BC smothered by Virginia’s defense
Shoot 31%, fall to 0-5 in ACC
The Boston College Eagles are sliding deeper into the abyss of the Atlantic Coast Conference standings.
The Eagles returned home from a heartbreaking 1-point loss at No. 21 Duke on Wednesday to face the No. 22 Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday at Conte Forum. Virginia combined a stubborn perimeter defense with the inside presence of 7-foot-1 center Jay Huff to secure a 61-49 victory. BC was held under 50 points for the first time this season.
“Virginia doesn’t make many mistakes and when they make them you have to make them pay, especially around the basket, and I think Huff had a lot to do with that,” said BC coach Jim Christian.
“We were getting some lanes to the basket and he was creating havoc out there, coming in from nowhere to block shots. … He’s a phenomenal player.”
The Cavaliers held BC (2-9, 0-5 ACC) to 30.9% from the floor and 6-of-21 from behind the arc. The Eagles contributed to their own demise by going 9-of-15 from the free throw line.
DeMarr Langford Jr. led the Eagles with 14 points.
Virginia (7-2, 3-0) shot 45.3% from the floor but a pitiful 4-of-15 from downtown. The Cavs’ big three of Huff, forward Sam Hauser and point guard Kihei Clark combined for 47 of the 61 points. Huff had 18 with eight rebounds and five blocks. Hauser netted a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards while Clark scored 12 with three assists.
“They have ridiculous one-on-one defenders, they don’t get beat,” said Christian. “Every guy that steps on the floor for Virginia guards the ball unbelievably well without help.
“They have unbelievable on-ball pressure and you can’t get by them. They have unbelievable defensive players and a player that can protect the rim.”
The Eagles were slowed from the onset when 6-8 senior forward Steffon Mitchell was scratched 30 minutes before tipoff. Mitchell is a returning All-ACC defensive player who leads the Eagles with 6.6 rebounds per game. His status for Tuesday’s game against Miami at Conte Forum is uncertain.
“I didn’t know until 30 minutes before the game with a calf injury of some kind and they haven’t done an MRI yet,” said Christian. “I have no idea about his status and we are evaluating him and we’ll see what happens.”
BC sophomore forward CJ Felder opened the second half with a corner trey to tie the game 29-29. The Cavaliers responded with a pair of floaters in the lane by Clark at the front end of a 12-2 run. Christian called timeout after Huff’s reverse dunk on the baseline gave Virginia a 41-31 lead with 12:38 remaining.
BC guard Rich Kelly busted the run with a jumper. Kelly added a corner trey that cut the Cavs’ to 43-38 into the second media timeout. Virginia regained the momentum with an 11-1 run, as Huff banked a pair off the glass and Sam Hauser finished with a 3-ball from the top of the key to make it 5439 with 6:48 to play. The Cavaliers played consistent on both sides to the finish.
“When we got the sevenpoint lead, they didn’t waver and when they made a run at us, we wavered a little bit,” said Christian. “We missed some shots we normally make and that is frustrating.”