A slim halftime lead quickly evaporated on the road for Boston College (9-4, 0-1 Atlantic Coast), as Nickeil Alexander-Walker and No. 10 Virginia Tech (13-1, 2-0 ACC) took advantage of foul trouble and fastbreaks to dominate the second half en route to a 77-66 win in Blacksburg, Va.
Playing without freshman sensation Wynston Tabbs, who's still recovering from an injury suffered in the New Year's Eve loss to Hartford, the Eagles rolled out a starting lineup of Ky Bowman, Jordan Chatman, Chris Herren, Jr., Steffon Mitchell, and Nik Popovic in their ACC opener. Coming off the overtime heartbreaker, they came out a little flat, turning the ball over and coughing up a few early defensive rebounds early.
But the Hokies responded with some sloppy play of their own, building just a 23-18 lead before freshman Jairus Hamilton provided a spark plug off the bench for BC. The Top 100 recruit drilled three of his four triples in the first half, closing the gap and then giving the Eagles a 32-30 advantage at halftime.
But the one-possession lead slipped away as they soon fell into foul trouble in the second half. Popovic went to the bench with his fourth foul, and each of BC's three starting guards picked up their third foul, too. In total, the Eagles committed a whopping 22 fouls on Saturday afternoon.
In the absence of Herren, Jr. and Popovic, the Hamilton brothers provided valuable minutes off the bench, combining for 21 points on 50 percent shooting in 60 total minutes of action. But the Hokies outrebounded the Eagles in the second half, 22-11, in large part due to Popovic's stints on the bench. Some of those boards allowed them to get out quick on the break, contributing to a 9-2 advantage in fastbreak points in the second half.
Chatman couldn't find his 3-point shooting stroke but still managed to make an impact on the offensive end with an aggressive approach (his usage rate, over 35 percent, led the team) that yielded 13 free throw attempts. The graduate guard converted 10 of those, finishing with a team-high 18 points despite an 0-for-6 effort from beyond the arc. Back in Blacksburg two years ago, Chatman went 9-for-11 from downtown in the second-best 3-point shooting performance in ACC history.
Chatman helped the Eagles withstand 11-0 run midway through the final frame, chipping away at a double-digit deficit that often seemed insurmountable for a squad hampered by foul trouble and injuries. With four minutes remaining, BC ripped off a quick 7-0 run to cut Virginia Tech's lead to eight points, punctuated by an acrobatic and-one by Chatman.
But on the next possession, a straight-up Popovic got questionably whistled for his fifth foul--his third time fouling out already this season--and the resulting two free throws increased the deficit to 10, effectively putting the game out of reach. With under a minute to play, Alexander-Walker officially put the nail in the coffin by stealing a lazy pass in the backcourt and elevating for an emphatic reverse slam that sealed the 77-66 victory. With 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, the Hokies' sophomore star outdueled Bowman, who finished with 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Eagles, which host No. 4 Virginia on Wednesday before traveling to Notre Dame and Louisville to round out their first four conference matchups.
Random stat of the day: Chatman, who remains one of the best pure shooters I've ever seen in person, has not improved at the free throw line since arriving at BC. As a freshman, he shot a ridiculous 42-for-46 (91.3 percent), followed by 71-for-79 last year (89.9 percent). This season, he's already attempted 50 free throws, making 41 for a clip of 82 percent. It shouldn't be a cause for concern, likely just a product of his spike in free-throw attempts, but still something to keep an eye on.
Playing without freshman sensation Wynston Tabbs, who's still recovering from an injury suffered in the New Year's Eve loss to Hartford, the Eagles rolled out a starting lineup of Ky Bowman, Jordan Chatman, Chris Herren, Jr., Steffon Mitchell, and Nik Popovic in their ACC opener. Coming off the overtime heartbreaker, they came out a little flat, turning the ball over and coughing up a few early defensive rebounds early.
But the Hokies responded with some sloppy play of their own, building just a 23-18 lead before freshman Jairus Hamilton provided a spark plug off the bench for BC. The Top 100 recruit drilled three of his four triples in the first half, closing the gap and then giving the Eagles a 32-30 advantage at halftime.
But the one-possession lead slipped away as they soon fell into foul trouble in the second half. Popovic went to the bench with his fourth foul, and each of BC's three starting guards picked up their third foul, too. In total, the Eagles committed a whopping 22 fouls on Saturday afternoon.
In the absence of Herren, Jr. and Popovic, the Hamilton brothers provided valuable minutes off the bench, combining for 21 points on 50 percent shooting in 60 total minutes of action. But the Hokies outrebounded the Eagles in the second half, 22-11, in large part due to Popovic's stints on the bench. Some of those boards allowed them to get out quick on the break, contributing to a 9-2 advantage in fastbreak points in the second half.
Chatman couldn't find his 3-point shooting stroke but still managed to make an impact on the offensive end with an aggressive approach (his usage rate, over 35 percent, led the team) that yielded 13 free throw attempts. The graduate guard converted 10 of those, finishing with a team-high 18 points despite an 0-for-6 effort from beyond the arc. Back in Blacksburg two years ago, Chatman went 9-for-11 from downtown in the second-best 3-point shooting performance in ACC history.
Chatman helped the Eagles withstand 11-0 run midway through the final frame, chipping away at a double-digit deficit that often seemed insurmountable for a squad hampered by foul trouble and injuries. With four minutes remaining, BC ripped off a quick 7-0 run to cut Virginia Tech's lead to eight points, punctuated by an acrobatic and-one by Chatman.
But on the next possession, a straight-up Popovic got questionably whistled for his fifth foul--his third time fouling out already this season--and the resulting two free throws increased the deficit to 10, effectively putting the game out of reach. With under a minute to play, Alexander-Walker officially put the nail in the coffin by stealing a lazy pass in the backcourt and elevating for an emphatic reverse slam that sealed the 77-66 victory. With 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting, the Hokies' sophomore star outdueled Bowman, who finished with 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting.
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Eagles, which host No. 4 Virginia on Wednesday before traveling to Notre Dame and Louisville to round out their first four conference matchups.
Random stat of the day: Chatman, who remains one of the best pure shooters I've ever seen in person, has not improved at the free throw line since arriving at BC. As a freshman, he shot a ridiculous 42-for-46 (91.3 percent), followed by 71-for-79 last year (89.9 percent). This season, he's already attempted 50 free throws, making 41 for a clip of 82 percent. It shouldn't be a cause for concern, likely just a product of his spike in free-throw attempts, but still something to keep an eye on.
