Free Throw Shooting Sinks Boston College Men's Basketball in 80-72 Loss vs. FSU
In this story:
Boston College Men’s Basketball hit the road after its winless three-game home stand to take on Florida State in Tallahassee on Tuesday night. Despite holding multiple 14-point leads, BC fell 80-72.
Final. pic.twitter.com/aGFoicuKWh
— BC Men's Basketball (@BCMBB) February 18, 2026
Fred Payne opened the game with five straight points, cashing a three-pointer after an opening jumper.
At the first media timeout, the Eagles and the Seminoles were tied at eight points apiece as Luka Toews added a three-pointer of his own.
After the opening stoppage, BC went on a 13-0 surge to take a commanding 21-8 advantage with 11:37 left in the first half. Chase Forte cashed back-to-back shots from deep range to give the Eagles their 13-point lead. Forte was given the start in place of the injured Donald Hand Jr.
BC remained in control for the remainder of the opening half, a welcome change from its previous games, which were tight going into the halftime break. After Florida State cut its lead to seven points with 9:49 left, the Eagles responded by taking a 14-point lead with just over six minutes remaining.
The Eagles had their hottest shooting half of the season in the first period, going 8-12 from three-point range and taking a 42-32 advantage over the Seminoles at the break. The 42 points were the most BC scored in the first half this season.
Payne paced the squad with 13 points and hit three three-pointers. Forte and Toews added nine and eight points, respectively. Aidan Shaw also had a productive first half with eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. BC’s passing was on display, tallying 12 assists as a team.
Payne and Boden Kapke opened the second half with three-pointers as the Eagles continued their strong shooting performance. By the first media timeout, BC had pushed its lead back to 14 points.
Caleb Steger injected some energy for the Eagles in the second half, hitting a right-wing triple to give them a 12-point advantage heading into the under-12 media timeout.
The Seminoles cut into the Eagles’ lead by the next media timeout, trailing just 61-54. BC was ridden with foul trouble in the second half as FSU entered the bonus with over 13 minutes left.
Florida State kept coming, cutting BC’s lead to just one point on a three-pointer with 6:12 left. Payne was able to respond with a floater to give the Eagles some breathing room.
Forte provided a huge and-one layup in transition to give BC a five-point cushion with less than five minutes remaining.
Just over a minute later, FSU tied the matchup at 68 points apiece before taking a two-point lead with 2:33 remaining.
BC couldn’t find clean looks in the latter stages of the game as FSU took a 80-72 victory.
The Seminoles shot 27-35 from the free throw line.
"Our defense failed us in the second half," BC head coach Earl Grant said. "First half we were really good. But again I think they went to the free throw line maybe 20-something times in the second half."
The Eagles will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4 p.m. ET against SMU. The game will be shown on ACC Network.
Latest news on Boston College Eagles On SI:
Brendan Mogan is studying communication and journalism at Boston College. He has worked as a staff writer for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, since spring 2023. There, he has covered women’s basketball, baseball, volleyball, and more. Brendan works as a writer in the USA Basketball Writing Program, covering its youth teams in tournaments such as the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup. He joined Boston College Eagles On SI in 2025.