Boston College
Georgia Tech
BC Falls To Georgia Tech, 86-78
March 08, 2008 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2008
AP Photo Gallery 
| Box Score 
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Junior guard Tyrese Rice and freshman swingman Corey Raji each scored 17 points to lead Boston College in an 86-78 loss to Georgia Tech. The game marked the final regular-season contest for both teams.
Freshman Rakim Sanders contributed 14 points (including four three-pointers) and classmate Josh Southern totaled 13 points.
The visiting Yellow Jackets led 38-37 at halftime, but didn't gain a substantive advantage until going on a 15-2 run early in the second half.
Led by six points from Raji, BC opened the second half with a 10-4 run to claim a 47-42 lead. Georgia Tech (14-16, 7-9 ACC) then answered with its plus-13 run to gain a 57-49 advantage with 12:15 left in the contest.
The Yellow Jackets took their biggest lead of the day at 76-60 with 4:33 to play. BC fought back to trim the margin to six points twice in the final 30 seconds, but could get no closer.
Rice led the Eagles with 13 first-half points. Georgia Tech led by eight points - 29-21 - with 5:00 left in the opening half, before BC used a 12-4 run to even the score. Rice scored six points and Southern netted four points in this stretch.
Boston College, which finished the regular season with a 13-16 overall record and a 4-12 ACC mark, will be the 11th seed in the 55th Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Eagles will meet either Miami or Maryland in the first round of the tournament. Game time will be 9:30 p.m. in Charlotte (N.C.) Bobcats Arena.
Game Notes: BC shot an impressive 52.8 percent from the field in the contest, but could not match Georgia Tech's 56.6 percent accuracy. The visitors shot 70.8 percent in the second half ... BC committed 21 turnovers, while Georgia Tech committed 11 turnovers ... Rice registered eight assists and two steals - both team highs ... Sanders, Raji and senior Tyrelle Blair shared top rebounding honors with seven apiece ... Blair was credited with a career-best five assists. He also blocked three shots to bring his season total to a school-record 102 blocks ... Before the start of the game, Boston College and its fans saluted the program's six seniors - managers Mike DiStefano, Mike Gualtieri, Bryan Sun and Zach Zoia; center Tyrelle Blair; and forward/center John Oates.
