Boston College Eagles Drop 65-64 Heartbreaker to #16/14 Duke

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CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. –– Boston College used a 16-2 run to set up a frenzied final stretch, but in the end #16/14 Duke held on for a 65-64 win at Conte Forum on Saturday.

Trailing by as many as 14 points with 14:41 to play, Boston College used a 16-2 run – capped by a Jaeden Zackery layup – to tie the game at 54-54 with just under nine minutes left. Boston College’s defense shut down the Blue Devils over the final 11 minutes of play, holding them to only 1-of-14 shooting from the floor. But a decisive 19-7 advantage from the free throw line – including a 9-2 edge over that final 11 minutes – kept Duke alive and able to squeeze out the victory. The Blue Devils converted 17-of-19 from the charity stripe, while BC made six of their seven attempts.

BC trailed by six – 12-6 – early on, but rallied to tie the game at 21-21 with under eight minutes left in the opening period after a Zackery fast break layup. Duke would answer, going back up eight – 37-29 – with 1:18 left in the half. DeMarr Langford Jr. connected on a jumper and later made a perfect pass that traveled the length of the court to Quinten Post, who beat the halftime buzzer. The Eagles would trail 37-33 at the break.

Duke opened the second half on a 15-5 run, leading 52-38 with 14:42 left before Boston College mounted its comeback. Back-to-back buckets from Post – a 3-pointer and layup – made it 10 straight points for the Eagles, cutting it to 52-48. After a Blue Devils layup with 11:08 to go, BC would hold Duke to 1-of-14 shooting from the floor the rest of the way. Zackery’s fast-break layup with 8:50 left tied the game at 54-54 before four more free throws for Duke gave it s 58-54 edge. The Blue Devils would score nine of their 11 points over the final 11-plus minutes from the charity stripe.

Trailing by four – 63-59 – BC trimmed it to one after a Prince Aligbe 3-pointer made it 63-62 with 1:24. Three consecutive turnovers – two from Duke and one by BC – set up the go-ahead bucket by Post with 28 seconds. His hook shot in the paint with 28 ticks left gave BC a 64-63 lead. But Duke again found itself on the free throw line after a rebounding battle with 12 seconds left resulted in another whistle. Duke would convert free throws 16 and 17 of the afternoon, putting them ahead for good, 65-64. Makai Ashton-Langford’s jumper was clean but came up short in the final possession for BC.

Post led the Eagles with 16 points and six boards, Ashton-Langford had 12 points and Langford Jr. added 11. Zackery finished with 10 points, three boards, four assists, and three steals.

Boston College returns to action on Wednesday, when it travels to No. 12 Miami. The Eagles return home on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 8 p.m. when they host Wake Forest at Conte Forum. For tickets, visit the Boston College box office, call (617) 552-GOBC, or visit BCEagles.com.