Boston College Athletics
Men's Hoops Hits The Road
January 20, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2000
Boston College (9-7, 1-3) at Miami (10-7, 3-2)
January 22, 2000 -- 7:30 p.m.
Miami Arena (15,388) -- Miami, FL
WHO'S HOT: Freshman guard Troy Bell scored a team-high 18 points in the Eagles' 72-69 loss to Georgetown (Jan. 18). Bell also registered four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a career-high 38 minutes. Bell shot 6-for-6 from the foul line, extending his successful free-throw streak to 16 ... Sophomore swingman Kenny Walls netted 17 points -- one shy of his season high -- in the loss to Georgetown. Walls scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half, including nine in the final six minutes. The sophomore hit two three-point field goals and converted one "old-fashioned" three-point play in the stretch run. Walls has now scored in double figures seven times this season, including each of the last two contests (10 at Villanova, Jan. 15).
TURNOVERS: BC has improved/lowered its turnover total over the last five games. The Eagles have committed fewer turnovers than its opponent in each of the five contests ... After committing an average of 19.1 turnovers per game in the season's first 11 games, BC has made just 13.2 turnovers per game in the last five contests (while forcing 19.8 turnovers per game in this stretch) ... BC committed just eight turnovers against Notre Dame (Jan. 12), its lowest single-game total since Dec. 23, 1997 (vs. Northwestern).
SHOOTING WOES: While improving its turnover numbers in the last five games, Boston College has struggled with its shooting. The Eagles have shot just 35.8 percent from the field in this stretch (115-for-321), including 23.9 percent from three-point range (26-for-109) ... BC hasn't hit 37.0 percent from the field in any of the last five games ... BC shot 33.3 percent at Villanova (Jan. 15), equaling its lowest percentage of the season. BC also shot 33.3 percent at Penn State.
HALFTIME SCORE: Boston College has an 8-0 record this season when leading at halftime, 1-6 when trailing at the break, and 0-1 when tied after 20 minutes ... BC and Georgetown were tied at 34-34 at halftime on Jan. 18. The Hoyas won the game, 72-69, on a three-point field goal by Kevin Braswell with 1.4 seconds remaining.
MAGIC NUMBER: Boston College is 8-1 when limiting its opponents to fewer than 70 points. BC is 1-6 when allowing more than 70 points.
ON THE ROAD: Tonight marks Boston College's third road game in its last four outings ... Boston College has a 1-3 road record this season, including a 0-1 mark in BIG EAST action ... In its last road contest, BC lost to Villanova, 67-59 (Jan. 15).
Shooting Numbers: In seven games away from its home arena (away or neutral), BC is shooting 38.7 percent (160-for-413) from the field ... In Conte Forum, the Eagles are shooting 45.3 percent (245-for-540) in nine games this winter.
LAST GAME: Freshman Troy Bell scored 18 points and sophomore Kenny Walls added 17 points to lead Boston College in a 72-69 loss to Georgetown (Jan. 18) ... Bell sank three free throws with 17.0 seconds remaining to even the score at 69-69. Georgetown sophomore Kevin Braswell hit a three-pointer with 1.4 seconds remaining to give the Hoyas the victory ... Georgetown outrebounded the Eagles, 43-36 ... BC committed 14 turnovers, four fewer than the visitors ... BC shot 36.4 percent from the field, while GU shot 47.5 percent ... BC led by as many as eight points -- 30-22 with 4:35 remaining -- in the first half, before settling for a 34-34 halftime tie ... Georgetown led for much of the second half. The Hoyas led 62-56 with 4:09 to play, before BC used a 7-0 run to take a one-point edge with 2:11 remaining. GU scored the next five points, before Walls hit a three-pointer and Bell sank three free throws, setting the stage for Braswell's decisive shot.
FREE THROWS: One of the better free-throw shooting teams in the conference, Boston College has made 72.3 percent of its free throws ... BC has shot better than 80.0 percent from the foul line in six games this season ... BC shot a season-best 90.0 percent from the line (9-for-10) in its 71-63 loss to Iona (Dec. 30) ... In its 89-71 win over Michigan (Dec. 19), Boston College shot 22-for-25 from the foul line, 88.0 percent ... BC has shot 31-for-37 from the line in its last two games (.838) -- 16-for-18 at Villanova (Jan. 15) and 15-for-19 against Georgetown (Jan. 18).
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 16 games this season.
STEALS: Boston College has recorded 158 steals in its first 16 games, an average of 9.9 steals per game. The Eagles have registered 10 or more steals in each of eight games ... BC recorded a season-best 19 steals in the season opener against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... In four BIG EAST contests, BC has registered 43 steals, including 14 at Villanova (Jan. 15).
DEPTH: Boston College's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 14 of 16 games this season. BC has an 8-6 record in these games ... BC's reserves are averaging 26.3 points per game, while its opponents' reserves are averaging 16.8 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 in its first meeting with Massachusetts (Dec. 4) and against Providence (Jan. 8).
BOSTON COLLEGE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | PPG, RPG | Last Game | |
| F | 00 | Uka Agbai | Fr. | 5.4, 4.6 | 4 pts., 3 reb. | |
| F | 3 | Michael Cotton | Sr. | 4.4, 3.9 | 7 pts., 2 reb. | |
| F | 45 | Brian Ross | So. | 4.7, 4.5 | 2 pts., 2 reb. | |
| G | 2 | Troy Bell | Fr. | 19.0, 2.8 | 18 pts., 4 reb. | |
| G | 23 | Xavier Singletary | Jr. | 13.0, 3.7 | 8 pts., 5 reb. | |
THE SERIES VS. MIAMI: BC holds a 9-7 advantage in its series against Miami. BC has won eight of the 14 BIG EAST regular-season meetings ... Miami has won the last three meetings, including two wins last winter ... Boston College had won three consecutive games before UM began its streak.
Close Calls: Eight of the teams' 14 BIG EAST meetings have been decided by six points or less. The Eagles have won five of those games.
In Miami Arena: In seven BIG EAST contests in Miami Arena, Boston College has a 4-3 record.
CURRENT EAGLES VS. MIAMI
| NAME | GP | Pts./Avg. | Reb./Avg. | Ast./Avg. |
| Kenny Walls | 2 | 30/15.0 | 10/5.0 | 1/0.5 |
| Brian Ross | 2 | 6/3.0 | 10/5.0 | 3/1.5 |
| Michael Cotton | 2 | 19/9.5 | 11/5.5 | 4/2.0 |
| Kenny Harley | 3 | 26/8.7 | 8/2.7 | 5/1.7 |
| Dwayne Pina | 3 | 21/7.0 | 11/3.7 | 6/2.0 |
| Jonathan Beerbohm | 3 | 4/1.3 | 6/2.0 | 3/1.0 |
Notes: Kenny Walls scored in double figures in each of the two meetings last winter (16 at Miami, 14 in Chestnut Hill ... Michael Cotton registered 13 points and seven rebounds in last year's meeting in Chestnut Hill ... Dwayne Pina netted a career-high 17 points in the second meeting last year. He also contributed five rebounds, two assists and two steals in the contest ... Kenny Harley recorded 16 points and six rebounds in last winter's Chestnut Hill game.
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 30-44 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 168-170.
Skinner vs. Miami: Al Skinner has a 0-3 career record against the Hurricanes -- with each of the three meetings coming during his tenure at Boston College. Skinner did not face Miami during his nine years as head coach at Rhode Island.
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 5.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game ... After coming off the bench for the first four games of the season, Agbai has started each of the last 12 games ... He has led (or tied for the team lead) the team in rebounding in five games, including two of the team's four BIG EAST contests ... In recent action, Agbai notched six points and five rebounds at Villanova (Jan. 15), and six points and seven rebounds at Notre Dame (Jan. 12) ... In the Eagles' win over Providence (Jan. 8), the freshman played a career-high 37 minutes. In that time, he contributed three points, tied for team-high rebounding honors with six, and became the first BC player to block five shots in one game since Jonathan Beerbohm recorded five against Notre Dame on Jan. 27, 1999 ... Agbai grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a win over Illinois-Chicago (Dec. 22) ... 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 11 games ... He has already topped the 20-point mark in seven games, including four games with more than 25 points ... He is the Eagles' top three-point threat, hitting 42.9 percent from long range (33-for-77).
Free Throws: Bell is the BIG EAST's top free-throw shooter, hitting 88.8 percent of his attempts (95-for-107) ... The freshman guard has made each of his last 16 free-throw attempts.
BIG EAST Note: Bell's 28-point effort against Providence in his BIG EAST debut marked the third-highest point total by a player in his first conference contest. Two players -- Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Georgetown's Allen Iverson -- registered 30 points in their first BIG EAST contests. Two other players -- Connecticut's Khalid El-Amin and Villanova's Tim Thomas -- scored 29 in their conference debuts.
20 Points: When Bell registered 20 or more points in three consecutive games (Nov. 29-Dec. 7) earlier this season, 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 four times this season.
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The senior swingman is averaging 4.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 19.6 minutes per game ... He registered seven points in 24 minutes against Georgetown (Jan. 18) ... Cotton posted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals in the Eagles' loss at Notre Dame (Jan. 12). He played a season-high 35 minutes against the Irish ... Cotton tallied two points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... He tallied nine points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) in the first round of the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic.
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The junior forward is averaging 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 21.1 minutes per game this season. In four BIG EAST contests, he's averaging 8.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game ... He has scored in double figures in seven games this season ... He has led the team in rebounding four times ... He scored eight points in each of the first three BIG EAST contests, before netting nine points against Georgetown (Jan. 18). He added six rebounds and two assists against the Hoyas ... Beerbohm 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 75th 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 1.4 points and 0.8 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game this season ... He has not seen action in any of the Eagles' last three contests ... Pina tallied five points (all free throws), two rebounds, two assists and three steals in 19 minutes against New Hampshire (Nov. 20) ... 1998-99: 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 5.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 18.3 minutes per game this season ... Harley registered seven points, three rebounds and three assists at Notre Dame (Jan. 12) ... He recorded nine points, two rebounds and three assists against Tulsa (Dec. 21) ... Harley 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 9.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in seven games this season, including each of the last two games ... Most recently, he scored 17 points against Georgetown (Jan. 18). Nine of his points came in the game's final six minutes as BC rallied to even the score ... He tallied 10 points (4-for-7 FG), two rebounds and three assists at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Walls contributed nine points, three rebounds and four assists in the Eagles' win over Providence (Jan. 8). He played a season-high 32 minutes against the Friars ... In the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (Dec. 21-23), 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) ... Walls recorded 14 points and nine rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11). His nine rebounds equaled his career high.
#23 XAVIER SINGLETARY: The junior guard is the Eagles' second-leading scorer, averaging 13.0 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 12 games, including two games with 20 or more points ... He has led the team in scoring in three games ... Most recently, he tallied eight points, five rebounds and three steals against Georgetown (Jan. 18). Prior to that, he scored 14 points at Notre Dame (Jan. 12) and at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Singletary 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 scored 20 points (7-for-12 FG, 3-for-7 three-pointers) in the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23).
Steals: Singletary leads the Eagles and ranks among BIG EAST leaders with 32 steals in 16 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) ... He has made three steals in each of two BIG EAST games -- against Providence (Jan. 8) and Georgetown (Jan. 18).
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 saw six minutes of action in the Eagles' 72-69 loss to Georgetown (Jan. 18). The game marked Dudley's first game action since Dec. 23 (against Massachusetts in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic) ... He 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 4.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game ... He has scored in double figures in three games ... Ross played 16 minutes in the Eagles' loss to Georgetown (Jan. 18). He registered two points and two rebounds, before leaving the game with an upper hamstring injury with 15:51 remaining in the contest ... Ross registered four points, six rebounds, one assist and three steals in 27 minutes at Villanova (Jan. 15) ... Ross notched six points, six rebounds and two steals in 21 minutes against Providence (Jan. 8) ... He grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against St. Francis (Dec. 11) ... Ross 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).
UP NEXT: Boston College hosts Seton Hall in the first of a three-game homestand on Wednesday, January 26. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Conte Forum.
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: 33.3% at Villanova, 1-15-00
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, 10 at Notre Dame, 1-12-00
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: Uka Agbai, 5 vs. Providence, 1-8-00
