Boston College
Seton Hall*
Men's Basketball Downs Seton Hall, 72-63
January 17, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan 17, 2004
Sophomore Craig Smith scored 26 points and freshman Jared Dudley added 18 points to lead Boston College to a 72-63 BIG EAST victory over Seton Hall before 5,772 fans in Conte Forum.
Senior Uka Agbai netted 12 points and freshman Sean Marshall recorded 10 points to round out the Eagles' list of double-figure scorers. BC played without the services of sophomore Louis Hinnant, who suffered a sprained ankle in the team's game against Villanova on Jan. 14.
Seton Hall shot 50.0 percent from the field in the first half and held a 33-26 advantage at the intermission. The game was tied at 26-26 with 1:51 remaining in the half, before the Pirates finished the session with seven consecutive points. After a John Allen field goal put Seton Hall ahead, Andre Barrett recorded a lay-in and a three-point field goal in the final minute.
The Pirates scored the first four points of the second half to gain their largest lead of the day, before the host Eagles rallied. BC used a 19-5 run to take a 45-42 advantage. Smith scored eight points and Marshall hit two three-pointers to lead the Eagles in this stretch.
After Seton Hall evened the score at 47-47 with 8:51 remaining, BC scored eight of the game's next 10 points to take a six-point margin with 4:43 left to play. Seton Hall never cut its deficit to fewer than three points the rest of the way.
BC converted 8-of-10 free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
Freshman Steve Hailey and sophomore Tavio Hobson combined to fill the point-guard void created by Hinnant's absence. Hailey handed out six assists in 30 minutes of action, while Hobson contributed one point, three rebounds and two assists in 11 minutes. Prior to today's action, Hobson had played a total of 15 minutes in 12 collegiate contests.
Game Notes: Seton Hall gained a slight 37-36 rebounding edge ... Barrett led Seton Hall with 19 points. Allen added 15 points and nine rebounds ... Smith led BC with nine rebounds ... BC limited Seton Hall to 33.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half. BC shot 51.9 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes ... Smith made 12 field goals, marking the sixth time in the last seven games that he's made 10 or more field goals in one game.
