Boston College Wards Off Second Half Surge, Defeats Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70
The Boston College Eagles (8-5, 0-2 ACC) took down the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights (4-11, 0-0 NEC) on Saturday in the Conte Forum to earn another win ahead of likely the toughest stretch of the schedule when the bulk of conference play tips off on January 1st against Miami.
Boston College got off to a hot start, jumping out to an early 14-5 lead on the back of none other than Donald Hand, Jr. He scored nine of the team's first fifteen points and did not slow down from there. Hand finished the contest with a 29 point, 10 rebound double-double and also added an assist and a steal as well.
Although the Eagles put together a strong offensive outing, Earl Grant's squad did not have an answer defensively for Fairleigh Dickinson graduate transfer guard Ahmed Barba-Bey. In the first half alone, Barba-Bey kept the Knights within striking distance by scoring 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He finished the game with 31 points on 10-of-12 shooting.
Boston College took a 10 point lead into halftime, needing to make some clear defensive adjustments to account for the scoring outburst from Barba-Bey.
The second half saw Hand, Jr. continue to lead the way offensively for the Eagles while Barba-Bey did the same for the Knights. Boston College senior forward Chad Venning locked the paint down on most defensive possessions, but the Eagles were simply unable to take away outside shot opportunities for the Knights.
While Barba-Bey was the leading scorer, Fairleigh Dickinson also saw big time second half performances from Terrence Brown and Bismarck Nsiah who added 30 points as a duo.
Boston College was unable to get consistent defensive stops throughout the second half, but a potent offensive performance kept victory just out of reach for the Knights. The Eagles saw their ten point halftime lead dwindle by six points late in the contest, but held on for the win.
The bulk of ACC conference play tips off next week with the Eagles taking on Miami at home on January 1st.
