Boston College Athletics
Late Rally Falls Short for the Eagles
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
January 13, 1999
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) - John Celestand scored 19 points and Brian Lynch had a career-high nine rebounds and hit two crucial jump shots in the last 1:49 as Villanova held off a late Boston College rally to defeat the Eagles 76-67 in Big East action Wednesday.
Malik Allen had 14 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high six blocks for the Wildcats (12-5, 3-4), who piled up a 52-25 rebounding advantage over the smaller Eagles.
Willie Deane had 14 points and Brian Ross added 11 for Boston College (3-11, 0-6), which suffered its fifth straight loss and the ninth in ten outings.
Villanova held a 61-47 lead with 8:49 to go, but Boston College went on a 14-3 run - the last eight points by Deane - to close to 64-61 with 3:20 remaining. But Villanova, leading 66-62, got two three-point shots in a row by Lynch, the last with one minute to go, to take a 72-62 advantage.
The teams were tied at 21-21 before Villanova used its size advantage to build a 37-31 halftime lead. The Wildcats, paced by Lynch's eight rebounds, had a 26-8 edge on the boards in the first half. Villanova had 21 turnovers leading to 28 Boston College points.
