80 - 69 The Boston College men's basketball team dropped their second straight home game, this time to Rhode Island. The entire unit struggled defensively allowing URI to shoot 60% from 3-point lane (9-15) and 50% for the game. The loss spoiled Rakim Sander's return to the lineup. Sanders started off strong scoring 11 first half points and finishing the game with 14.
Coach Skinner acknowledged "the defense is not what it needs to be." The Eagles looked confused and were out-hustled and beat for a number of loose balls. Mr Skinner has noted the team is struggled to identify their assignments defensively which is attributing to their overall struggles.
He specifically mentioned "the guard play the last couple of games has not been good." Biko Paris and Reggie Jackson combined for 7 of the team's 14 turnovers today. URI employed a hefty dosage of full court pressure, although Coach Skinner was adamant that this pressure did not disrupt the team, rather it was poor decision making that did them in. According to Skinner, "we had no consistency in our flow and decision making."
This loss drops Boston College to 6-4 on the young season. The four non-conference losses, two at home, may come back to haunt the Eagles as they make their bid for tournament selection. They will certainly need to elevate their game as the enter the conference schedule.
