Boston College Athletics
Men's Basketball to Host Iona
December 28, 1999 | Men's Basketball
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Junior forward Jonathan Beerbohm earned All-Tournament honors at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, leading the Eagles to a 2-1 mark. Beerbohm averaged 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the tournament. He hit a decisive three-point field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the Eagles' 67-62 win over Illinois-Chicago. The following day, Beerbohm contributed 14 points and nine rebounds in an 83-59 victory over Massachusetts ... Junior guard Xavier Singletary enjoyed his best game in a BC uniform in the win over Massachusetts. Singletary netted a season-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He sank seven three-point field goals, the most by a BC player in one game since Dana Barros made nine treys at Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, 1989.
LAST GAME: Junior Xavier Singletary scored a game-high 26 points, and freshman Troy Bell added 16 points to lead BC to an 83-59 win over Massachusetts in the fifth-place game at the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic on Dec. 23. Junior Jonathan Beerbohm registered 14 points and nine rebounds and earned All-Tournament honors ... BC shot 53.4 percent from the field, its second-best shooting effort of the season ... BC made nine three-point field goals (for the third time this season), equaling its 1998-99 single-game high (three times in 1998-99 as well) ... BC shot 62.1 percent from the field in the first half, and led 48-28 at intermission.. UMass never got closer than 15 points in the final 20 minutes ... BC outrebounded UMass, 39-30.
STREAKING: Boston College has won five of its last six games ... Tonight the Eagles are looking for their third consecutive victory, a feat already accomplished once earlier this season ... BC's longest winning streak last season was also three games (Jan. 27-Feb. 6).
Boston College (8-3) vs. Iona (3-5)
December 30, 1999 -- 7:30 p.m.
Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606) -- Chestnut Hill, Mass.
BOSTON COLLEGE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | PPG, RPG | Last Game | |
| F | 00 | Uka Agbai | Fr. | 5.8, 4.5 | 9 pts., 4 reb. | |
| F | 3 | Michael Cotton | Sr. | 3.6, 3.6 | 0 pts., 2 reb. | |
| F | 45 | Brian Ross | So. | 5.2, 4.8 | 4 pts., 5 reb. | |
| G | 2 | Troy Bell | Fr. | 19.0, 2.6 | 16 pts., 2 reb. | |
| G | 23 | Xavier Singletary | Jr. | 13.8, 3.8 | 26 pts., 7 reb. |
FREE THROWS: Boston College has shot better than 80.0 percent from the foul line in four of its first 11 games this season ... In its 89-71 win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Boston College shot 22-for-25 from the foul line, 88.0 percent. The effort was the Eagles' best since shooting 88.9 percent (16-for-18) at Miami on Feb. 19, 1997 ... More recently, BC shot 12-for-14 from the foul line, 85.7 percent, against Massachusetts (Dec. 23).
FIELD GOALS: In Boston College's 53.4 percent shooting effort against Massachusetts (Dec. 23), the Eagles made 62.1 percent of their first-half field-goal attempts, their best 20-minute effort of the season ... BC shot 61.3 percent from the field in the first half against Hartford (and 60.0 percent in the second half of the same game).
80 POINTS: After scoring more than 80 points just once in 27 games last winter, Boston College has scored more than 80 points in five of 11 games this season.
STEALS: Boston College has recorded 109 steals in its first 11 games, an average of 9.9 steals per game. The Eagles have registered 10 or more steals in each of six games, including four of the last six ... The Eagles registered a season-best 19 steals in the season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20).
DEPTH: Boston College's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 10 of 11 games this season. BC has an 8-2 record in these games ... BC's reserves are averaging 28.1 points per game, while its opponents' reserves are averaging 16.0 ppg ... BC's bench scored a season-high 52 points in the season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... BC's reserves scored a season-low eight points at Holy Cross (Dec. 7) ... BC's bench was outscored, 22-17, in its first meeting with Massachusetts this season (Dec. 4).
BALANCE: The BC scoring attack is evenly balanced between points from returning players and points from the team's newcomers. Entering tonight's game, BC's returning players have scored 400 points, while the newcomers have tallied 432 points.
SERIES VS. IONA: Boston College has a 1-1 all-time record against the Gaels. Iona won the first meeting, 61-49, on March 3, 1951 (at the Westchester County Center) ... BC evened the series with a 61-53 victory on Jan. 26, 1952 (in White Plains, N.Y.). John Silk, whose BC jersey was retired in a ceremony last winter, led the Eagles with 23 points.
WHO'S BACK?: Boston College returns eight lettermen, including all five starters, from the 1998-99 season ... The 1999-2000 roster features two seniors, four juniors, three sophomores and five freshmen. One of the seniors, guard Dwayne Pina, has two years of eligibility remaining. One of the juniors, guard Xavier Singletary, is actually a newcomer. Singletary played two seasons at Howard University, before transferring to BC and sitting out last season.
THE COACHES
THE HEAD COACH: Al Skinner is in his third season as the Eagles' head coach. Skinner assumed the head coaching duties at Boston College on April 17, 1997. A 1974 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, he starred on the Minutemen's basketball team. He finished his collegiate career with 1,252 points. A team captain as a senior, he has subsequently been elected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame. Following his collegiate career, Skinner played professional basketball for six years -- with the New York Nets (ABA and NBA), Detroit Pistons (NBA), Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and Joventut (Barcelona, Spain) ... He has a 29-40 record in two-plus seasons at the Heights. Prior to coming to BC, he enjoyed nine successful years at the University of Rhode Island. In his tenure at URI, Skinner had a 138-126 record, leading the Rams to two NCAA Tournament (1992-93 and 1996-97) and two NIT (1991-92 and 1995-96) bids ... Skinner has a career record of 167-166.
THE ASSISTANT COACHES: Skinner is joined on the BC bench by associate head coach Tim O'Shea, assistant coaches Bill Coen and Ed Cooley, and administrative assistant Pat Duquette. Three of the four -- Coen, Cooley and former BC star guard O'Shea ('84) -- came with Skinner from Rhode Island, while Duquette came to BC from St. Michael's College.
PLAYER NOTES
#00 UKA AGBAI: The freshman forward is averaging 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game ... Agbai has started each of the last seven games ... In the three games in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, Agbai averaged 7.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a win over Illinois-Chicago. In the win over Massachusetts, the freshman contributed nine points, four rebounds, two blocked shots, one assist and one steal in 30 productive minutes ... In the Eagles' win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Agbai registered 10 points and five rebounds. His 10-point effort was his third double-figure game of the season (all with 10 points). His other double-digit efforts came against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) and Hartford (Nov. 29) ... Agbai came to Boston College from New York City's Archbishop Molloy High School, where he played for legendary head coach Jack Curran.
#2 TROY BELL: The freshman guard is the Eagles' top scorer, averaging 19.0 points per game. He has led the team in scoring in eight games ... He has already topped the 20-point mark in five games, including three games with more than 25 points ... He leads the Eagles in both three-point field goal percentage (50.0 percent, 23-for-46) and free-throw percentage (90.0 percent, 54-for-60).
20 Points: When Bell registered 20 or more points in three consecutive games (Nov. 29-Dec. 7), he became only the sixth BC player since the 1989-90 season to reach the 20-point plateau in three consecutive contests. Bill Curley (twice), Danya Abrams (three times), Scoonie Penn, Antonio Granger and Kenny Harley are the others. Only Penn accomplished the feat as a freshman.
BIG EAST Rookie Honors: Troy Bell has garnered BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors three times already this season ... His most recent honor came after scoring 28 points in a home win over Michigan (Dec. 19) ... After averaging 25.5 points per game in two games between Nov. 29-Dec. 5, Troy Bell captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors for the week ending Dec. 5 ... He averaged 19.0 ppg in two games -- against Holy Cross and St. Francis (N.Y.) between Dec. 6-12 to share league rookie accolades (with Seton Hall's Darius Lane).
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The senior swingman is averaging 3.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 17.7 minutes per game ... Cotton registered a season-high nine points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) in the first round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic ... He contributed four points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in a home win over Michigan (Dec. 19) ... He registered seven points and six rebounds -- both season highs -- in 25 minutes against Massachusetts (Dec. 4). He also grabbed six rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11).
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The junior forward is averaging 9.7 points and 5.0 rebounds in 20.6 minutes per game this season. He has scored in double figures in seven games this season, including five of the last five contests ... He recorded 14 points, a game-high 11 rebounds and two steals in a season-high 29 minutes against Michigan (Dec. 19). The game marked his first collegiate double-double.
Puerto Rico Holiday Classic: Beerbohm earned All-Tournament honors after averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three games. He recorded nine points and five rebounds against Tulsa (Dec. 21) ... Against Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22), Beerbohm tallied 13 points, including the decisive three-point field goal with 18 seconds remaining in the game that lifted BC to the victory ... Against Massachusetts (Dec. 23), the junior equaled his career high with 14 points, while falling one rebound shy of a double-double.
Ironman: Tonight will mark Beerbohm's 70th consecutive game at Boston College. The junior from Fairbury, Neb. has played in every game since his arrival in Chestnut Hill in the fall of 1997.
#5 DWAYNE PINA: The senior guard is averaging 1.9 points, 1.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 12.3 minutes per game this season ... After missing three games because of a left hip injury, he returned to action against Massachusetts (Dec. 23) in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic. He contributed one rebound, one assist, two steals and steady ballhandling in 15 minutes of action ... Pina tallied five points (all free throws), two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 19 minutes against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... He averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 assists in a team-high 30.0 minutes per game last winter. He played in and started all 27 games ... Pina, who began the 1999-2000 season with two seasons of eligibility remaining, joined the team as a walk-on prior to the 1997-98 season, but quickly earned a scholarship.
#10 NICOLAS DUNN: The junior guard, who joined the team as a walk-on prior to the 1997-98 season, scored his first collegiate points in the Eagles' home win over Hartford (Nov. 29). Dunn sank a three-point field goal as time expired in BC's 104-62 victory. The shot was Dunn's third career field-goal attempt, his first three-point field-goal try.
#13 KENNY HARLEY: The junior guard is averaging 5.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season ... Harley recorded nine points, two rebounds and three assists against Tulsa (Dec. 21) ... Two days later, he contributed five points (2-for-2 FG, 1-for-1 trey) in 19 minutes against Massachusetts ... He registered four points and a season-high six rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... He scored a season-high 14 points (5-for-10 FG, 4-for-4 FT) in the Eagles' win over Hartford (Nov. 29) ... Harley registered eight points and four rebounds at Penn State (Nov. 27) ... In the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23), he handed out a career-high six assists in 22 minutes.
#21 KENNY WALLS: The sophomore swingman is averaging 9.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in four games this season, including three of the last five contests ... In the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, Walls averaged 11.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He netted 14 points in each of the first two games (vs. Tulsa and Ilinois-Chicago). Against Illinois-Chicago, he also contributed six rebounds, four assists and two steals. He finished the tournament with a seven-point, four-rebound effort in the win over Massachusetts ... Walls registered eight points, two rebounds and two steals in nine productive minutes against Michigan (Dec. 19) ... He recorded 14 points and nine rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11). His nine rebounds equaled his career high ... He scored a team-high 18 points in the Eagles' season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20).
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: The junior guard is the Eagles' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 10 games, including two games with 20 or more points ... He led the Eagles in scoring in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, averaging 16.3 points per game. He netted 12 points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) and 11 against Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22), before exploding for 26 points against Massachusetts (Dec. 23). He shot 8-for-17 from the field against UMass, including 7-for-14 from three-point range. His seven three-pointers were the most by a BC player in one game since Dana Barros made nine treys at Pittsburgh on Jan. 7, 1989 ... In the Eagles' 89-71 win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Singletary registered 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He scored 10 of his 16 points in the final 20 minutes ... He tallied 16 points (10 free throws) against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... He scored 20 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-7 three-pointers) in the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23) ... Singletary made his Boston College (regular-season) debut against New Hampshire (Nov. 20). He finished with 16 points and three rebounds in 30 minutes.
Rebounding: Singletary has grabbed seven rebounds in three of the last four games.
Steals: Singletary leads the Eagles in steals, with 23 through 11 games. He made four steals in each of two games in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic -- against Tulsa (Dec. 21) and Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22).
Before BC: Singletary played his first two collegiate seasons at Howard, before transferring to Boston College and sitting out the 1998-99 season ... At Howard, he scored 933 points in two seasons (50 games). As a sophomore, he ranked ninth among the nation's Division I scoring leaders with a 22.3 ppg average.
#32 ANDREW DUDLEY: The freshman forward/center recorded four points (2-for-3 FG) and four rebounds in six minutes against Vermont (Nov. 23) ... Dudley averaged 17.0 points and 15.0 rebounds per game at Life Center (N.J.) Academy last winter.
#45 BRIAN ROSS: The sophomore forward is averaging 5.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game ... He has scored in double figures in three games ... Ross netted three points in BC's win over Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22) in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic, snapping a string of three games without a point ... Ross registered four points and five rebounds in the win over Massachusetts (Dec. 23) ... He grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... He recorded eight points and a game-high eight rebounds at Holy Cross (Dec. 7) ... He netted 10 points (3-for-4 FG, 1-for-1 trey, 3-for-3 FT) in a season-high 32 minutes against Massachusetts (Dec. 4) ... Ross registered 14 points (6-for-10 FG) and eight rebounds against Vermont (Nov. 23).
MEDIA NOTES
ON RADIO: Boston College basketball games can be heard on SportsRadio 850 WEEI (AM), Boston's 50-thousand watt all-sports radio station. Ted Sarandis is in his fifth season as the voice of the basketball Eagles. The 1999-2000 campaign marks his 23rd season describing the bouncing ball. He holds the unique distinction of having called play-by-play for all four Division I institutions in Boston -- Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern -- as well as Holy Cross. In addition, the Boston native is host of the popular ?Ted Nation? talk show, heard weeknights from 7 p.m.-midnight on SportsRadio 850 WEEI. Joining Sarandis is Bill Newell. Newell is in his third season with the basketball Eagles. He previously spent four seasons calling the action for the Boston College hockey team. Newell has also served as the play-by-play voice of Harvard football ... Many Boston College basketball games can also be heard on WZBC-FM (90.3), the student station.
BIG EAST COACHES TELECONFERENCE: The second BIG EAST Coaches' Teleconference will be held on Thursday, Jan. 6. Each coach will be available for approximately eight minutes. Boston College head coach Al Skinner will be on the call at 11:15 a.m. Media representatives wishing to participate in the teleconference should call (913) 981-5520. FAX ON DEMAND: The BIG EAST Conference offers a FAX-ON-DEMAND service that sends the latest in sports information from the BIG EAST and its member institutions to your fax machine instantly -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Media members are required to contact the BIG EAST or the Boston College Sports Information Office to obtain the access (telephone) number. Boston College basketball document codes are: Breaking News 1120, Short Notes 1121, Full Notes 1122, Stats Only 1123, Most Recent Box Score 1124.
TIMEOUT POLICY: The NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules Committees have developed a new media timeout rule for the 1999-2000 season. Under this policy, electronic media timeouts shall be called at the first dead ball after the 16:00, 12:00, 8:00 and 4:00 minutes marks in each half. Each of these timeouts will be 105 seconds in length ... In addition, each team/coach has five 30-second timeouts (only four may be carried over to the second half) in regulation play, plus one additional 30-second timeout per overtime period (only coaches may call timeouts in overtime, and only the first timeout called by a coach in each overtime period will become an electronic media timeout). Unused timeouts from the second half or earlier overtime periods may be carried over into subsequent sessions ... The electronic media is entitled to nine timeouts. The entity gains access to the ninth timeout when the first coach-called timeout is taken. The first timeout in the game called by a coach becomes an electronic media timeout, but does not replace one of the scheduled four in that half.
UP NEXT: Boston College opens its BIG EAST schedule on Saturday, Jan. 8 against Providence College. Game time is 12:30 p.m. in Conte Forum.
OUR RECORD WHEN...
| BC shoots 50 percent or better | 3-0 |
| BC shoots 40-49 percent | 4-1 |
| BC shoots 30-39 percent | 1-2 |
| BC shoots below 30 percent | 0-0 |
| Opponent shoots 50 percent or better | 0-1 |
| Opponent shoots 40-49 percent | 4-2 |
| Opponent shoots 30-39 percent | 4-0 |
| Opponent shoots below 30 percent | 0-0 |
| BC shoots better from field | 6-0 |
| BC shoots same/worse from field | 2-3 |
| BC leads at half | 8-0 |
| BC is tied at half | 0-0 |
| BC is losing at half | 0-3 |
| BC commits fewer turnovers | 5-0 |
| BC commits more turnovers | 2-3 |
| Turnovers are even | 1-0 |
| BC outrebounds opponent | 6-2 |
| BC is outrebounded | 2-1 |
| Rebounds are even | 0-0 |
| BC shoots 70 percent or better FT | 3-2 |
| BC hits more free throws | 8-2 |
| BC scores less than 50 points | 0-0 |
| BC scores 50-59 points | 1-1 |
| BC scores 60-69 points | 1-2 |
| BC scores 70-79 points | 1-0 |
| BC scores 80 or more points | 5-0 |
| Opponent scores less than 50 points | 1-0 |
| Opponent scores 50-59 points | 1-0 |
| Opponent scores 60-69 points | 5-0 |
| Opponent scores 70-79 points | 1-1 |
| Opponent scores 80 or more points | 0-2 |
| BC bench outscores opponent bench | 8-2 |
| Game is decided by 1-4 points | 0-0 |
| Game is decided by 5-10 points | 3-1 |
| Game is decided by 11 points or more | 5-2 |
| In overtime | 0-0 |
LEADING THE EAGLES...
Led team in scoring:Bell (8)
Walls (2)
Singletary (1)
Led team in rebounding:
Ross (4)
Agbai (3)
Beerbohm (2)
Walls (1)
Cotton (1)
Millar (1)
Singletary (1)
Double-Figure Rebounds:
Ross (1)
Beerbohm (1)
Double-Figure Scoring:
Bell (10)
Singletary (10)
Beerbohm (7)
Ross (3)
Agbai (3)
Walls (4)
Harley (1)
20+-point Games:
Bell (5)
Singletary (2)
Double-Doubles:
Beerbohm (1)
THE LAST TIME BOSTON COLLEGE
| Won in overtime | 97-87 over Seton Hall, 3-4-98 |
| Lost in overtime | 68-65 at Villanova, 1-6-98 |
| Played two overtimes | at Louisville 89, BC 85, 12-29-96 |
| Beat a top ten opponent | BC 75, (1) North Carolina 72, 3-20-94 |
| Beat a ranked opponent | BC 64, at (21) Marquette 54, 1-17-98 |
| Won by 30+ points | BC 104-62 over Hartford, 11-29-99 |
| Won by 40+ points | BC 104-62 over Hartford, 11-29-99 |
| Won by 50+ points | BC 132-79 over Bentley, 12-11-82 |
| Scored 100 points | 104 vs. Hartford, 11-29-99 |
| Scored 90 points | 104 vs. Hartford, 11-29-99 |
| Scored fewer than 50 points | 75-45 vs. Massachusetts, 12-12-98 |
| Both teams scored 100 points | BC 107, at Rhode Island 105, 1-12-65 |
| Allowed 100 points | 103-89 vs. Georgia Tech, 3-17-96 |
| Allowed fewer than 50 points | 43 at Holy Cross, 12-7-99 |
| Allowed fewer than 40 points | 37 vs. Georgia Tech, 1-19-80 |
| Shot over 60% FG | 60.7% vs. Hartford, 11-29-99 |
| Shot under 35% FG | 34.0% at Holy Cross, 12-7-99 |
| Held opponent under 30% FG | 27.7% vs. Buffalo, 11-25-95 |
| Made 10 3-pt FGs | 12 vs. St. John's, 3-5-98 |
| Attempted 40 FTs | 40 vs. Pittsburgh, 3-6-97 |
| Made 30 FTs | 31 vs. Fairfield, 12-10-97 |
| Had 50 or more rebounds | 53 vs. Holy Cross, 12-20-97 |
| Had 25 or fewer rebounds | 23 vs. Syracuse, 3-3-99 |
| Had 20 or more assists | 22 vs. Seton Hall, 3-4-98 |
| Made 15 or more steals | 19 vs. New Hampshire, 11-20-99 |
| Blocked 10 or more shots | 10 vs. Holy Cross, 12-20-97 |
THE LAST TIME A BC PLAYER
| Scored 40 points | Danya Abrams, 41 at Hartford, 12-22-94 (OT) |
| Scored 30 points | Danya Abrams, 31 vs. Syracuse, 3-7-96 |
| Two players had 20 points | Troy Bell (27) and Xavier Singletary (20) vs. Vermont, 11-23-99 |
| Hit 6 3pt FGs | Xavier Singletary, 7 vs. Massachusetts, 12-23-99 |
| Hit 9 3pt FGs | Dana Barros, 9 at Pittsburgh, 1-7-89 |
| Attempted 20 FTs | Danya Abrams, 20 at Syracuse, 1-7-97 |
| Made 10 FTs | Troy Bell, 12 vs. Massachusetts, 12-4-99 |
| Made 15 FTs | Danya Abrams, 17 at Syracuse, 1-7-97 |
| Had 20 rebounds | Danya Abrams, 20 vs. Providence College, 1-22-94 |
| Had 15 rebounds | Danya Abrams, 16 at Syracuse, 1-7-97 |
| Two players had 10 rebounds | Kostas Maglos (12) and Antonio Granger (11) vs. Miami, 1-28-98 |
| Shot 100% from the field (minimum 10) | Martin Clark, 13-for-13 vs. Bentley, 12-11-82 |
| Had 10 assists | Duane Woodward, 11 at Marquette, 1-17-98 |
| Had 15 assists | Jim O'Brien, 18 vs. LeMoyne, 12-16-70 |
| Had 8 steals | Dominic Pressley, 8 vs. New Hampshire, 12-2-86 |
| Had 5 blocks | Jonathan Beerbohm, 5 vs. Notre Dame, 1-27-99 |
