton
In the third place game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament, Boston College (4-1) defeated the La Salle Explorers (3-2) 82-61 at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Boston College struggled offensively for the majority of the first half. BC committed 9 turnovers, picking up where they left off after committing a season high 18 turnovers the day before in a 86-74 defeat at the hands of Texas Tech. BC was held to a dismal 20 points through the first 16 minutes of play. However, they strung together a 10-0 run to close out the half, including a Ky Bowman buzzer beating halfcourt three, to lead 30-22 at the break.
In the second half, BC did not relent. La Salle never got within six points of the Eagles, and the hot shooting of Jerome Robinson helped BC glide past the Explorers. Robinson was the leading scorer for the Eagles, tallying 25 points on 8-14 shooting.
Robinson and the rest of the starting five performed exceptionally well. Nik Popovic had a career high in points with 18, and added 7 rebounds. He was incredibly efficient as well, shooting 8-12. Ky Bowman was effective in all facets of the game and stuffed the stat sheet. He had 13 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals. Teddy Hawkins collected yet another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan Chatman added 10 points and 4 rebounds.
While the starters played great, the bench was essentially a non-factor. The BC bench combined for only 6 points. Steffon Mitchell, the sixth man for BC, came into the game averaging over 9 points and 7 rebounds, but was not as big of a presence as usual. He finished with 2 points, 4 rebounds, and an assist.
Although the lack of bench production was not ideal for BC, the Eagles dominated regardless. Defensively, BC held La Salle to 34% shooting. La Salle took 32 three pointers, and only connected on 8.
B.J. Johnson was the lone bright spot for La Salle, as the potential A10 player of the year led the game in scoring. He had 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals.
The Eagles come back home for their next game against the Colgate Raiders (2-1). BC looks to improve to 5-1 before what will likely be their toughest non-conference game against the Providence Friars.