Boston College BB: San Francisco Treat: Eagles Win Fourth Straight

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SAN FRANCISCO — Boston College used a 17-4 run midway through the second half to take the lead for good, en route to a 64-60 win over California in game two of the Al Attles Classic at Chase Center. The win extended BC’s win streak to four games, dating back to Dec. 7.

Jairus Hamilton led BC with 18 points and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. He added eight rebounds in 34 minutes. Julian Rishwain and Jared Hamilton scored 12 points apiece while Derryck Thornton added 10.

The Eagles trailed by 11 – 50-39 – with 10:10 remaining before using the 3-pointer – both the traditional and long-distance type – to get back in the game. Steffon Mitchell started the run, converting the and-one before back-to-back 3-pointers from Rishwain cut the Bears’ lead to four (52-48). A Jay Heath layup and another long two from Rishwain tied it up at 52-52 with 7:51 to go. Another Mitchell layup and two FT from Rishwain and BC led 56-52 with 5:09 to play.

Cal tied it up on a Matt Bradley layup with 1:53 to go, but Jairus Hamilton responded with a 3-pointer from the left-wing and BC never looked back.

Both teams traded baskets to start the game before Cal used a 19-6 run to open up a 13-point lead – at 25-11 – with 7:11 left in the opening period. But BC bore down on defense, holding Cal without a field goal the rest of the way. The Eagles closed the half on a 14-4 push and trailed 29-26 at the break.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Jairus Hamilton’s 18 points was a new career-high. His previous high of 17 came last year at Clemson. The sophomore forward also grabbed a season-high eight boards.
Julian Rishwain scored 10 of his 12 points during a 4:22 stretch in the second half.
Jared Hamilton scored 10 of his 12 in the first half, connecting on 3-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the floor. The senior also added three rebounds and an assist.
Steffon Mitchell’s stat line: seven points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot.
The Eagles’ defense forced 11 Cal turnovers in the second half. Pressure from Jay Heath led to six steals and eight points off turnovers over the final 20 minutes.
For the game, BC shot 41.3% (19-46) – but 50.0% from the floor (12-24) and from the perimeter (4-8) in the second frame.
Cal held a 37-29 edge on the glass, including a 13-7 advantage on the offensive glass.

STAT OF THE GAME:

90.9% – BC connected on 10-of-11 from the charity stripe in the second half.

FOR THE ANALYTICS CROWD:

Jairus Hamilton led the Eagles in efficiency rating with a 21.
Steffon Mitchell registered a 16, while Julian Rishwain (13) and Jared Hamilton (11) also reached double-digits
Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – Missed Shots – TO)

UP NEXT:

Boston College continues ACC play when it travels to Duke on Dec. 31 for a New Year’s Eve tilt at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and the game will air live on the ACC Network, with Wes Durham and Jordan Cornette.
The game can also be heard live on the Boston College Learfield IMG College Sports Network with Josh Maurer and Danya Abrams on WEEI 850 AM.