Monday, November 4
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
8 p.m.
Boston College
1-0,0-0ACC
69
vs
60
The Citadel
0-1,0-0SoCon
1
2
F
The Citadel
28
32
60
Boston College
37
32
69
Photo by: Eddie Shabomardenly
Hand's Career Night Powers Eagles Past The Citadel
November 04, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Trio of Eagles reached double digits in the opening night win
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Boston College defeated The Citadel, 69-60, in the season opener on Monday night at Conte Forum. Tonight marked the second all-time meeting between the two programs, with BC capturing both matchups. Sophomore Donald Hand Jr. posted a career night, finishing with a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds (both career highs and game highs). Hand also shot a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Graduate student Chad Venning, making his debut for the Eagles after transferring from St. Bonaventure, tacked on 15 points and five rebounds.
FIRST HALF
HIGHLIGHTS
NOTES
WHAT'S NEXT
FIRST HALF
- After surrendering the first five points of the game, the Eagles sustained a 9-2 scoring run over the next four minutes of action.
- UMBC transfer Dion Brown made an immediate impact off the bench for the Eagles in his Boston College debut. Brown drained a corner triple on his first offensive possession.
- Sophomore forward Elijah Strong made his first four shot attempts, including a three-pointer at the 10:26 mark. BC jumped out to an 18-11 lead.
- With 1:30 remaining in the half, Venning broke past the defense and finished an emphatic one-handed dunk for his first BC basket. On the next possession, Roger McFarlane scored his first points as an Eagle on an alley-oop layup. BC led 31-25.
- BC went on a 10-3 scoring run to finish the half with a 37-28 lead. The Eagles forced five turnovers by the Bulldogs in the final two minutes.
- Boston College shot 13-26 (50.0%) from the field, 3-11 (27.3%) from three, and 8-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line in the first half.
- The Citadel shot 10-27 (37.0%) from the field, 2-13 (15.4%) from three, and 6-9 (66.7%) from the free throw line in the first half.
- The Eagles tallied the first six points of the half and held The Citadel scoreless for nearly the first five minutes of action.
- Hand brought a second half spark for Boston College. At the 9:08 mark, Hand buried the team's first three-ball of the half. BC led 57-45.
- The Citadel narrowed the deficit to single digits before the 3:58 media timeout, but a continued offensive push by Venning and Hand kept the Bulldogs at bay for the remainder of the game.
- Boston College shot 8-28 (28.6%) from the field, 2-7 (28.6%) from three, and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line in the second half.
- The Citadel shot 10-25 (40.0%) from the field, 1-11 (9.1%) from three, and 11-16 (68.8%) from the free throw line in the second half.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Boston College finished 21-54 (38.9%) from the field, 5-18 (27.8%) from three, and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line.
- The Citadel finished 20-52 (38.5%) from the field, 3-24 (12.5%) from three, and 17-25 (68.0%) from the free throw line.
- The Citadel's 12.5% clip from three-point range is the lowest by any opponent during the Grant era for Boston College.
- The Eagles outrebounded The Citadel 43-32. BC's 43 rebounds are the most since the team hauled in 44 boards vs. Harvard last season, on Nov. 18, 2023.
- Hand's 11-11 perfection from the free throw line tied the best performance in the Grant era, matching Quinten Post's 11-11 clip from the foul line vs. Virginia on Feb. 28, 2024.
- Three players finished in double figures for Boston College: Hand (22), Venning (15) and Strong (11). The Citadel also had three players with double figures.
- McFarlane was a force on the boards, chipping in eight rebounds for the Eagles.
NOTES
- Earl Grant moved to 5-0 in his head coaching career vs. The Citadel. Three of those wins came during Grant's tenure as the head coach of College of Charleston.
- Grant's first Division I coaching job was at The Citadel, serving as an assistant from 2002-04 on Pat Dennis' staff.
- BC and The Citadel have met in back-to-back seasons. The Eagles prevailed in last season's matchup - 75-71 - at McAlister Field House in Charleston, S.C. on Nov. 10, 2023.
- BC is 5-0 all-time vs. teams that make up the Southern Conference.
- In its 92 season openers, Boston College has posted an outstanding 72-20 (.783) winning percentage. Grant extended his undefeated record in season openers at BC to 4-0.
WHAT'S NEXT
- Boston College will travel to Annapolis, Md. to face VCU in the 11th Annual Veterans Classic on Friday, Nov. 8. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
- All games can also be heard on the Boston College Sports Network with Josh Maurer and Kevin Collins.
- In the lone previous matchup between the two teams, the Eagles fell to VCU - 69-50 - in the Brooklyn Hoops Winter Festival at the Barclays Center on Dec. 28, 2013.
- The Eagles are making their first-ever appearance in the Veterans Classic. BC is the fourth ACC team to participate in the showcase (North Carolina, 2015; Pittsburgh, 2017; Virginia Tech, 2021).
Team Stats
Cit
BC
FG%
.385
.389
3FG%
.125
.278
FT%
.680
.786
RB
32
43
TO
14
14
STL
8
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
11
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF/C
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