Boston College
Rutgers*
Men's Basketball Downs Rutgers, 76-44
February 22, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2004
Freshman forward Jared Dudley scored a game-high 20 points and junior center Nate Doornekamp tallied 11 points and nine rebounds - both career highs -- to lead Boston College to a convincing 76-44 BIG EAST victory over Rutgers before 5,728 fans in Conte Forum.
The victory raises the Eagles' record to 18-8 overall, 7-6 in conference action.
Boston College led 32-27 at halftime, before shooting 75.0 percent from the field in the second half to secure the victory. On the defensive end, BC limited Rutgers to just six field goals and 21.4 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes.
BC began the second half with a 15-5 run to gain a 47-32 advantage. Six different Eagles scored in this stretch. After one Rutgers field goal, the Eagles answered with 14 straight points to take a 27-point margin, 61-34, with 7:17 to play. Dudley had eight points, including two three-point field goals, in this decisive rally.
The host Eagles extended their lead to 31 points on a Steve Hailey three-pointer with 2:50 remaining on the clock. Freshman Devon Evertsen hit a three-pointer at the final buzzer to give BC its largest advantage of the day.
Rutgers led by three points early in the contest, but BC took the lead for good - 14-11 with 13:34 remaining in the first half - on the second of Louis Hinnant's two three-pointers.
Game Notes: BC shot 55.8 percent from the field, including a blistering 75.0 percent in the second half ... BC shot a season-best 54.5 percent from three-point range (6-for-11) ... The Eagles gained a 40-31 rebounding edge ... BC made 15 steals, its highest single-game total since recording 16 against Morris Brown on Dec. 4, 2001 ... BC limited Rutgers to 28.6 percent shooting from the field, the lowest percentage by a BC foe this season ... Dudley also led the Eagles in assists (five) and steals (five) ... Today's 32-point margin marked the Eagles' largest margin of victory in a BIG EAST home contest since defeating Villanova by 36 points -- 82-46 -- on Feb. 15, 1992.
