Boston College Wins Fort Myers Tipoff; Downs Loyola 78-66

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FORT MYERS, Fla. — Jordan Chatman led all scorers with 20 points as Boston College won the inaugural Fort Myers Tipoff, downing Loyola Chicago, 78-66, in Wednesday night’s Championship Game.

BC scored the game’s first five points before the Ramblers responded with seven unanswered early on. Tied at 16-16 with 10:49 to play in the first half, the Eagles went on a 7-0 run over the next 2:02, capped by a Wynston Tabbs layup. Boston College led 23-16 and would not trail the rest of the night. A 10-2 push over the final 5:49 of the first half gave BC a 10-point lead at the break, at 36-26.

Five straight BC points to start the second half built a 15-point advantage less than a minute in, forcing a Loyola timeout. A Ky Bowman layup with 10:42 to go gave BC its largest lead of the night at 16 points, at 56-40.

Loyola – a 2018 Final Four participant – would mount a 13-2 run, cutting the Eagles’ lead to five – 58-53 – with 6:18 left in regulation. But a 3-pointer from the deep corner and an elbow jumper from Chatman stopped the run and got BC back on track offensively. A Bowman jumper with 3:21 to go kept the Boston College lead in double figures the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Jordan Chatman posted his second 20-point performance of the season. The senior guard connected on 7-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added six rebounds and two assists in 38 minutes.
Ky Bowman – the Nation’s Most Dynamic Guard – was named MVP of the Fort Myers Tipoff. He averaged 25.0 points in the two games at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. The junior finished the night with 12 points, four boards, five assists, and two steals. Bowman played just nine minutes in the first half after collecting two fouls.
The Boston College bench provided a spark on the night, scoring 31 of the 78 points. Nik Popovic led the Eagles reserves with 14 points (6-11 FG) while grabbing six boards in 26 minutes.
Jairus Hamilton scored 11 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists, and tallied a steal in 24 minutes of action.
Chris Herren Jr. saw 16 minutes of action, connecting on two 3-pointers while also coming up with a key blocked shot.
Wynston Tabbs came close to a double-double, with nine points and seven rebounds. He added two assists in 35 minutes of action.
BC connected on a season-high 51.7% (30-58) from the floor for the game and outrebounded the Ramblers, 37-29 – including holding Loyola without an offensive rebound in the first half.
The Eagles connected on 7-of-21 from beyond the arc and 11-of-17 from the foul line.

STAT OF THE GAME:
62.5 – Boston College shot 62.5% (15-24) from the floor in the second half. It was the best second-half shooting performance since connecting on 61.3% (19-31) at Pittsburgh on Feb. 13.

FOR THE ANALYTICS CROWD:
Six players posted an efficiency rating of 10 or better, led by Jordan Chatman’s 18. Ky Bowman (14), Steffon Mitchell (12), Jairus Hamilton (12), Nik Popovic (11), and Wynston Tabbs (10) rounded out the BC leaders in efficiency. Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – Missed Shots – TO)

UP NEXT:
BC returns to Chestnut Hill on Monday, Nov. 26 when it hosts Minnesota in the opening day of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Eagles and Gophers tipoff at 9 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ESPN2. Bob Wischusen and Fran Fraschilla will provide the broadcast call for the Worldwide Leader.