For a moment, it looked as if Boden Kapke’s miracle three to force overtime would give Boston College men’s basketball (3–4) the momentum it needed to secure a win over Tulane (4–2).
But BC could not replicate that magic over the final two minutes of the extra period as they fell to Tulane 93–90 in the consolation game of the Charleston Classic. A season-high scoring output from the team was not enough, and head coach Earl Grant’s trip to the school he called home for seven years ended without a win.
Kapke had a chance to give BC the lead with two seconds left in overtime, but his 3-point attempt clanged off the iron.
“[Kapke] made the right read—I don’t really question his shot, considering the situation of the game,” Grant said. “You make that shot, we win the game.”
The Eagles led for most of the second half and half of overtime in the loss. But some defining shots from Tulane’s Curtis Williams Jr., who finished with 32 points, as well as a six-minute scoring drought from BC, allowed the Green Wave to take the lead and ultimately come out on top.
“We knew we needed to know where [Williams] was,” said Grant, “We forced him into some tough shots that he made … he had a few timely baskets where he kept them in the game.”
BC was unable to play a complete game, as multiple stretches with little offensive success hindered their chances of a win.
BC’s offense was stagnant in the opening few minutes of the game, leading to the ball staying outside the arc for 20 seconds and multiple late-shot-clock heaves. BC opened the game 0 of 6 from three, allowing the Green Wave to open up a 21–12 lead over the first 10 minutes of play.
Chase Forte finally took the lid off with a 3-pointer with 9:38 to go in the first half, then made another one a minute later, cutting Tulane’s lead to five.
The Eagles’ shooting woes wore on, but they found success attacking inside. In the first half, they shot 12 of 21 from inside the arc, and Donald Hand Jr. went 5 of 5 on two-pointers.
Thanks to three late free throws from Hand, BC took a 40–39 lead heading into the half.
The Eagles continued to focus on interior scoring to open up the second half, going 3 of 3 on 3-pointers through the first 10 minutes while drawing seven fouls. Forte hit the first two he took, then Hand sank one with 11:08 to play to give BC a 61–55 lead.
Forte and Hand both recorded season highs, scoring 22 and 26 points, respectively. Forte’s 5-of-8 performance from three is a bright spot for an Eagles team that has struggled shooting from deep, and Hand’s 8-of-9 mark from the free-throw line shows improvement from his percentage earlier this season.
Fred Payne also poured in 15 points, marking his fifth consecutive game putting up double-digits.
Unfortunately for BC, its productive offense disappeared as the half went on. Over the next 10 minutes, BC made only three field goals, allowing Tulane to regain the lead. BC’s defense was able to get stops, but some key missteps late in the shot clock gave the Green Wave the scoring opportunities they needed.
“I thought it was a recurring theme,” said Grant, “They scored some baskets at the end of the clock. It happened two or three times, with three or four seconds left on the shot clock … they got around us, got to the basket for either a foul or a layup.”
Finally, with a minute left, BC’s offense reemerged. Three late 3-pointers, including Kapke’s 35-foot bomb to tie the game 83–83, allowed the Eagles to send the game into overtime.
Both teams scored seven points in the first three minutes of overtime to make the score 90–90, capped off with another 3-pointer from Forte. But the Eagles failed to score again after that, and Tulane took the lead for good.
Kapke’s shot with five seconds to go missed, and a half-court heave from Payne sailed to the right of the hoop to send the Eagles below .500 on the year.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to deal with some adversity,” said Grant, “But we have to keep pushing forward and trying to learn from this adversity and get ready for the next one.”
