BC Shows Heart but Falters Late Against Tar Heels
By Ben Neuwirth
The Eagles (7-17, 0-11 ACC) held the lead for over 35 minutes, but were unable to finish the job against 9th ranked North Carolina (20-4, 9-2 ACC), losing 68-65 as an Eli Carter last second heave didn’t find its way through the net.
In a game many expected to be a blowout, Boston College showed grit playing without second leading scorer Jerome Robinson, out with a fractured right wrist. Senior leaders Eli Carter, game-high 26 points, and Dennis Clifford, 14 points and game-high 13 rebounds, led the young Eagles and set the tone early.
While we saw a few of the end-of-the-shot-clock heaves Eli has become known for, his movement around off-ball screens gave him the rock in motion, letting him leverage an off balance defender and get into the lane. Trust in the system got him several open looks from deep, 5-12 beyond the arc, and led to excellent efficiency, 0 turnovers.
Rebounding and interior defense have been the Achilles’ heels of this team all year long and it was never more important than against behemoths Brice Johnson, 6’11” wingspan, Kennedy Meeks, 7’0”, and Isaiah Hicks, 6’11”. Clifford stepped up, limiting UNC to only 6 offensive boards, well below their season average of 14. He overcame the Heels’ length with ferocity, boxing out hard, ripping away rebounds and controlling the inside game on D.
BC experimented with a 2-3 zone in the first half but their move back to a man-to-man look was the key in extending their lead in the first half, stretching it to 9 on a Sammy Barnes-Thompkins free throw at the 8 minute mark. The 25-16 advantage was tied for their biggest of the game. Carter made a deep catch and shoot 3 with 0:44 left in the half to put the Eagles up 37-31 going into the intermission.
The Eagles also got a huge contribution from Garland Owens. Owens, a junior, dropped 9 points on 4-8 shooting and displayed his breathtaking athleticism with an alley-oop at 18:00, electrifying the crowd. The 6’5” forward also gave an admirable defensive effort guarding the UNC 4’s, getting Johnson and Hicks into foul trouble.
The Carolina attack was led by sophomore Justin Jackson who had a team high 20 points. Off the bench for the first time this year, Jackson was automatic from mid range shooting 9-11 from the floor and delivering several daggers in the closing minutes. Star guard Marcus Paige scored 12 points off only 2-8 shooting. However his 3 at 1:47 gave the Tar Heels a 62-60 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The Eagles had a chance to tie the game, down 3 with 0:30 to go but Ervins Meznieks turned the ball over trying to get it to Carter, forcing BC to play the foul game. A miraculous 3 from Matt Milon at :08 gave them a lottery ticket at the end, but lady luck wasn’t with the Maroon and Gold.
Overall it was perhaps BC’s best performance of the season, going toe to toe with the ACC leader. To earn their first ACC win the Eagles need Clifford and Carter to consistently perform as they did last night.
BC hosts the Syracuse Orange (16-8, 6-5 ACC) Sunday at 1:00.
Game Notes:
Milon played only 10 minutes. He’s shooting over 50% from 3 and has great chemistry with Meznieks, give him more burn…Clifford played great but I’d love to see Johncarlos Reyes get healthy and get some experience in a big game like this, he’s the future…A.J. Turner went down at the beginning of the 2nd half with a leg injury, get well soon…Best wishes to UNC coach Roy Williams who collapsed on the sidelines during the game and had to be helped to the locker room.
Photo courtesy of Stew Milne, AP