NCAA News Wire
Virginia 66, Boston College 51
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
BOSTON — Junior guard Malcolm Brogdon reached double figures for the 10th time in his last 12 games, scoring a team-leading 20 points to keep No. 2-ranked Virginia perfect this season with a 66-51 win victory over Boston College at Conte Forum on Saturday.
Virginia (17-0, 5-0 in the ACC) and top-ranked Kentucky (16-0) were the only undefeated Division I teams entering Saturday.
Boston College dropped to 8-8, 0-4. The Eagles’ last conference victory was an 80-72 win at Wake Forest on March 1, 2014, and they haven’t won an ACC game at home since a 76-52 victory over Virginia Tech on Jan. 29, 2014.
Olivier Hanlan led the Eagles with 18 points and had six assists, while senior guard Patrick Heckmann chipped in 15 points. Boston College was held to 39.5 percent shooting (17-of-43).
Junior forward Anthony Gill joined Brogdon in double digits with 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Virginia made 42.9 percent of its shots (21-of-49).
The Eagles opened up the closing half with a furious 16-6 run, with Heckmann scoring nine points during that stretch, giving Boston College its biggest lead at 38-33 with 14:30 left.
The Cavaliers scored 10 unanswered points to lead, 43-33, with 8:11 remaining, and Virginia put the upset-minded Eagles in the rear-view mirror with a 39-point second half.
Virginia led for nearly all of the first half, but wasn’t able to establish much consistency.
Brogdon made two 3-pointers and led the way with eight points in the opening half for the Cavaliers, who struggled to the tune of 37 percent shooting (10-of-27) before the break.
Hanlan had seven points to lead Boston College in the first half and sophomore forward Will Magarity added six on two 3-pointers, including a game-tying bomb that tied the score, 22-22, with 4:09 to go.
The Eagles trailed by as many as five points in the half, but they were able to pull within three at the break, 27-24. Boston College made 40 percent of its shots (8-for-20) in the opening frame.
NOTES: No. 2 Virginia leads the series against Boston College, 11-7. The Eagles are 4-2 in the set at Conte Forum, where the Cavaliers had not won since 2008. … The Cavaliers are enjoying their best start since the 1980-81 season, when three-time College Player of the Year and four-time NBA All-Star C/F Ralph Sampson powered Virginia to 23 straight wins. … Virginia ranked No. 1 in the country in scoring defense entering Saturday’s game, limiting opponents to 50.6 points per game. … Through Saturday, the Eagles were giving up 63.3 points per game, a 12.9-point improvement from last year. … Boston College is the seventh-most experienced team in the country, according to StatSheet.com. … The Cavaliers are off until Thursday, when they host Georgia Tech. The Eagles visit Syracuse on Tuesday.
