BC’s Ky Bowman almost seems to be wearing a little Syracuse orange.
Both the BC men’s and women’s basketball teams started the new year off great, winning their opening games in ACC play. And both in convincing fashion.
The men’s team took extra pleasure in the 96-81 victory over Syracuse on New Year’s Day, as the win ended a 19-game conference losing streak. Freshman guard Ky Bowman scored 30 points to lead the Eagles in the dominating win. BC was never behind in the game.
The Eagles play at Wake Forest today.UPDATE: Eagles lose to Wake Forest, 79-66.
BC’s women’s team beat Clemson, 60-48, on January 2. Sophomore Mariella Fasoula had a double-double, 19 points, 11 rebounds, in the win.
The BC hockey teams resume play this week following a holiday break. Meanwhile, some Eagles are in Toronto as members of the US Team participating in the World Junior Championships. In the US’s 3-1 victory over Canada December 31, goalie Joe Woll made 25 saves and Colin White scored the opening goal.
Following BC’s 45-7 loss to Florida State Friday night, the Boston Globe said the “the monstrous gap between the Eagles and their competition in the ACC couldn’t be more apparent.”
This was BC’s 6th loss in 7 games against ACC opponents this season and 14th loss out of the last 15 games against ACC opponents. Due to the presence of teams like UMass, Wagner, and Buffalo on the schedule earlier, the Eagles have a 4-6 record and, with wins in the final games against UConn and Wake Forest, would qualify for a post-season bowl.
From 1999 through 2015, BC lost 4 games by 30 points or more. The Florida State loss was the team’s 4th such loss this season. The Eagles have been shut out 4 times in the last two season. They had 60 games 2010-14 in which they were not held scoreless.
As for the game itself, the highlight for BC might have been just running out into the stadium in front of 74,000 fans and thinking out great it would be to upset the Seminoles on national television. Alas, when Richard Wilson scored a touchdown for BC with just over 3 minutes left in the game, Florida State had 45 points on the board. It was 21-0 at halftime.
The Eagles gained a total of 146 yards in the game. They rushed for 96 yards, 39 of which came on a 39-yard run by Myles Willis in the first quarter. Quarterback Patrick Towles was 3 of 11 for 29 yards. Florida State had 24 first downs to BC’s 8, and gained 416 yards overall.
Game video (It is all Florida State. Duh.)
Basketball/Hockey roundup
Last year, the BC men’s basketball team matched the football team in going winless in conference play. With 10 more chances than the football team to win (18 games vs. 8), the could be considered even more egregiously bad.
But it’s a new season, right? BC opened its season yesterday at home against Nicholls State (that’s that school in Thibodaux, Louisiana). Never behind, Nicholls State beat BC 79-73. Details unbecoming.
Women’s basketball traveled to Connecticut for its opener and lost 65-56 to Hartford.
Women’s hockey swept UNH this weekend, after splitting with BU the previous weekend. BC is 9-3-2 overall and 8-2-0 in Hockey East. As of November 7, they were ranked #6 nationally. The men’s hockey team, meanwhile, moved up to #3 in the country, as of November 7, and have compiled a record of 9-2-1, 5-0-1 in Hockey East.
The BC women’s hockey team shut out BU, 5-0, today to win the Hockey East Tournament championship.
The #1 Eagles raised their record to 38-0 and will enter the NCAA tournament as the #1 seed. BC will play its opening round of the tournament at home next weekend. The women’s Frozen Four will take place March 18 and 20 at the Whittemore Center Arena at UNH in Durham, N.H.
As befits the team’s dominance of the Hockey East conference, four Eagles were named to the six-member first team of conference all-stars. They were forwards Alex Carpenter–also named one of three finalists for the Kazmaier Award presented to the nation’s best women’s hockey player, which Carpenter won last year–and Haley Skarupa, and defensemen Lexi Bender and Megan Keller. Coach Katie Crowley was named Hockey East’s best coach for the fourth straight year.
The men’s hockey team, with a first round bye as Hockey East regular season champion, will play UNH or Vermont at home in a two-of-three series beginning Friday. The Hockey East semifinals will take place Friday, March 18, and the championship game will be on the following day.
End to disappointing men’s basketball regular season
Yesterday’s 66-50 loss to Clemson brought an end to BC men’s basketball’s regular season — a season of note, but not distinction.
BC did not win a regular season game in the ACC. Their 0-18 record, combined with the 0-8 conference record by the football team, made BC the first team in ACC history to be winless in both sports in the same season. The only other major team to have such a record was Texas Christian University in 1976-77.
The Eagles play in the opening round of the ACC Tournament Tuesday, facing Florida State.
