Boston College
5-1
Minnesota
5-1
Dominant Defense Propels Eagles to 68-56 Win over Minnesota
November 27, 2018 | Men's Basketball
BC moves to 5-1 overall and wins its third straight game
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Three players finished in double-figures and Minnesota native Steffon Mitchell added eight points, 13 rebounds and two blocks as Boston College defeated previously undefeated Minnesota 68-56 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
BC earned its third straight win and improved to 5-1 on the season while the Golden Gophers fell to 5-1.
Boston College led 33-32 after 20 minutes of play. The first half featured 12 lead changes as BC held the Golden Gophers to 35.5% shooting from the field.
Freshman Wynston Tabbs led the way for the Eagles in the first half with a team-best 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting. Junior Ky Bowman chipped in with nine points, including a monster one-hand slam dunk over 7-foot-center Matz Stockman.
Eight quick points from center Nik Popovic early in the second half extended the BC advantage to seven, 44-37. The seven-point lead matched BC's largest of the game.
BC held Minnesota without a field goal for over seven minutes as the Gophers were held to 1-of-15 shooting from the field as the lead expanded to 11, 51-40 with just over 10 minutes to play.
The Eagles continued their strong second half with a three-ball from downtown from Tabbs and a jumper by Popovic to push the lead to 14, 56-42 with just over seven minutes to play.
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INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
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Wynston Tabbs led all scorers with 17 points. Â The freshman guard was 7-for-12 from the floor (1-3 3FG) to go along with four boards, five assists, and three steals.
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Nik Popovic registered the fourth-best single-game FG% mark in BC history, connecting on 9-of-9 from the floor - good for 18 points, all in the second half. Â The junior post presence added six rebounds in 19:39 on the floor.
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Steffon Mitchell registered another full stat line: Â a game-high 13 rebounds, eight points, four assists, and two blocked shots.
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Ky Bowman - the Nation's Most Dynamic Guard - posted his ninth career double-double in points and rebounds, scoring 12 points to go along with 11 boards. Â He added two assists and two steals.
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Boston College shot 47.2% from the floor (25-53), including 53.8% (14-26) during the second half.
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BC's defensive effort shut down Minnesota throughout the game - limiting the Gophers to 35.5% (11-31) from the floor. Â During the second half, Minnesota was held to just 8-of-34 from the floor (23.5%) including 2-of-16 from beyond the arc.
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The Eagles outrebounded the Golden Gophers - one of the top rebounding teams in the nation - 44-37.
STAT OF THE GAME:
+15 - Using plus/minus, Nik Popovic posted a +15 in 19:39 played. The Eagles won by 12.
FOR THE ANALYTICS CROWD:
Three BC players registered 20+ on the efficiency ratings scale - Wynston Tabbs (23), Nik Popovic (22), and Steffon Mitchell (21). Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK - Missed Shots - TO)
UP NEXT:
BC returns to Conte Forum on Thursday, Nov. 29 when it hosts Sacred Heart. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and the game can be seen live on ACC Network Extra. The game can also be heard live on the Boston College IMG Sports Network with Josh Maurer and Danya Abrams.
