Notre Dame 73, Boston College 69: Irish Sweep Eagles; BC Loses 19th

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday evening at Conte Forum, the Boston College Eagles were defeated by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 73-69.

With the loss, the Eagles drop to 6-19 (2-10) on the season and have lost five games in a row, including eight of their last nine. For Notre Dame, tonight’s victory was their first on the road this season.

After trailing for much of the game, Boston College attempted a comeback inside the final minute down ten, but it proved once more to be an illusion as Notre Dame, despite appearing to collapse, was able to hold on for the win.

Hometown Notre Dame star Pat Connaughton excelled in his return to the Boston metro area, scoring 17 in front of a sizable contingent of family and friends. Boston College’s Olivier Hanlan, however, led all scorers in the game with 18.

The Eagles had another game in which they were offensively adequate, especially in the first half when they were 6-for-9 in shooting three-pointers, but defensively, it was another matter. As it has been all year, Boston College struggled in stopping Notre Dame and left them wide open for a number of jumpshot opportunities or trips to the hoop.

The crowd was subdued at best for most of the game and, as one might expect, the energy has completely sapped from the program — no amount of “energy eagles” can fix it now. Our combined hope for a special outcome at Boston College today was dashed by another poor defensive effort. At 6-19, the question remains “how many losses?” Sadly for the Eagles, a single-digit win season is all but guaranteed at this point.

Boston College returns to the court on Wednesday night for a visit to #1 Syracuse.