Boston College 73 Notre Dame 72: Eagles Hold On For Second ACC Win Of Season
It was a historic day for the Boston College, as the Eagles thwarted a late comeback to win a thrilling 73-72 matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Today's win was the first time BC defeated ND since 2005, and their first win in South Bend since 1997.
The Eagles roared out of the gate, hitting 6 of 9 to start the game, and forcing eight turnovers in the first seven minutes of the game. The Eagles were uncharacteristically hot from behind the arc as well hitting 5 of 7 from three point range in the first 12 minutes of the game giving the Eagles a 31-19 lead. Notre Dame counterpunched with a run of their own, getting the lead down to single digits, but Boston College prevented their typical long dry spell which helped them from collapsing.
The second half was a nailbiter, as BC had a nine point lead that quickly eroded as the Fighting Irish stormed back. The game felt like a typical Boston College collapse, as the lead quickly almost vanished. Jay Heath hit a big three pointer with 36 seconds remaining, but the Irish continued to push bringing the score within one. Notre Dame had a chance to win it, but their last second heave missed the rim, and Boston College escaped with the close win.
The Eagles were led by graduate transfer Derryck Thornton who had 19 points in a big turnaround game. CJ Felder, who got his first start as a freshman filling in for the injured Nik Popovic, had 8 points but two big steals and a four rebound. Heath, who is starting to really start to blossom had 16 points for Jim Christian's crew, shooting 4-6 from beyond the arc.
This was a huge win for the Eagles who stopped their slide of losses, and gave them their second ACC win of the season. Boston College resumes play on Tuesday against Albany at 7pm at Conte Forum.
