Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Duke
Men's Basketball Falls To No. 1 Duke, 88-78
January 24, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan 24, 2002
By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer
BOSTON - Carlos Boozer tied his career-high with 28 points and added seven rebounds Thursday night as No. 1 Duke opened a 29-point first-half lead and coasted to an 88-78 victory over Boston College.
Dahntay Jones had 16 points and six rebounds and Mike Dunleavy had 16 points, five rebounds and five assists for Duke (17-1), which has won five consecutive games by an average of almost 20 points since its only loss, to Florida State, on Jan. 6.
Jason Williams scored 15 points and Chris Duhon had 10 points and seven assists for the Blue Devils.
Troy Bell scored 26 points and Ryan Sidney had 10 as Boston College (14-5) lost for the fourth time in its last six games. Uka Agbai had nine rebounds and a career-high 20 points and Kenny Walls scored 14 for the Eagles, who had been ranked in the Top 25 for 20 consecutive polls - climbing to No. 10 earlier this season - before dropping out this week.
Duke used two 13-0 runs in the first half to open leads of 20-3 and 42-13. The Blue Devils led by 20 at halftime and 70-42 on Boozer's layup with 12:51 left in the game before BC mustered enough of a charge to make it respectable.
It was 71-44 when BC scored 10 of the next 12 points, then added an 8-0 run to make it 75-62 while holding Duke to one basket over six minutes. Bell hit a leaner from the lane to make it 77-66 with 4:07 left.
But Sidney fouled out at the other end and Williams made one free throw. Dunleavy followed with a turnaround jumper to make it 80-66, and BC only got within 10 points with Andrew Bryant's 22-footer at the buzzer.
Williams is the leading scorer in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and Bell leads the Big East in scoring. Along with Duhon and Sidney, respectively, they make up two of the best backcourts in the nation.
But while the BC guards outscored their Duke counterparts 36-25, there was no doubt as to the better team.
After losing to Florida State for the only blemish on its record, Duke won its next four games by an average of 22 points, including a 99-78 victory over No. 3 Maryland last week.
During the football season, Boston College gave Miami its biggest scare on its way to the national championship, losing on a deflected 90-yard interception in the final seconds. But the only moral victory this time was that the Eagles made it relatively close at the end.
The BC fans started doing Florida State's "Tomahawk Chop" in the first half in the hopes of borrowing some luck, but that couldn't do it either. The top-scoring team in nation, Duke has beaten 41 of its last 42 unranked opponents and 20 in a row outside the ACC.
Duke made its first eight shots and scored on every possession until Williams stepped on the sideline for a turnover with 14 minutes left in the half. By that time, Duke led 19-3.
After Boozer scored to open the second half, Bell made a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 19. It was his first 3-pointer after missing at least 22 in a row over the previous three-plus games.
