#4 Duke Survives at Boston College, 62-61

With several high-ranked college basketball teams going down this week, the Boston College Eagles wanted to make the #4 Duke Blue Devils the latest victim of this crazy season. Though they made it very, very interesting, it was not to be.

On Sunday evening at Conte Forum, the Blue Devils defeated the Eagles, 62-61. With the loss, Boston College falls to 10-13 (2-8) on the season and have now lost six consecutive games to Duke following their most recent win in 2009.

The first half saw the Eagles lead most of the way. BC got the first points of the contest two minutes in on a Joe Rahon basket, and then held the lead from that moment until very late in the half when a Duke three-point play gave them a narrow lead. Olivier Hanlan then made a crucial three with a defender on him to give BC the lead once more, but a Duke slam dunk near the expiration of the clock knotted the game, 27-27.

In the second, Duke pulled ahead within the first few minutes and they ended up controlling much of the half. It appeared as though the turning point of the game, just as it seemed to be in Boston College’s last contest against Miami, was a four-point play for the Blue Devils. BC was able to keep it relatively close thereafter, but they fought back to eventually retake the lead. As a matter of fact, the Eagles had a slim lead with just over a minute to go in the contest. Two late BC fouls gave the Blue Devils the free throws to put them ahead, and BC’s last shot attempt didn’t make the rim.

Duke was held scoreless for approximately the first five minutes. Once they got rolling, and it took them some time, the Blue Devils figured out a way to put 27 on the board before halftime. They did it in spite of an unusually-high nine turnovers. Duke was cold from beyond the arc in the first half, going just 1-for-7, but they ended up 6-for-17. The second half was a dogfight nearly all the way through.

For Boston College, it was one of their patented close-but-not-close-enough efforts at home. They definitely had a chance, but at the end of the day, Duke did what they had to do and the Eagles could not make the crucial shot that would have put them over the top. Absolutely, give BC credit for the effort, but it’s another case of what could have been. The Eagles played respectable defense and made their free throws, and Eddie Odio had some spectacular dunks, which were several good things that came out of the game for the home team.

The Eagles return to action on Wednesday as Wake Forest visits Conte Forum.