Boston College Athletics
Boston College Men's Hoops Hosts Pittsburgh Wednesday
February 22, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2000
Pittsburgh (10-13, 2-10) at Boston College (10-16, 2-11)
February 23, 2000 -- 7 p.m.Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606) -- Chestnut Hill, MA
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS: Freshman Troy Bell registered a career-high 31 points in the Eagles' most recent game -- an 80-76 win over West Virginia at the Wheeling (WV) Civic Center. Bell shot 8-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-5 from three-point range. He made all 11 free-throw attempts ... The game was Bell's third straight with more than 20 points (25 at Seton Hall, 27 vs. St. John's). He is averaging 27.7 points per game on 47.1 percent shooting in this stretch.
RECORD-SETTING FROSH I: Through 13 conference games, Troy Bell is averaging 20.6 points per game. The BIG EAST freshman scoring (average) record is currently held by former Georgetown star and current Philadelphia 76er Allen Iverson, who averaged 19.8 ppg in 18 league games in 1994-95. In fact, only three freshmen in BIG EAST history have finished the league schedule with averages of at least 19.0 ppg.
RECORD-SETTING FROSH II: Troy Bell enters tonight's game with 494 points, the highest point total by a freshman in Boston College history (since freshman eligibility began in 1972-73). In fact, Bell is the lone freshman to register 400 points. The next five top-scoring freshmen are: Scoonie Penn (397 in 1995-96), Dana Barros (384 in 1985-86), Bill Curley (378 in 1990-91), Danya Abrams (354 in 1993-94) and John Bagley (343 in 1979-80). Penn, Barros and Curley each captured BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors.
BIG EAST HONORS: After averaging 29.0 points per game on 50.0 percent shooting from the field in two games last week, Troy Bell earned his fifth BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honor (Co-Rookie for the week ending Feb. 20). He is only the 12th player in BIG EAST history to capture this weekly honor at least five times.
QUICK FACT: Troy Bell's three-point abilities truly have opponents jumping. In fact, Bell has been fouled on a three-point attempt 16 times in 14 games already this season, including 11 of 13 BIG EAST games (including twice in each of two games -- at Connecticut and at West Virginia) ... Twelve times he has made all three free throws. He has made 2-of-3 free throws the other four times ... FYI: When he has missed, he's missed the first shot twice, the second shot once and the third shot once.
| Name | GP | Pts. | Avg. |
| Troy Bell (1999-2000) | 13 | 268 | 20.6 |
| Allen Iverson (1994-95) | 18 | 357 | 19.8 |
| Troy Murphy (1998-99) | 15 | 288 | 19.2 |
| Felipe Lopez (1994-95) | 18 | 342 | 19.0 |
TURNOVERS: Boston College has committed fewer turnovers than its opponent in 12 of the last 15 games ... BC committed an average of 19.1 turnovers per game in the season's first 11 games, but has lowered the total to 14.7 turnovers per game in the last 15 contests.
AT HOME: Boston College has a 6-7 record in Conte Forum this season, including a 1-5 mark in BIG EAST contests.
STREAKS: With its 80-76 victory at West Virginia (Feb. 19), Boston College snapped its 12-game losing streak. The win also ended the team's 19-game BIG EAST road losing streak. The Eagles' previous conference win on an opponent's home court was a 64-61 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 24, 1998.
SHOOTING: Boston College's shooting percentage has improved dramatically in the last two games. After shooting just 36.2 percent in its previous six contests (Jan. 29-Feb. 12), BC has made 50.0 percent of its field-goal attempts in the two most recent games. The Eagles shot 48.1 percent from the field against St. John's (Feb. 15), and a BIG EAST season-best 51.9 percent at West Virginia (Feb. 19) ... BC shot a season-low 30.4 percent at Miami (Jan. 22) ... BC's second-highest BIG EAST outing was a 50.0 percent effort against Seton Hall (Jan. 26).
HALFTIME SCORE: Boston College has a 9-2 record this season when leading at halftime, 1-13 when trailing at the break, and 0-1 when tied after 20 minutes ... The Seton Hall (Jan. 26) and St. John's (Feb. 15) games are the two times this season that BC has lost when leading at the intermission.
First-Half Surge: Boston College has led at halftime in each of its last two games -- against St. John's and at West Virginia.
MAGIC NUMBER: Boston College is 8-3 when limiting its opponents to fewer than 70 points ... BC is 2-13 when allowing more than 70 points.
LAST GAME: Freshman Troy Bell registered a career-high 31 points and junior Xavier Singletary added 25 points to lead Boston College to an 80-76 win over West Virginia (Feb. 19) at the Wheeling Civic Center. Senior Michael Cotton added 11 points, while freshman Uka Agbai grabbed 10 rebounds ... The win was BC's first BIG EAST road win since Jan. 24, 1998 (at Seton Hall). It also snapped the team's 12-game losing streak ... BC shot 52.0 percent in the first 20 minutes, and led 40-31 at halftime. The Eagles extended the margin to 12 points on Bell's three-pointer to open the second half, but WVU answered with a 16-5 run to close within one point at 48-47. BC then used a 19-9 rally to regain a double-digit advantage at 67-56 with 7:41 to play ... BC hit nine three-pointers, equaling its season high ... WVU edged the Eagles in the rebounding (33-32) and turnover (WVU 15, BC 16) categories.
ASSISTS: Boston College recorded 21 assists in its win over West Virginia (Feb. 19), the most assists by a BC team in one game since tallying 22 in a 97-87 overtime win over Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 4, 1998.
DEPTH: Boston College's bench has outscored its opponent's bench in 20 of 26 games this season. BC has a 9-11 record in these games ... BC's reserves are averaging 23.4 points per game, while its opponents' reserves are averaging 15.9 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 six points against St. John's (Feb. 15) ... BC's bench was outscored in its first meeting with Massachusetts (Dec. 4), against Providence (Jan. 8), against Syracuse (Jan. 29) and at St. John's (Feb. 5) ... Twice BC's bench and the opponent's bench have scored the same number of points -- against Seton Hall (Jan. 26) and against St. John's (Feb. 15).
FREE THROWS: One of the better free-throw shooting teams in the conference, Boston College has made 72.1 percent of its free throws through 26 games. BC ranks third among the league's 13 schools in this category ... BC has shot at least 80.0 percent from the foul line in seven games this season ... BC attempted a season-low nine free throws (making five) in its game against Seton Hall (Jan. 26).
THE SERIES AGAINST PITTSBURGH: Boston College has a 16-22 record in its series against the Panthers, including a 13-19 mark in BIG EAST regular-season meetings ... BC has won two of three BIG EAST Tournament games.
Streaks: Pittsburgh has won the last three games. BC's last win was a 76-68 BIG EAST Tournament victory in Madison Square Garden on March 6, 1997.
In Conte Forum: BC has a 5-5 record against the Panthers in Chestnut Hill. The Eagles have won three of the last four games in Conte Forum, but Pittsburgh won the most recent contest (67-66, Feb. 20, 1999).
BOSTON COLLEGE'S PROBABLE STARTERS - 1999-2000
| Pos. | No. | Name | Yr. | PPG, RPG | Last Game |
| F | 00 | Uka Agbai | Fr. | 6.5, 5.2 | 1 pts., 10 reb. |
| F | 3 | Michael Cotton | Sr. | 4.9, 4.0 | 11 pts., 6 reb. |
| F | 21 | Kenny Walls | So. | 8.8, 3.2 | 2 pts., 0 reb. |
| G | 2 | Troy Bell | Fr. | 19.0, 3.0 | 31 pts., 3 reb. |
| G | 13 | Kenny Harley | Jr. | 4.9, 2.9 | 3 pts., 1 reb. |
CURRENT EAGLES VS. PITTSBURGH
| NAME | GP | Pts./Avg. | Reb./Avg. | Ast./Avg. |
| Michael Cotton | 1 | 24/24.0 | 5/5.0 | 0/0.0 |
| Brian Ross | 2 | 23/12.5 | 15/7.5 | 1/0.5 |
| Kenny Harley | 3 | 31/10.3 | 10/3.3 | 5/1.7 |
| Kenny Walls | 2 | 18/9.0 | 6/3.0 | 1/0.5 |
| Jonathan Beerbohm | 3 | 16/5.3 | 5/1.7 | 7/2.3 |
| Dwayne Pina | 3 | 7/2.3 | 9/3.0 | 15/5.0 |
Notes: Kenny Harley netted 21 points in last year's meeting in Conte Forum ... Michael Cotton scored 24 points in last year's game in Fitzgerald Field House, but missed the second game because of a sprained right ankle ... Brian Ross registered 16 points and 10 rebounds against the Panthers in Conte Forum. The game marked his second collegiate double-double.
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 31-53 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 169-179.
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.
THE PLAYERS
#00 UKA AGBAI: The freshman forward is averaging 6.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game ... Agbai has started each of the last 22 games ... He has led (or tied for the team lead) the team in rebounding in 10 games ... He has blocked at least four shots in four games this season ... Most recently, he grabbed 10 rebounds at West Virginia (Feb. 19). The game marked his second double-digit rebounding effort in the last seven games ... He recorded 10 points and a team-high six rebounds against St. John's (Feb. 15) ... The freshman registered a career-high 19 points at Vanderbilt (Feb. 6). He also tallied five rebounds and four assists in the contest ... He tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds against Rutgers (Feb. 2). The game marked his first collegiate double-double. Seven of his 10 rebounds came at the offensive end ... Agbai notched eight points, five rebounds and four blocked shots against Syracuse (Jan. 29) ... In the Eagles' win over Providence (Jan. 8), the freshman played a career-high 37 minutes. In that time, Agbai 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.
#2 TROY BELL: The freshman guard is the Eagles' top scorer and the conference's second-leading scorer, averaging 19.0 points per game. He has led the team in scoring in 19 games ... He has already topped the 20-point mark in 12 games, including eight games with more than 25 points ... Most recently, Bell recorded a career-high 31 points in an 80-76 win at West Virginia (Feb. 19). The game marked the first time a BC player has topped the 30-point mark since Danya Abrams scored 31 against Syracuse on March 7, 1996 ... Bell scored a game-high 27 points (4-for-8 treys) against St. John's (Feb. 15). He also tallied four rebounds, three assists and a career-high five steals ... He netted a game-high 25 points at Seton Hall (Feb. 12) ... He scored 26 points at St. John's (Feb. 5). Bell scored 22 of his 26 points against the Red Storm in the second half ... He is the Eagles' top three-point threat, hitting 41.0 percent from long range (59-for-144).
Among the Leaders: Through games of Feb. 21, Bell ranked 38th among the nation's Division I leaders in scoring (third among freshmen), and seventh among the nation's leaders in free-throw percentage ... In the BIG EAST (through conference games of Feb. 21), Bell ranks among the leaders in the following categories: scoring (second), three-point field goals made/game (tied-second), free-throw percentage (fourth), steals (fourth), three-point field goal percentage (ninth) and field-goal percentage (15th).
20 Points: Bell has scored more than 20 points in each of the last three games. This streak marks the second time this season that the freshman has scored more than 20 points in three consecutive contests. He is only the eighth BC player since the 1984-85 season to reach the 20-point plateau in three consecutive contests. Dana Barros (eight times), Roger McCready (twice), 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.
Three-Pointers: Bell enters tonight's game with 59 three-point field goals made. That total ties him for seventh place on BC's single-season list (with Gerrod Abram). Malcolm Huckaby ranks sixth (61 in 1991-92). Dana Barros, now with the NBA's Boston Celtics, holds the single-season record with 112 (in 1988-89).
Free Throws: Bell is one of the nation's premier free-throw shooters, hitting 89.0 percent of his attempts (153-for-172) ... He has made his last 20 free-throw attempts over the last two games. He shot 9-for-9 from the charity stripe against St. John's (Feb. 15), and 11-for-11 at West Virginia (Feb. 19). The West Virginia game marked the fifth time this season that Bell had made 10 or more free throws in one contest.
BIG EAST Rookie Honors: Troy Bell has garnered BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors five times this season (Dec. 6, Dec. 13, Dec. 20, Jan. 10 and Feb. 21).
#3 MICHAEL COTTON: The senior swingman is averaging 4.9 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.9 minutes per game ... He has started each of the last six games. He also started the first 17 games of the season ... Cotton registered 11 points and six rebounds in the most recent game -- at West Virginia (Feb. 19). The game marked his third double-figure scoring effort of the season. He played 35 minutes against the Mountaineers, equaling his season high ... Cotton netted 14 points, equaling his season high, in the Eagles' 73-69 loss to St. John's (Feb. 15). He also contributed four rebounds, two assists and three steals in 31 minutes against the Red Storm ... Cotton tallied eight points and seven rebounds against Rutgers (Feb. 2) ... Cotton posted 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and five steals in the Eagles' loss at Notre Dame (Jan. 12). He played 35 minutes against the Irish ... Cotton tallied two points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals at Villanova (Jan. 15).
#4 JONATHAN BEERBOHM: The junior forward is averaging 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game this season ... He has scored in double figures in nine games ... He has led the team in rebounding four times ... In the most recent game, he recorded two rebounds in a season-low four minutes at West Virginia (Feb. 19) ... Beerbohm registered four points and seven rebounds at Seton Hall (Feb. 12 -- his best rebounding effort since Dec. 23, 1999) ... The junior netted a career-high 15 points (6-for-12 FG) in 19 minutes off the bench at Vanderbilt (Feb. 6) ... Beerbohm made his 1999-2000 starting debut against Syracuse (Jan. 29). He responded with 12 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots against the Orangemen. Beerbohm had started 14 games in his first two seasons at the Heights ... 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 ... Beerbohm earned All-Tournament honors in the Puerto Rico Holiday Classic (Dec. 21-23) after averaging 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in three games. 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 netted 14 points, while falling one rebound shy of a double-double.
#5 DWAYNE PINA: The senior guard is averaging 1.6 points and 0.9 rebounds in 13.1 minutes per game this season ... Most recently, he registered three points, seven assists, three steals and two rebounds at West Virginia (Feb. 19). He did not commit a turnover in a season-high 30 minutes. His three points came on a three-point field goal with 11:52 remaining in the game that raised the BC lead from one to four points (51-47) ... Pina tallied a season-high eight points (3-for-4 FG, 2-for-2 treys) at Connecticut (Feb. 9) ... He registered two points, two rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes at Vanderbilt (Feb. 6) ... He recorded three points, two rebounds, two assists and two steals in 28 minutes at St. John's (Feb. 5). He hit his first three-point field goal of the season with 11:24 remaining in the first half. The points were his first since Dec. 4, 1999 (a two-point effort against Massachusetts) ... 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.
#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 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds in 19.3 minutes per game this season ... He has started each of the last nine games ... Harley tallied six points, three rebounds and six assists in a season-high 33 minutes against St. John's (Feb. 15). His six assists matched his previous career high ... He recorded a team-high (and personal season-high) nine rebounds at Vanderbilt (Feb. 6) ... He scored four points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds against Syracuse (Jan. 29) ... Harley recorded nine points against Tulsa (Dec. 21) ... Harley scored a season-high 14 points (5-for-10 FG, 4-for-4 FT) in the Eagles' win over Hartford (Nov. 29) ... In the Eagles' win over Vermont (Nov. 23), he handed out six assists in 22 minutes.
#21 KENNY WALLS: The sophomore swingman is averaging 8.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in 12 games this season ... Walls made his first start of the 1999-2000 season against St. John's (Feb. 15). He finished with six points ... In other recent contests, he's registered 12 points at Vanderbilt (Feb. 6), 11 points at Connecticut (Feb. 9) and 13 points at Seton Hall (Feb. 12). He shot 5-for-10 at Vanderbilt, and 5-for-9 in each of the other two games ... He had 10 points and three rebounds against Rutgers (Feb. 2) ... He scored 11 points and tied for team-high rebounding honors with four in the Eagles' loss to Seton Hall (Jan. 26) ... Walls 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 ... 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 12.0 points per game. He has scored in double figures in 18 games, including three games with 20 or more points ... He has led the team in scoring in four games ... Most recently, he shot 10-for-14 from the field (3-for-7 treys) in a 25-point effort at West Virginia (Feb. 19) ... He contributed six points in 25 minutes off the bench against St. John's (Feb. 15). The game marked the first time this season that Singletary was not in the Eagles' starting line-up ... He registered 12 points, two rebounds and three assists at St. John's (Feb. 5) ... He tallied 15 points and a career-high eight rebounds against Rutgers (Feb. 2) ... Singletary tied with Troy Bell for team-high scoring honors against Seton Hall (Jan. 26), netting 15 points ... He was held scoreless in a season-low 13 minutes of action at Miami (Jan. 22). He attempted a season-low five field goals in the contest ... He scored 14 points at both Notre Dame (Jan. 12) and 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.
#32 ANDREW DUDLEY: The freshman forward/center has seen action in 11 games this season, including five BIG EAST contests ... He recorded one blocked shot in seven minutes at Seton Hall (Feb. 12) ... He registered two points and three rebounds in six minutes at Connecticut (Feb. 9) ... 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 3.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game ... He has scored in double figures in three games ... Most recently, Ross tallied four points (2-for-2 FG), one rebound and one assist in nine minutes at West Virginia (Feb. 19) ... He registered four points and three rebounds at Seton Hall (Feb. 12). The game snapped a five-game scoreless streak ... Ross recorded six points and a team-high seven rebounds at Miami (Jan. 22). The game marked the sixth time this season that the sophomore has led the team in rebounding ... He 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).
THE MEDIA
ON TELEVISION: Wednesday's game can be seen on the New England Sports Network in the Greater Boston area. Kenny Albert and Ron Perry will call the action.
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.
ON THE WEB: All Boston College basketball games can also be heard on the Internet at www.bceagles.com
UP NEXT: Boston College will play Providence in the Providence Civic Center on Saturday, Feb. 26. Game time is noon.
