Sunday, February 16
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
6 p.m.
Boston College
13-13,7-8ACC
71
vs
68
NC State
16-9,7-7ACC
1
2
F
NC State
33
35
68
Boston College
40
31
71
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Eagles Close It Out Against Wolfpack, 71-68
February 16, 2020 | Men's Basketball
Derryck Thornton led all scorers with 22; BC moves to 7-8 in ACC play
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Derryck Thornton led all scorers with 22 points - making 11-of-11 from the foul line - as Boston College earned a 71-68 win over N.C. State at home on Saturday.
The graduate student from Los Angeles added five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 39 minutes of action.
The Eagles trailed 66-64 with 3:12 remaining in regulation before closing out the game on a 7-2 push down the stretch. Thornton's 10th and 11th free throws of the night tied the game at 66-66 with 2:48 to go before a defensive stop by BC led to a trip to the free throw line for Steffon Mitchell. The junior made 1-of-2, giving BC the 67-66 lead, before making two consecutive game changing steals on the next two Wolfpack possessions.
Both times, Mitchell threw ahead to Jairus Hamilton in transition and, both times, the sophomore finished above the rim.
The Eagles got off to a hot start to the night, making 4-of-6 from the floor (2-4 3FG), taking a 10-4 lead four minutes in. The lead extended to nine points - 17-8 - with 11:44 to play in the half. The BC defense was dialed in, holding N.C. State to 2-of-15 shooting after the Wolfpack had made two of its first three.
BC built as much as a 12-point lead - 28-16 - after a baseline jumper from Nik Popovic with 7:02 remaining in the half. NC State shook off its cold start, making five straight FG, cutting the Eagles' lead to five - 32-27 - with 3:54 left in the half. BC maintained a seven-point lead at the break - 40-33.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
The graduate student from Los Angeles added five rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 39 minutes of action.
The Eagles trailed 66-64 with 3:12 remaining in regulation before closing out the game on a 7-2 push down the stretch. Thornton's 10th and 11th free throws of the night tied the game at 66-66 with 2:48 to go before a defensive stop by BC led to a trip to the free throw line for Steffon Mitchell. The junior made 1-of-2, giving BC the 67-66 lead, before making two consecutive game changing steals on the next two Wolfpack possessions.
Both times, Mitchell threw ahead to Jairus Hamilton in transition and, both times, the sophomore finished above the rim.
The Eagles got off to a hot start to the night, making 4-of-6 from the floor (2-4 3FG), taking a 10-4 lead four minutes in. The lead extended to nine points - 17-8 - with 11:44 to play in the half. The BC defense was dialed in, holding N.C. State to 2-of-15 shooting after the Wolfpack had made two of its first three.
BC built as much as a 12-point lead - 28-16 - after a baseline jumper from Nik Popovic with 7:02 remaining in the half. NC State shook off its cold start, making five straight FG, cutting the Eagles' lead to five - 32-27 - with 3:54 left in the half. BC maintained a seven-point lead at the break - 40-33.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
- The Eagles improve to 3-1 when Derryck Thornton reaches the 20-point mark and 8-2 when Jay Heath scores 15 or more.
- Heath scored 16 points, knocking down three 3-pointers. He now has 49 on the season - tied for eighth-most by a Boston College freshman.
- Nik Popovic returned to the Eagles' starting lineup for the first time since Dec. 3 vs. Northwestern.
- He had 14 points, eight boards, four steals, and an assist.
- Jairus Hamilton made 5-of-7 shots from the floor, good for 11 points.
- Steffon Mitchell battled foul trouble in his 24 minutes, but finished with four points, three boards, three steals, and an assist.
- CJ Felder came off the bench to tally four points, two boards, and an assist.
- BC connected on 45.5% (25-55) from the floor - including 55.6% (15-27) in the first half.
- The Eagles were narrowly outrebounded, 35-32.
- 11-of-11: Derryck Thornton's 11-for-11 stat line from the FT line tonight was the most makes by a BC player without a miss since Olivier Hanlan went 14-of-14 vs. Pitt on Feb. 24, 2015.
- Derryck Thornton posted a team-best 26 efficiency rating on the night.
- He was one of four Eagles in double-digits for EFF: Nik Popovic (13), Jairus Hamilton (12), and Jay Heath (11) were the others.
- Efficiency rating is calculated using the following formula: (PTS + REB + AST + STL + BLK - Missed Shots - TO)
- Boston College plays the second of two regular season matchups with defending national champion Virginia on Feb. 19.
- Game time at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7 p.m. and the game can been seen live on the ACC Network.
- Chris Cotter and Chris Spatola have the broadcast call.
- The game can also be heard live on the Boston College Learfield IMG College Sports Network with Josh Maurer and Danya Abrams on WEEI 850 AM.
Team Stats
NCSU
BC
FG%
.435
.455
3FG%
.105
.400
FT%
.750
.833
RB
35
32
TO
16
15
STL
8
10
Game Leaders
Pts
22
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
11
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
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