Boston College
Virginia Tech
Men's Basketball Falls to Virginia Tech, 63-62
January 23, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2010
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BLACKSBURG, Va. - Sophomore Reggie Jackson registered 15 points and seven rebounds - both team highs - to lead Boston College in a hard-fought 63-62 loss to Virginia Tech before 9,846 fans in Cassell Coliseum.
Jackson led four BC players in double figures. Juniors Corey Raji and Rakim Sanders, and sophomore Dallas Elmore each contributed 10 points. Elmore's point total equaled his career high.
For the second straight game, BC rallied from a halftime deficit to gain the lead. This time, however, the host Hokies scored the final basket to earn the victory.
The Eagles had taken a three-point lead - 62-59 - on two Jackson free throws with 29.4 seconds to play. Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney sank two free throws with 22.8 seconds left to bring the margin back to one point.
Junior Biko Paris took the inbounds pass and was quickly surrounded by Hokie defenders. A held-ball call gave possession back to the home team with 21.0 seconds left. Virginia Tech's Dorenzo Hudson scored a putback basket with 5.0 seconds to play to vault the Hokies to victory.
BC had a final possession but could not get off a shot.
Virginia Tech led by nine early in the contest (13-4), only to see the Eagles fight back to within one point (15-14). The Hokies then used a 23-10 run to claim a 14-point lead (38-24) with 3:31 left in the half. BC held Virginia Tech scoreless for the remainder of the half. A Raji field goal and a Tyler Roche three-pointer brought BC to within nine points - 38-29 - at the break.
After the two teams traded 4-0 runs to begin the second half, BC ran off 10 straight points to gain a 43-42 advantage with 13:14 left. A 3-0 Hokie run gave the home team a short-lived lead, before BC sophomores Elmore and Jackson hit consecutive field goals to gave BC a 47-45 margin with 8:19 to play.
With the score tied at 51-51 with 6:25 left, Virginia Tech scored back-to-back baskets to earn a four-point lead with 4:05 to play. Jackson answered with a three-pointer with 3:29 left to bring BC back to within one at 55-54. A Trapani field goal with 3:06 left gave the Eagles a one-point edge.
Field goals by Jackson and Sanders were sandwiched around three points by Virginia Tech's Delaney (one free throw and one field goal), leaving BC with a 60-58 lead with 1:36 left. Hudson hit one free throw with 1:10 to play to bring the Hokies within one point. The score remained 60-59 until Jackson's free throws in the final half minute.
Game Notes: BC shot better than 50 percent from the field in each half - 52.6 percent in the first half and 57.1 percent in the second half (55.0 percent for the game) ... Clemson shot 38.6 percent from the field in the contest ... BC gained a 29-23 rebounding margin ... BC shot 15-for-16 (93.8 percent) from the foul line ... BC's reserves scored 30 points, while Virginia Tech's reserves contributed five points.
