Collegiate centers don’t often shoot 3-pointers, especially when the game is on the line. But that’s exactly what Quinten Post did in Monday night’s matchup between Boston College men’s basketball and Notre Dame.
But Post didn’t just attempt long-range shots during crunch time—he sank them too.
Post, who was coming off an illness that sidelined him in the Eagles’ loss to then-No. 21 Clemson on Saturday, put up only two points in the first 20 minutes of play.
“I started the game off terrible,” Post said. “But thanks to, honestly [Jaeden Zackery] here, and Coach … they told me they needed me out there, and ‘Keep shooting the ball.’”
Post rallied in the second half and led BC (11–6, 2–4 Atlantic Coast) to a 63–59 win over the Irish, despite Notre Dame (7–11, 2–5) leading by as much as 12 in the first half.
With five minutes remaining in regulation, Post finally hit when Claudell Harris Jr. found him behind the arc for a 3-pointer that cut the Irish’s six-point lead in half.
Just over a minute later, Post drained another dagger from the left wing, giving BC a 57–55 lead and prompting deafening cheers from Conte Forum’s boisterous crowd.
“Great crowd,” BC head coach Earl Grant said. “We appreciate them showing up. I think they made a difference.”
But a two-point lead was not enough to completely seal the game. J.R. Konieczny sank two free throws for the Irish, tying the game up with 3:10 remaining.
While Post’s first two 3-pointers were just not enough to put the contest away, the same cannot be said for his third 3-point make of the game. With less than a minute remaining, he quickly popped from the free-throw line to the top of the key and splashed one in to give BC a 60–57 lead.
Post didn’t finish the game alone, though. Harris and Chas Kelley III hit a combined three clutch-time free throws that kept BC in the lead, despite a late Markus Burton layup that put Notre Dame within two. Burton led the Irish in points with 19.
With 11 seconds remaining and BC clinging to a two-point lead, Notre Dame’s Carey Booth shot the ball from the left corner with a chance to win the game. The last-second play appeared to be unfolding eerily similar to the ending of BC’s Jan. 2 game against Wake Forest. He was unable to hit, however, and the ball rattled out and into Kelley’s hands.
“I don’t know if I was in between a breath, holding my breath, or not breathing at all,” Grant said.
While Post put on a fourth-quarter show, it was Zackery that put the Eagles in a strong late-game position. He led BC scorers in the first half, contributing 12 of the Eagles’ 29 first-half points. Zackery picked up eight more in the second half, starting with a quick four in the first two minutes that included a masterful finger-roll layup at the rim.
“[Zackery] did a great job of grinding them out and finding the best shot in the second half,” Post said.
Zackery’s defense was also integral to the win. He held Burton to just four points in the second half.
“I knew I was bigger than him, so I knew I could play a little more physical,” Zackery said. “But I had to be smart, because he was quicker.”
Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry cited physicality as a difference-maker.
“They were just the more physical team,” Shrewsberry said. “I thought our point guard was getting bonked and ridden.”
BC’s victory marks the fifth game this season they have won after trailing by double digits.
“Don’t wanna be known as the comeback kids, but we come back,” Grant said. “We show great grit, fortitude, character. I’m happy for that.”
