Hamilton's Free Throws Push Eagles Past Carolina, 71-70

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Jared Hamilton’s two free throws with 17 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in Boston College’s 71-70 win at North Carolina on Saturday night.

Hamilton, who was clearly fouled while attempting a 3-pointer in front of the Eagles’ bench, finished with a team-high 18 points. The win by the Eagles snapped a 12-game losing streak vs. the Tar Heels, which dated back 10 years to the date.

The Eagles led 7-6 early on, making three of its first five shots from the floor. UNC would rally with a 6-2 push, taking a 12-10 lead with 12:00 left in the first half. BC committed five turnovers over a 4:20 span.

Tied at 18-18 at the 7:51 mark, the Eagles used the long-ball to take a 26-22 lead with 3:47 left in the half. BC was plagued by three more turnovers down the final 2:07 of the period but maintained a 32-30 lead at the break.

BC maintained its intensity after halftime, outscoring Carolina, 9-2, through the first 4:23 of play in the second half. The run extended to 13-5, capped by a Nik Popovic layup, making it a 10-point game – 45-35 – with 13:38 to go.

After a Jay Heath traditional 3-point play made it 48-38 with 12:12 left, the Tar Heels responded with 11 unanswered, taking a 49-48 lead with 9:42 left. Once again, the Eagles would not back down. A jumper from Jared Hamilton, a 3-pointer from Popovic, and Derryck Thornton’s first FG of the night sparked a 7-0 run over the next 1:06 as BC led 55-49 with 8:23 to go.

Carolina’s last push – a 13-4 run over the next 3:02 – gave it a 66-63 lead with 3:01 to go. But five straight points from Thornton, including a free throw with 45 ticks left, gave BC a 69-68 lead. UNC star freshman Cole Anthony put the Heels back up one – 70-69 – with 30 seconds to go, before Hamilton was fouled and headed to the line for the game-winner.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

Four BC players tallied double figures on the night, led by Jared Hamilton’s 18.
Jared Hamilton was 6-of-12 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. He made 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. The senior added three boards and two steals.
Derryck Thornton scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.
The senior point guard knocked down his last four FG attempts and 7-of-8 from the foul line. He added three boards and three assists.
Jay Heath had 12 points (5-10 FG) and six assists.
Nik Popovic added 10 points (4-5 FG; 1-1 3FG), eight boards, and four steals.
CJ Felder added six points, four boards, and two blocks.
Steffon Mitchell corralled eight rebounds to go with five points and two assists.
Jairus Hamilton had five points and five rebounds.
For the game, BC shot 46.4% (26-56) from the floor, including 7-of-18 from the perimeter.
The Eagles knocked down 12-of-17 from the line – including 9-of-12 in the second half.
The win snapped BC’s longest active losing streak – 12 games – versus an opponent.

STAT OF THE GAME:

+5 – BC outscored North Carolina, 13-8, in fast breakpoints.

FOR THE ANALYTICS CROWD:

Nik Popovic led BC with an efficiency rating of 20.
Jared Hamilton checked in at 16, while Steffon Mitchell had an EFF mark of 11 and Jay Heath 10.
Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK – Missed Shots – TO)

UP NEXT:

Boston College closes out its regular-season series with Duke on Tuesday night in Chestnut Hill.
Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air live on ESPN. Rece Davis, Jon Crispin, and Brooke Weisbrod have the call.
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.