Boston College Athletics
Boston College
1-0,0-0ACC
Wagner
0-1,0-0NEC
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wagner | 23 | 27 | 50 |
| Boston College | 38 | 38 | 76 |
November 03, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Money Williams leads all scorers with 22 points; Zeigler adds 14 points off the bench
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College men's basketball opened its 2026 campaign with a victory Tuesday night, defeating Wagner 76-50 at Conte Forum. The Eagles had three players reach double figures, led by Money Williams, who poured in a game-high 22 points, along with five rebounds and four assists.
Armoni Zeigler provided a spark off the bench with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Žak Smrekar added 12 points and four rebounds in 37 minutes.
Ernest Shelton and Luke Hunger each contributed nine points, with Shelton knocking down three three-pointers and Hunger 80% of his shots. Brandon Benjamin grounded the Eagles on the glass, pulling down a game-high 10 rebounds off the bench to go with eight points and two steals.
On defense, the Eagles held the Seahawks to 30.4% from the floor, allowing just 17 made field goals, including only three from beyond the arc. The Eagles controlled the interior and tempo, outscoring Wagner 34-24 on points in the paint and 14-5 on fast-break opportunities.
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FIRST HALF
- After Wagner converted on a three-pointer, Boston College sparked a 12-0 scoring run, as Žak Smrekar answered with a trio of layups, and Luke Hunger finished a tough and-one at the rim and a three-pointer of his own.
- Armoni Zeigler connected on a pair of layups to push the advantage to 18-9 with 11:54 on the clock.
- Ernest Shelton knocked down a 3-pointer with 9:49 left to extend Boston College's cushion to 21-12.
- Money Williams scored on a driving layup with 2:35 on the clock to cap a 9-2 run and give the Eagles a 38-18 lead, their largest to that point. They would enter halftime ahead 38-23.
- As a team, Boston College shot 51.9% from the field on 14 made field goals, outscoring Wagner 22-10 in the paint.
- After a Money Williams and-one conversion, Brandon Benjamin followed up a Zeigler miss with an offensive rebound tip-in to make it a 45-27 contest at the 15:44 mark.
- Ernest Shelton sank his third 3-pointer of the night on a fast break with 6:04 remaining to stretch the lead to 61-41.
- Žak Smrekar stole momentum with a fast-break and-one dunk with 4:40 to play, increasing the advantage to 65-41.
- Armoni Zeigler sealed the victory by draining a 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining, as the Eagles held on to a 76-50 final score.
- The Eagles' defense held strong in the second half, holding Wagner to 25% shooting from the floor, allowing no three-pointers.
- Money Williams set the pace with a game-high 22 points, adding five rebounds and four assists. He went 11-for-15 from the free-throw line in the win.
- Armoni Zeigler scored 14 points off the bench, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range in 29 minutes.
- Brandon Benjamin recorded a game-high 10 rebounds, including four offensive rebounds, off the bench. He added eight points, two steals, and a block.
- The Eagles outscored the Seahawks 14-5 in fast-break points and 34-24 in paint points.
- Boston College moves to 1-0 all-time against Wagner and 1-0 in the 2026-27 season.
- The Eagles are now 73-21 in season openers and 74-15 in home openers.
- Boston College will face off against Massachusetts on November 6 as part of the Hall of Fame Series Boston.
- Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., with action streaming live on ESPN+.
- The Eagles lead the Minutemen 26-22 in series history, with UMass winning last year's contest 76-74.
- This will be the first time Boston College and UMass compete at TD Garden since 2014.
