Welcome to the Renaissance, Williams and Zeigler Handle Wagner in Season Opener
By: Luke Ballard
CHESTNUT HILL – The Luke Murray era at Boston College is off to a comfortable start, as the Boston College Eagles (1–0, 0–0 ACC) took down the Wagner University Seahawks (0–1, 0–0 NEC) in dominant fashion Tuesday night by a score of 76–50.
The 26-point win for the Eagles is their largest margin of victory since last season’s home-opener vs. The Citadel, where the Eagles won by 29 points en route to an 11–20 season and Earl Grant’s firing. This is BC’s first 1–0 start to a season since the 2024–2025 campaign where the Eagles finished with a 12–19 record.
Per Owen Bienen, WZBC Sports Radio
Money Williams led the way for the Eagles in scoring tonight with 22 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 11-of-15 from the foul line. Williams would add five rebounds and four assists in the 37 minutes of court time.
The most notable difference from last year for the Eagles was their ability to get to the foul line and draw contact in the paint. Williams found himself driving hard and downhill in the left lane on multiple possessions, many of which resulted in points for BC. Whether coming from the foul line or from open play, BC’s willingness to get downhill to the hoop was refreshing to see. As a result, Wagner finished the game with 23 personal fouls, with a majority of them coming from the paint.
Shooting 6-of-9 from the field, senior transfer Armoni Zeigler supplied 14 points by way of two three-pointers and yet another electrifying dunk. Zeigler has been anything but kind to the rims of Conte Forum during the start of his tenure as an Eagle. Zak Smrekar would be BC’s third double-digit scorer of the night with 12 points in 37 minutes of game time.
WATCH IT HERE: Zeigler’s MONSTER Throwdown
Despite the fact that it was the season-opener for the Eagles, Murray only utilized an eight-man rotation on the floor. Williams, Ernest Shelton, Smrekar, and Armoni all saw thirty-plus minutes of game time while Colby Duggan, Luke Hunger, Brandon Benjamin, and JB Frankel rounded out the rest. BC’s consistent lineup, however, allowed them to establish a smooth rhythm that was able to effectively combat Wagner’s aggressive full-court press.
Although it may be the early season where ideally Murray may want to try different players and rotations, he seems to have opted for what he thinks is BC’s strongest and most effective lineup. There seems to be no contestation with the decision, as BC struggled heavily with inconsistency and chemistry last season. Establishing a solidified lineup becomes a game-by-game pick-up that will only benefit the Eagles moving forward.
The contest was largely uncompetitive, as Wagner only led for 1:03 of game time and committed 13 turnovers. Shooting 3-of-15 from three, Wagner struggled to find their groove from behind the arc after hitting two early in the first half.
BC imposed their will on the defensive end of the floor, holding Wagner to 30.4 percent from the field on 56 attempts. The Eagles would put the final nail in the coffin for the Seahawks, holding them to zero points from the 9:37 mark until the 1:37 mark in the second half. The 12 consecutive missed shots would prove to be too much for Wagner as they let BC pull away.
The Eagles will be back in action this Friday at 4:00 pm against in-state rival UMass, as the two teams go head-to-head in the Hall of Fame Series at TD Garden. The Eagles will look to avenge their 74–76 loss at last year’s Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.
Tune into WZBC Sports Radio on X and Twitch as Grady Daniels and Elijah Lundberg deliver the call from downtown Boston.