Men's basketball: Boston College soars past Maine 85-65

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CHESNUT HILL, MA – College basketball is back!

On Friday night, the Boston College Eagles got the 2017-18 season off on the right foot, with a solid 20-point, 85-65 win over the Maine Black Bears at Conte Forum Friday night.

After finishing last season with a 9-21 record, the Eagles were looking to not only get off on the right foot but also show the home fans in attendance that things are heading in a positive direction. Some new faces on the squad will surely help make that statement. One of those fresh faces, Graduate Student Deontae Hawkins, posted a double- double of 13 points and 15 rebounds in his Eagles’ debut. He was one of five players that would finish the night in double figures.

Teddy Hawkins posted a double-double – 13 points & a career-high 15 boards. Recap some of his top plays from tonight’s 85-65 win vs. Maine pic.twitter.com/5i8Xb5olZr

— BC Men’s Basketball (@BCMBB) November 11, 2017

Boston College also received a double – double night from the center spot, the combination of Nick Popovic – seven points and seven boards – to go along with twelve points and six rebounds off the bench from John Carlos Reyes was a key Friday night.

Head Coach Jim Christian after the game noted that having the ability to have scoring threats in the paint will be crucial this season.

“That kind of production will be important going forward,” he stated in his postgame press conference.

Another pivotal facet for the Eagles this season will be receiving help from the bench. In the first half, the Boston College bench was outscored by the Black Bears 10-2, something that the coach was not happy with per his comments postgame. For most of the game, Christian went seven deep. Adding more off the bench will be a focal point of these early season games.

As was the case last year, his backcourt was effective. Guards Jerome Robinson and Key Bowman had 18 points apiece, what the coach was real happy about after the game was only three turnovers between them, taken care of the basketball will be big for this team.

Boston College was only 4-18 from behind the arc, a stat that should get better with more games play. The biggest stat of the night was the rebounding margin. The Eagles held a 51-32 edge over Maine, something that rarely happen last season. Good things will happen for this team if they can compete on the glass.

Hawkins Rebound Counter #countvoncount #BCEagles pic.twitter.com/MmGOtY9vXm

— BC Men’s Basketball (@BCMBB) November 11, 2017

All in all it was a good first night for Boston College; there will be tougher challenges down the road for this team and only time will tell if they can handle them.

The Eagles return to action Sunday afternoon to face South Carolina State in a 1pm tipoff at the Conte Forum.