Boston College played their first game in a week tonight, and it showed. The Eagles once again came out flat as the Seminoles jumped out to an early 16-2 lead. But, Boston College began crawling back into the game. Quinten Post led the charge scoring 10 points on 4 of 7 from the field. Devin McGlockton added 8 points of his own and continued his great play. The Seminoles applied full court pressure for the entire first half which proved to cause trouble for the BC guards. Boston College committed 8 turnovers which resulted in 11 points for Florida State. Florida State also owned the paint, scoring 24 of their 37 points from around the basket. The Eagles weathered the storm, and went into the intermission down 37 to 31.
The Eagles showed some fire after the break, and the game got chippy at the start of the second half with multiple players exchanging words. Although the Eagles turned the ball over more than they’d like, they also forced 11 turnovers from Florida State. The Eagles tied the game for the first time at the 8 minute mark thanks to a 3 from Post. However, the Seminoles quickly regained the lead after Taylor Bol Bowen stole the ball from Jaeden Zackery and dished it to Cam Corhen for the uncontested layup. That was the story of the game. The Eagles fought hard to even the score on multiple occasions only to hand the ball back to the Seminoles.
Earl Grant’s offense was led by Quinten Post tonight. He looks to be playing at a high-level again ending the game with a game high 21 points and 12 rebounds. McGlockton had another strong game, finishing with 10 points on 4 of 8 from the field and adding his typical tenacity in the other areas that don’t show up in the box score. Claudell Harris and Mason Madsen kept the Eagles in the game tonight with timely 3’s. They combined for 20 points, 12 of which came from beyond the arc. Turnovers lost Boston College this game. The Eagles turned the ball over 15 times resulting in 19 points from the Seminoles. When Florida State walks into the gym, everyone in the building knows there will be full court pressure for all 40 minutes. I don’t know why the Eagles weren’t better prepared to handle it. There were a couple possessions at the beginning of the second half where the BC guards, Zackery and Kelley, broke the press cleanly, advanced the ball up the court, and the Eagles scored an easy basket. But, many other times, the BC guards were sped up, and looked out of sorts, even after the ball crossed the half court line. The offense looked discombobulated and rushed. It’s hard to score points and run an offense when all of the point guard’s energy is being used to get the ball into the front court. There also needs to be a better play drawn up at the of the game. Florida State’s defense is relentless, but there needs to at least be a shot taken to win the game, especially out of a timeout.
If the Eagles can take care of the basketball, this team can be very competitive. They just aren’t as competitive as many of us thought they were after their non-conference games. The Eagles will take on the #9 ranked Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium this Saturday, February 10th at 2 PM EST. Let’s hope they can take care of the basketball and earn the upset on the road.