On Saturday afternoon, Boston College picked up their fourth ACC win of the season, 77-69, over Notre Dame.
It was a rough start for both teams. Notre Dame’s Cole Certa missed several good looks from downtown, while the Eagles committed several poor turnovers; we did not see the game’s first points until almost three minutes into the game. BC looked to get to the paint early, driving at the rack and getting Kapke some touches down low. Defensively, BC swarmed Carson Towt on the short roll and tried to recover to Irish perimeter shooters.
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Notre Dame took their first lead of the game with a quick 6-0 run with just under seven minutes to play in the half, finally getting a couple jumpers to fall. The Eagles, meanwhile, went scoreless for over three minutes; the new starting lineup — with Shaw at the four and Kapke at the 5 — struggled to generate any kind of clean look.
The game went from bad to worse for BC as Donald Hand Jr. went down with a non-contact injury to the same knee he injured earlier this season; he left for the locker room unable to put weight on his right leg. Heading into the under-four media timeout, the Eagles trailed 28-21. Even after the timeout, BC’s offensive struggles continued — they closed the first half on a nine-minute field goal drought; it was only through a steady diet of free throws that the Eagles managed to stay in the game. By half, the Eagles trailed 33-30.
Boston College ended their 0-16 streak with a Kapke lefty hook two minutes into the second half. Unfortunately, the Irish offense also found some rhythm via a Certa triple and a Haralson layup; ND pushed their lead to nine points with just over 17 minutes to play. Fred Payne finally found an answer, getting a rare clean look from behind the arc through a solid Kapke screen.
BC finally found some offense through some strong defense, drawing even with the Irish on a 9-0 run that was punctuated by a nasty Payne alley-oop. ND was able to restore a two-possession lead, but were unable to extend beyond that; with 9:34 to play, Forte tied the game with a trey. BC forced a stop, before Fred Payne drilled another three to take BC’s first lead in the second half. The Eagles pressed their advantage through an 11-0 run, forcing multiple tough ND shots and running in transition.
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In a season defined by late-game scenarios, it felt like a clutch scenario was inevitable. As the clock ticked under five minutes, BC found itself once again in a tight game — this time leading by five. A slew of Jayden Hastings free throws pushed the lead to nine with 2:52 to play, but Logan Imes drilled a deep 3 to cut it to six. This time it was Fred Payne who delivered an answer, as both teams traded buckets down the stretch. Ultimately, BC hint enough free throws to secure a 77-69 win. With a Syracuse victory over Pitt tonight, BC will head to Charlotte as the 15th seed in the ACC Tournament.
