Wake Forest fends off late rally by the Eagles
Post scores 20 points for Boston College
Boston College opened the New Year with a hard luck 84-78 loss to Wake Forest in ACC play before 4,265 fans on Tuesday night at Conte Forum.
BC fell to 9-4 overall, 0-2 in conference play and things look bleak for the Eagles with three roads games on the horizon. The Eagles play at Georgia Tech, Syracuse and Clemson before returning home to face Notre Dame on Jan. 15
“We are 2-0 on the road so hopefully that will be good for us,” said BC coach Earl Grant. “I think the guys will be excited about that challenge, get away from here and chance to play on the road where you’ve only got each other.
“You have to be close and be tight on the road and we’ve shown we are capable on the road.”
Wake shot 53.4% from the floor with 10 made three pointers, 35 rebounds and 17 assists. Junior center Efton Reid netted 13 with 14 boards, while the backcourt tandem on Cameron Hildreth and Hunter Sallis combined for 39.
BC shot 41.5% from the floor with nine treys, 34 boards and 12 assists. Graduate center Quinton Post scored 20 points, while power forward Devin McGlockton and guard Claudell Harris scored 15 apiece.
“It is the ACC and guys will make shots so you have to take care of the ball and be sharp execution wise,” said Grant. “I thought we played a good game but our details weren’t quite where they need to be.”
Down four at the intermission, the Deacons opened the second half with an 11-6 spurt to take a 47-45 lead into the first media timeout. Post lifted the Eagles out of their doldrums with a crowd-pleasing NBA three from the top of the key to go up 53-52 at the second media timeout.
The lead changed hands four times over a five-minute stretch. Wake got in the last word when Hildreth hit a 3-ball and finished a layup to put the Deacons up 62-58 with 8:40 to play.
Wake heated up at the start of the stretch run and took a 77-67 lead on a follow and two free throws by Reid with 3:48 to play. Harris busted Wake’s run with two treys and a jumper from off the key to cut the lead to 7775 with 1:52 to play. Harris hit a jumper to make it 7978, with 40 seconds remaining. Andrew Carr’s corner trey, his first field goal of the game, put the Eagles on ice with 11 seconds to play.
“We need a scoring boost and that’s what (Harris) provided for us,” said McGlockton. “We never gave up and we fought for the whole entire time and made some runs but it didn’t end up in our favor.”
The teams split last season, with the road team winning. Wake bushwhacked BC 85-63 on Jan. 14 and the Eagles returned the favor 71-69 in WinstonSalem on Feb. 28. Post was in his fifth game back from a foot injury when he scored 10 points in the first game and contributed 19 off the bench in the rematch.
Post scored his first field goal at 15:40, a corner jumper from the right side that cut the Deacons’ lead to 10-9 into the first media timeout. Post came out of the break and scored BC’s next seven points, two from the line, a 3-ball from the top of the key and a layup to give the Eagles a 16-12 lead.
“I didn’t think we were sharp in the first half and they were and they took the game to us,” said Wake coach Steve Forbes.
Wake and BC played matching baskets into the third media timeout. Prince Aligbe had a transition dunk and Post made a jump hook to make it 28-24 with 7:41 to play. Post netted 14 in 16 minutes and BC led 40-36 at the break.