Saturday, December 7
Winston-Salem, NC
Noon
Boston College
6-4,0-1ACC
66
at
72
Wake Forest
8-3,1-0ACC
1
2
F
Boston College
35
31
66
Wake Forest
38
34
72
Photo by: Eddie Shabomardenly
Fight to the Finish as Eagles Drop ACC Opener at Wake
December 07, 2024 | Men's Basketball
BC puts three in double figures, led by Elijah Strong's 18 points
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Elijah Strong led three Boston College players in double digits as the Eagles dropped a 72-66 decision at Wake Forest on Saturday in the ACC opener for both teams.
Strong knocked down a team-high four 3-pointers as BC connected on a season-high 12-of-30 from beyond the arc. Â Donald Hand Jr. had 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while Fred Payne added 12 points off the bench in 17 minutes.
Trailing by two with 35 seconds remaining, the Eagles' pressure in the backcourt forced a Wake Forest turnover, as Fred Payne corralled an errant pass and was fouled. Â He missed the front end of what would have been the game-tying 1-and-1.
Wake Forest used a parade to the free throw line to come away with the victory. Â The Demon Deacons attempted 34 foul shots and outscored the Eagles, 25-12, from the charity stripe, to seal the win.
FIRST HALF
Strong knocked down a team-high four 3-pointers as BC connected on a season-high 12-of-30 from beyond the arc. Â Donald Hand Jr. had 13 points, eight rebounds, and three assists while Fred Payne added 12 points off the bench in 17 minutes.
Trailing by two with 35 seconds remaining, the Eagles' pressure in the backcourt forced a Wake Forest turnover, as Fred Payne corralled an errant pass and was fouled. Â He missed the front end of what would have been the game-tying 1-and-1.
Wake Forest used a parade to the free throw line to come away with the victory. Â The Demon Deacons attempted 34 foul shots and outscored the Eagles, 25-12, from the charity stripe, to seal the win.
FIRST HALF
- BC jumped out to an early 15-5 lead, thanks to a hot hand from beyond the arc.
- The Eagles connected its first three attempts from beyond the arc, with 3FG from Hand Jr., Brown, and Strong
- Wake Forest countered with nine unanswered to get within one - at 15-14 with 12:49 left in the half
- Over the next eight minutes, there were four lead changes and three ties
- After a Chad Venning layup made it 30-27 with 3:31 left in the period, Wake used a 9-3 push to take its largest lead of the game - 38-33 - with 44 ticks remaining
- BC kept its final possession of the first half alive on the offensive glass, leading to two free throws from Venning with four seconds to play
- Wake would lead, 38-35, at the break, thanks to 9-of-11 shooting from the free throw line
- The Eagles drilled back to back 3-pointers to take a 41-38 lead with 17:26 to play
- Five of BC's first six field goals of the second half were 3-pointers
- Wake responded with 11 straight, taking its largest lead of the day - 49-41 - with 14:37 left
- Trailing 54-46 with 11:46 to play, BC engineered a 9-1 run, tying it at 55-55 after three free throws from Fred Payne
- The Demon Deacons would score the next six points, going up 61-55 with 6:33 to play thanks to a pair of free throws from Cameron Hildreth
- Hildreth would go to the foul line 18 times in the game - four more than the Eagles for the entire game
- Donald Hand Jr. 3-pointer with 4:08 to play made it a two-point game - 62-60 - but the parade for free ones for Wake continued.
- Eight of WFU's last 10 points came from the charity stripe.
- Trailing by two - 68-66 - with 35 seconds left, the Eagles press forced a turnover as Fred Payne came up with the steal.
- He went to the line for 1-and-1 but missed the front end and that was as close as BC would get.
- Joshua Beadle earned his first start of the season - he finished with five points and four assists.
- Wake Forest was plus-20 in free throw attempts, making 25-of-34 to just 12-of-14 for the Eagles
- Boston College held Wake to only one field goal for the final 7:00 of play, but made 13 free throws during that stretch to seal the victory.
- Dion Brown fouled with seven points, six boards, and a team-high five assists.Â
- Boston College begins an eight-day break for final exams before hosting Stonehill on Sunday, Dec. 15.
- Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. and the game will air live on ACC Network Extra.
- The game will be part of a doubleheader with the women's basketball team, which hosts Bryant at noon.
- Fans can also tune into the game live on WEEI 850 AM.
Team Stats
BC
WF
FG%
.368
.447
3FG%
.400
.385
FT%
.857
.735
RB
33
32
TO
14
8
STL
3
9
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
6
3FGM
4
FTM
2
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
12
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballFootball: Dylan Lonergan Postgame News Conference (Sept. 7, 2025)
Sunday, September 07
Football: KP Price Postgame News Conference (Sept. 7, 2025)
Sunday, September 07
Football: Bill O'Brien Postgame News Conference (Sept. 7, 2025)
Sunday, September 07
Football: Head Coach Bill O'Brien Media Availability (September 4, 2025)
Thursday, September 04
