It’s become a recurring theme for Boston College men’s basketball this season—once again, the Eagles dropped the ball in the final minute.
The rivalry between BC (5–6) and Massachusetts (7–3) renewed for the first time in more than a decade at the Hall of Fame Classic on Wednesday night, and despite a seven-point lead and a 16-point run, late-stage fouls cost the Eagles the game as UMass won 76–74.
“I thought the game started slow for both of us,” BC head coach Earl Grant said. “It was a grind. There were a lot of hard shots from both teams.”
Despite a rocky start, the Minutemen quickly emerged as the dominant force. Their size advantage and cohesive defense held BC to a 13-percent mark from three compared to UMass’ 44 percent.
And it wasn’t just BC’s perimeter shooting that struggled, as BC went through a nearly five-minute-long field-goal drought.
The dry spell finally ended when Aidan Shaw threw down a one-handed alley-oop to bring the score to 16–14 UMass. BC closed the game shooting only 38 percent from the field, their third-lowest percentage of the season.
How the Eagles managed to stay in the game despite struggling with their shots was a testament to their depth. BC’s bench contributed 20 points in the first half and provided crucial support throughout the game.
Fred Payne nailed a 3-point jumper to cut the deficit to two with five minutes to play in the first half, but Marcus Banks Jr. immediately countered with his own three and pushed it back to 28–23 UMass.
With less than a minute left in the opening period, Donald Hand Jr. tied the game 33–33 with an and-1 layup on a fastbreak. But Banks returned fire once again, resulting in a UMass lead of 35–33 into halftime.
The intensity ramped up in the second half.
The Minutemen came out of the gate strong, storming through the opening stretch with an 11–5 surge that pushed their lead to 46–38.
But in the final 10 minutes, everything flipped, as BC’s shift to a three-guard offense with Chase Forte, Hand, and Payne reshaped the tempo of the game as the Eagles went on a run.
Forte stole the ball and dunked on the other end with 6:05 to play, putting BC up 63–56.
Meanwhile, Hand put up 18 points to round out BC’s comeback effort.
“I thought [Hand] was aggressive and physical,” Grant said. “He clocked into his job tonight to do what he needed to do.”
It was a back-and-forth dance between the two teams until everything came to a head in the final minute. Tied 74–74, the game came down to composure, something BC has struggled to maintain this season.
When the Eagles needed that composure the most—at the free-throw line—it was nowhere to be found. Forte missed two free throws with 21 seconds left and the game tied.
UMass capitalized instantly. They put the ball in Banks’ hands—a safe bet given his 29-point game. He drew a foul and calmly hit both free throws, giving his team a 76–74 lead.
Grant called a timeout to plan a last-ditch effort to bring the game into overtime. The ball swung to Forte to shoot a game-winning three. But the shot, like almost every other BC attempt from deep throughout the night, was a miss.
