Boston College Men’s Basketball Picking Up Momentum in ACC Play: The Extra Point

The Eagles have stacked up back-to-back home wins.

Boston College men's basketball guard Chase Forte with the ball vs. Pitt. Photo Credit: John Sexton / Boston College Eagles On SI | John Sexton / Boston College Eagles On SI

After stumbling out of the gate in conference play, BC men’s basketball has had a strong last week. 

It began on Saturday afternoon with a thrilling 81-73 victory over Syracuse in overtime, which included a three-pointer from Donald Hand Jr. that tied the game with less than 20 seconds remaining and sent the game into the extra period. 

Hand Jr. has struggled with his shot all year, shooting just 31.7% from the field and 22.3% from three-point range, but came through when it mattered for Earl Grant’s team.

In the extra period, Jayden Hastings and Aidan Shaw delivered big dunks to energize the crowd at Conte Forum en route to the win. Hastings tallied a career-high 39 minutes and posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. He also added three steals and two blocks.

The catalyst for the Eagles in conference play has been Fred Payne, and he posted 26 points against the Orange. He’s been on a tear to open the ACC schedule, averaging 22 points per game in his last five games. He’s also shot 53% from three-point range. His season average now sits at a team-high 14.9 points per game while shooting 37.2% from deep. He also leads the Eagles in assists per game with 2.9.

On Wednesday night against Pitt, Payne and Boden Kapke combined to make one of the biggest plays of BC’s season thus far. With the game knotted at 62, Payne made the unselfish play to find Kapke wide open on the right wing, where he knocked down what turned out to be the game-winning shot with 22 seconds left. 

Kapke had one of the best games of his collegiate career against Pitt, scoring a game-high 19 points on just 13 shots. 

When asked what was working so well for him, Kapke said, “Early on, I had a little size advantage, so I just tried to take the opportunities when they’re there and finish around the rim.”

Up next for the Eagles is a Saturday night matchup against Notre Dame, which holds a 10-9 record and 1-5 ACC tally. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. ET and be shown on ACC Network. BC will look for its third consecutive win in conference play.

When asked how to build on the win streak going forward, BC head coach Earl Grant said, "I think the way you do it is watch the film, look at the things you did well, and praise them for it. Look at the things that wasn't up to our standard and challenge about it, and then get back to practice tomorrow."