The struggling Boston College Men’s Basketball team dropped their fourth straight game after falling to Virginia Tech 79-71. The slumping Eagles were unable to snap their current skid against the Hokies, a team that has given BC trouble in recent years. This game marks the third consecutive loss BC has had against Virginia Tech.
The Eagles were up 21-13 early, but squandered the lead when Virginia Tech went on a 15-2 scoring run. This run was capped by back-to-back three pointer by Virginia Tech to put them up 28-23 with 6 minutes remaining in the first half.
Joe Trapani hit two three’s with under 1 minute left in the half, including one just before the buzzer to pull BC closer. Despite his efforts, Boston College trailed 41-37 at the break.
The Eagles had plenty of chances in the second half to take control of the game. Led by the stellar play of Joe Trapani, who finished with a career high 23 points and 10 rebounds in his 37 minutes of work, BC kept the game within two possessions for much of the second half. Trapani put in a magnificent effort and hit clutch shots again and again for BC.
Boston College took a 48-47 lead after a Tyrese Rice layup around the 14-minute mark; however, this would be the Eagles final lead of the game. A crucial possession came with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Trapani had just hit two free throws to tie the game at 54. The Hokies missed two jumpers, but grabbed both offensive rebounds and they were finally able to put the ball in and give them a 56-54 lead.
Offensive rebounding was the story of the game for Virginia Tech. Tech out-rebounded BC 32-26 during the game and managed to haul in 13 offensive boards. The Hokies were able to keep plays alive and their hustle and efforts on the glass rewarded them with plenty of second chance baskets.
BC was still in the game late when Joe Trapani hit a crucial three pointer to bring the team within 2 points, at 70-68. But Boston College could not capitalize on their opportunities in the final minutes. They made just one of their last seven shots in those final three minutes. BC suffered from poor shot selection and game management late, highlighted by a shot clock violation with 2 minutes remaining in the game. Virginia Tech scored their final 9 points to put the game away.
Virginia Tech’s triple headed scoring attack of Jeff Allen, A.D. Vassallo, and Malcolm Delaney combined for a whopping 65 points. That represents about 82% of Virginia Tech’s scoring from these three players.
BC had no answer for Jeff Allen in the post. Allen had a career high 30 points and 9 rebounds on 11-16 shooting. Southern and Trapani struggled to contain Allen and Southern got into early foul trouble, which limited him to just 15 minutes in the game. Southern had no field goals in the game and scored only 3 points. Skinner was forced to use Courtney Dunn and Evan Ravenel to give the team some size in the post, but both looked over matched and they combined for 0 points.
Rakim Sanders got off to a hot start and contributed 11 first half points. The second half was a different story for Rakim. He scored only 3 points in the second half, and none in the final 12 minutes of the game. He forced some poor three-point shots and was quiet down the stretch.
Tyrese Rice, playing in front of many of his family and friends, scored 19 points (6-19 shooting) to go along with 5 assists in the game. Rice had 0 turnovers in the game, but he committed a few costly fouls that could have been easily avoided. Particularly, his off-the ball foul on Malcolm Delaney shortly after Trapani brought BC to within two points at the three-minute mark. Delaney hit both free throws and Virginia Tech never looked back.
One encouraging sign from the team was the free throw shooting, which has been problematic in recent years. The team hit 16-18 from the line, which helped them stay in the game. They also shot just 7-24 from behind the arc.
The Eagles must bounce back quickly if they want to keep their season hopes alive as the remaining schedule does not get any easier. Boston College falls to 13-6 on the year and 1-3 in conference play. The team looks to end their skid when they travel to Atlanta to take on a struggling Georgia Tech squad Tuesday night at 7pm
