Whether it be after late-game heartbreakers or season-revitalizing wins, Boston College men’s basketball head coach Earl Grant has remained steadfast in his team’s goal.
“We want to be playing our best in March,” Grant said in February, a message he has often reiterated throughout the season.
But after the Eagles’ first postseason win in 13 years, BC’s March magic finally ran out on Sunday night against Nevada-Las Vegas. The Rebels (21–12, 12–6 Mountain West) put together a 15–3 run midway through the second half to close out the Eagles’ (20–16, 8–12 Atlantic Coast) season with a 79–70 loss.
Despite the loss, the Eagles completed their first 20-win season since 2011—the third straight season of upward ascent since Grant took over in 2021.
“Overall, I wanted us to have a winning season and I wanted us to play in the postseason,” Grant said after the game. “We did those things, and so I thought that was the next step for us to break through.”
The loss also marked Quinten Post’s final game donning maroon and gold. The Eagles’ 7-footer has been the team’s leading scorer over the last two seasons.
“He came to us three years ago with his tail tucked between his legs, trying to figure out—can he play at this level?” Grant said. “Just to see the developments he’s made in his game and the confidence he has over the last three years has been beautiful to watch.”
UNLV needed just a few minutes to take control of the game’s pace, grinding out a 12–5 lead by the first half’s 16:06 mark off a 7–0 run. While Post kept the Eagles afloat in the early stages—recording nine points and five rebounds in the first half—BC’s offense struggled to string possessions together, losing five turnovers through the first 13 minutes.
With the Rebels taking far better control of the ball and taking advantage of the Eagles’ turnovers, UNLV had all the momentum with just more than seven minutes remaining in the half.
“We had too many turnovers that produced good things for them,” Grant said. “And in a possession game, we wish we could have some of those possessions back.”
But with the Rebels on the verge of seizing a commanding lead, BC picked up its pace, played through Post, and turned the game into a 3-point shootout. From the 6:50 mark, the next seven field goals made came from deep—five of which were from the Eagles.
The game’s tone shift favored BC, with the Eagles reclaiming the lead with 5:52 left to play in a half that ended in a 37–37 halftime deadlock. BC finished the half with seven made threes.
“It took us a while to adjust to all of that—the pace,” Grant said. “And then we took the lead.”
The Eagles maintained a steady edge to open the second half but gave UNLV just enough breathing room to pull back ahead and take their first lead of the period with just under 13 minutes left in regulation.
UNLV didn’t stop there.
With the game clock nearing single digits, the Rebels surged out to an 11–0 run, headlined by a deep bank-shot three from Keylan Boone to beat the shot clock. Boone paced UNLV with a team-high 19 points for the night.
“They had some guys that could shoot it pretty good with length,” Grant said. “Their crowd was great. It was loud in there.”
While Claudell Harris Jr. eventually stopped the bleeding for the Eagles with a contested corner three, BC’s NIT run appeared to be on life support, trailing 70–60 with just over five minutes left to play.
But Post wasn’t quite ready to go home yet and put together seven straight points for BC. In the blink of an eye, the Eagles were back within four points with enough time remaining to complete a rally.
But Post’s offensive surge was about all the gas the Eagles had left in their NIT run. In the final three-and-a-half minutes, BC could only muster four more points in an offensive finish characterized by stagnation and rushed shot selection.
“I thought we panicked on a couple,” Grant said. “We took a couple deep threes. Obviously, the right guy took them—[Harris], he’s shown us that he can make some shots, but I thought we took a couple quick, long threes.”
With his third year at the helm in the books, Grant expressed optimism for the program’s future.
“I didn’t come here to lose,” Grant said. “I came in to build a program. I’ve been winning everywhere I’ve been, and I’m hoping that with the help of the Lord, that we’ll continue to be able to do that here.”
