Boston College Men’s Basketball Falls to Cal

The Eagles dropped their second straight game on Saturday night.

Boston College Men’s Basketball (BCMBB) via X

The Boston College Eagles (12-17, 4-14 ACC) men’s basketball team finished its West Coast trip with an 82-71 loss to the Cal Golden Bears (13-16, 6-12 ACC) on Saturday night. 

The first half started and ended on similar notes. After both teams made their first buckets of the night, Cal went on a 12-4 run to give itself a sizable lead 15-6 with 11:25 to go in the first.  

Boston College cut into its deficit and got within two points 29-27 with 3:23 to go in the first 20 minutes of play, however Cal ended the half on a 13-4 run and went into halftime with a 42-31 advantage. 

In the opening half, the Eagles went 13-of-31 (41.9-percent) from the floor and 2-of-5 (40-percent) from behind the arc. Guard Luka Toews led the team with 12 points. 

Coming out of the break, Boston College’s offense exploded in the start of the half and the team went on a 15-3 run to open the last 20 minutes of play. 

The Eagles gained their first lead of the night 46-45 with 14:31 to go after a pair of free throws by guard Donald Hand Jr. 

After that, the two teams stayed close for a majority of the second half. The turning point was an 11-0 run by Cal after Boston College got within a point 61-60 with 7:03 to go to run away with it and seal the victory.

In the second, the Eagles shot 37.5-percent (12-of-32) from the floor and 22.2-percent (2-of-9) from behind the arc. 

Hand Jr., led Boston College with 19 points while center Mady Sissoko led Cal with 21.

With the win, Cal clinches a spot in the ACC Tournament. 

Next up, Boston College returns to Conte Forum to host the No. 13 Clemson Tigers on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPNU.