BC Falls on Senior Night to VT, 91-75
By Matt Sottile
BC students will have to wait at least another seven months before they will witness the first ACC home win while classes are in session since March of 2015. On an afternoon at
Conte Forum in which Boston College honored senior Garland Owens Jr. and graduate students Connor Tava and Mo Jeffers for their career contributions at The Heights, the Virginia Tech Hokies (20-8, 9-7) took down the Eagles (9-20, 2-14) for the second time this season, 91-75.
Virginia Tech opened this afternoon’s game on a 14-2 run, establishing the corner three ball early and often. Following an Eagles’ timeout, BC responded with a better defensive effort and went on a run of their own, scoring 11 unanswered points, including a pair of Jordan Chatman threes. The defensive effort seen after the timeout would ensue for the remainder of the first half and into the second half. A play transpired shortly before halftime that showed how tenacious and aggressive the Eagles were playing. After a missed basket by Virginia Tech’s Khadim Sy, AJ Turner poked the ball loose, before 9 players on the floor dove for a ball that changed possession multiple times. Ultimately, Ky Bowman threw himself on the hardwood and secured it, giving the ball back to the Eagles. With 13 minutes left in the 2nd half, the score was tied 50-50, before Mo Jeffers was assessed a technical foul for slamming the ball on the court following an off-ball foul call. After the two Virginia Tech free throws, the Hokies blew the doors open on the Eagles and proceeded to go on a 21-6 run. They would not look back.
Boston College head coach Jim Christian noted the change in defensive effort and intensity between the first and second half. “In the first half, we guard much harder, when the defense is in front of you and I can yell at them and the bench can communicate with them. In the second half, the communication is on you. The ownership has to go to the team, and we don’t have that leadership.” He then added, “The price to win is not 30 minutes. We have not done it consistently for 40 minutes. In this league, that’s death. It’s frustrating and we have to work on that.”
Jerome Robinson led all scorers with 25 points. Ky Bowman found his stroke in the second half after a slow start, and added 16 points of his own. Senior Garland Owens Jr. went on a 6-0 run by himself late in the first half, highlighted by a rim-rattling slam dunk that brought the whole crowd to its feet. Christian commended his senior forward, saying, “Garland deserved to have the night that he had.”
The storyline of the Eagles playing an ACC opponent close before being overmatched late in the 2nd half is all too familiar. What didn’t help BC this afternoon was how cold their shooters were from three point range. After a first half in which both team shot 50% from beyond the arc, Boston College posted a meager 28.6% over the last 20 minutes, while Virginia Tech lit it up, going 7 for 8. Ty Outlaw was flawless for the Hokies, as he connected on all five three pointers that he attempted. The Hokies had six players in double figures, led by Zach LeDay, who came off the bench and scored 18 points.
Virginia Tech scored the most points of their conference season with 91, despite committing 19 turnovers. Head coach Buzz Williams stated, “We wanted the shots that required the least amount of passes. The way the floor is spread, it’s going to lead to more threes. Today, this is the fastest we’ve played.” A balanced scoring attack helped them tear through the BC defense and lead them to their 8th ACC victory.
After a disappointing second half and a 12th straight loss, Boston College will head to South Bend on Wednesday to take on Notre Dame, followed by a trip to Clemson. Unless they win both games and see NC State, Clemson and Pitt lose out, they will find themselves at the bottom of the ACC standings for the second consecutive year heading into the conference tournament. Virginia Tech will finish its regular season this week by hosting Miami and Wake Forest.