Saturday, December 28
Chestnut Hill, Mass.
4 p.m.
Boston College
8-5,0-2ACC
78
vs
70
FDU
4-11,0-0NEC
1
2
F
FDU
28
42
70
Boston College
38
40
78
Photo by: Meg Kelly
Career Night for Hand Propels Eagles to Victory
December 28, 2024 | Men's Basketball
With the win over FDU, BC closes out the non-conference slate with an 8-3 mark
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Donald Hand Jr. poured in a career-high 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds, as Boston College downed FDU, 78-70, to close out the non-conference slate.
Hand was 9-for-20 from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe en route to his fourth double-double of the season. Â Chad Venning added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor, while blocking a season-high four shots.
Boston College connected on nearly 50% of its shots from the floor in the first half, building as much as a 12-point lead - 25-13 - after a jumper from Roger McFarlane with 8:43 remaining in the period. Â The two teams traded baskets much of the rest of the half, with the Eagles holding onto a 38-28 advantage at the break.
In the second half, BC built its largest lead of the night - 15 points - after Fred Payne tallied five straight in the span of 23 seconds, making it 56-41 with 11:58 to go. Â But FDU would hang around, largely due to the 3-point shot. Â The Knights would make seven of their 12 long-range shots in the second half.
FDU outscored BC, 29-18, over a 10-minute span, getting as close as four points - 74-70 - with 2:07 to go. Â But Hand would score the last four points of the game, sealing the victory for the Eagles.
FIRST HALF
Hand was 9-for-20 from the floor and a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe en route to his fourth double-double of the season. Â Chad Venning added 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor, while blocking a season-high four shots.
Boston College connected on nearly 50% of its shots from the floor in the first half, building as much as a 12-point lead - 25-13 - after a jumper from Roger McFarlane with 8:43 remaining in the period. Â The two teams traded baskets much of the rest of the half, with the Eagles holding onto a 38-28 advantage at the break.
In the second half, BC built its largest lead of the night - 15 points - after Fred Payne tallied five straight in the span of 23 seconds, making it 56-41 with 11:58 to go. Â But FDU would hang around, largely due to the 3-point shot. Â The Knights would make seven of their 12 long-range shots in the second half.
FDU outscored BC, 29-18, over a 10-minute span, getting as close as four points - 74-70 - with 2:07 to go. Â But Hand would score the last four points of the game, sealing the victory for the Eagles.
FIRST HALF
- After trailing 5-3, Boston College used a 12-2 push - including 10 unanswered - to take a 14-5 lead five and a half minutes into the game
- Donald Hand Jr. scored 10 of the Eagles' first 14 points, as he made his first four field goals - including two 3-pointers
- Hand would tally 13 of BC's first 17 points through the first 8:00
- After FDU connected on two 3-pointers to get within four - 17-13 - BC scored the next eight, taking a 25-13 lead at the under-8 media timeout
- The Knights would get within five - 29-24 - with four minutes left in the period
- BC would close the half on a 9-4 push, capped by two free throws by Chas Kelley III, and took a 38-28 lead at the break
- BC extended its lead to 15 - its largest of the game - at 56-41 with 12 minutes to play
- The Eagles made 7-of-11 field goals to start the second frame, led by five quick points from Fred Payne
- FDU kept within reach thanks to a hot hand from the perimeter, making 6-of-10 from beyond the arc through the first 12 minutes
- The Eagles connected on 10-of-11 from the free throw line over the final 20 minutes of action
- Donald Hand Jr.'s 29 points was the most by a BC player since Quinten Post scored 31 against Miami in the 2024 ACC Tournament.
- The 29 points were the most by a BC player at home since Post's 30-piece against Pitt on March 2 2024.
- Dion Brown finished with a near double-double, tallying eight points, eight rebounds, and a team-high four assists in 30 minutes
- Over his last three games, Brown is averaging 12.3 points, 5.7 boards, and 2.0 assists
- Boston College registered an assist on seven of its 14 second half field goals. Â In the first half, BC only has two helpers on 15 made buckets.
- Roger McFarlane grabbed eight rebounds in 21 minutes. Â BC is 6-1 when McFarlane has at least six boards.
- The Eagles logged 1.345 points per possession on the day
- Boston College begins the bulk of its ACC slate on Jan. 1, beginning 2025 with a home matchup against Miami.
- Tipoff is set for noon at Conte Forum on ACC Network, with Jon Meterparel and Malcolm Huckaby on the call.
- Fans can also tune into the game live on WEEI 850 AM, with Josh Maurer and Kevin Collins.
Team Stats
FDU
BC
FG%
.446
.527
3FG%
.414
.286
FT%
.615
.889
RB
24
37
TO
7
10
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
9
3FGM
2
FTM
9
Pts
18
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballF/C
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