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Clemson 78, Boston College 69: Jaeden Zachery shines as No. 11 Clemson hands BC their 3rd straight loss

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Two years ago on Ash Wednesday, Boston College pulled off a miracle to beat No. 6 Virginia in Conte. Tonight, the Eagles were unable to recapture that same magic against No. 11 Clemson in a 78-69 loss. Jaeden Zachery was terrific in his return to Chestnut Hill as he led the Tigers in scoring with 21 points.

BC kept it close to start the game thanks to seven points by Jayden Hastings, who had another impressive outing with Chad Venning on the bench. The Redshirt Freshman was able to put up 18 points for his double-digit scoring outing of his college career, along with five rebounds, two blocks, and three steals.

Despite Hastings’ efforts, the Tigers were able to put together a 20-6 run capped off by a JZ three-ball to give Clemson a 28-15 lead. The Eagles were able to stop the bleeding there and played Clemson relatively even the rest of the first half, resulting in a 49-39 lead for Brad Brownell at the break.

The teams continued to play even, with Elijah Strong tailing several buckets to match Clemson’s scoring until Dion Brown came alive with seven straight points, including a strip and score against the Eagles former point guard. The pair would finish with 15 and 14 points respectively.

BC was able to cut the lead to 60-62 and keep the game close with good defending, including multiple steals from Hastings. However, turnovers and an inability to generate any offense would stop any chance at upset as the Eagles only scored nine points in the last 10+ minutes of the game.

Clemson picks up their 7th straight win, moving to  25-5 and has a chance to move to 2nd place in the ACC tonight with a Louisville loss vs Cal. BC falls to 12-18.

Opinion

The Eagles have played this same game many times this season. They have struggled to put full games together. When they score, they can’t get a stop. When they’re defending well, they can’t buy a bucket. 

One thing Earl Grant can do is get the most out of his big men. Venning played well for the Eagles this season and Hastings has developed nicely this season, culminating in his career-best game against Clemson tonight.

One thing Earl Grant struggles with is setting up the offense for success. At BC, Grant has always loved running the offense through the big man, dishing the ball into the post and allowing him to facilitate. Quintin Post was terrific within this scene but the same problems with those teams as true for this one. When the big man doesn’t get the ball or he’s not a good playmaker, the offense is stagnant.

Also, it was shocking to hear on the broadcast that Earl Grant supposedly told Zachery he had to enter to transfer portal last offseason. JZ was a terrific player at Boston College and it was sad to see him leave for another ACC team. He was not the only BC player to leave this offseason as 7 players entered to portal so now I have to wonder how many were told to enter the portal as well.

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Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan

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Boston College received two more transfer commitments this weekend in Brandon Benjamin and Colby Duggan. Benjamin and Duggan join Money Williams, Ernest Shelton and JB Frankel as the fourth and fifth transfers to commit to Luke Murray and BC this offseason. The Eagles now have seven players on their roster, including international signing Zak Smrekar and Jack Bailey, the only BC player from last year not to enter the portal.

Benjamin, a 6-foot-8 forward from Newark, N.J., played his only collegiate season last year at Fairfield University. The rising sophomore was named to the 2025-26 MAAC All-Rookie Team and All-MAAC Second Team after averaging 14.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 56.5% from the field. Benjamin ranked first in the MAAC and eighth in the country in rebounds per game and second in the country in offensive rebounds per game (4.25).

“What made me pick BC first was the coaching staff,” Benjamin told ZAGSBLOG on Sunday. “It really felt like family. I will bring my high motor, plus rebounding, finishing around the rim and taking guys off the dribble. [I also bring] my catch-and-shooting, pick-and-pop, my winning impact and my versatility with guarding 1-5 with the ability to block shots.”

Duggan, a 6-foot-7 forward from Monson, Mass., averaged 9.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19 games for Charleston last season after missing the first part of the year with an injury. He spent the previous two seasons at Campbell University and averaged 15.7 points and 3.3 rebounds on 34% shooting from 3-point range during the 2024-25 season.

“He competes on both ends of the court at all times,” former Charleston head coach and current USF head coach Chris Mack said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a winner. Defensively, Colby doesn’t back down. He guards well in the post and on the perimeter. Offensively, he led the conference in scoring and is just scratching the surface of what he can be as a mismatch.”

Benjamin should slot into the starting lineup as the power forward or a small-ball big thanks to his impressive rebounding ability, while Duggan comes to BC as a depth piece off the bench.

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Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College

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Guard Ernest Shelton announced his commitment to Boston College early Thursday night. The former Merrimack Warrior became the fourth transfer to commit to head coach Luke Murray and the Eagles, joining Zak Smrekar, Money Williams and JB Frankel. Shelton was named to the 2025-26 All-MAAC first team while helping lead the Warriors to a MAAC regular-season championship.

Shelton played two seasons at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the opposite side of the state from his hometown of Philadelphia, before transferring to Merrimack last offseason. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 15.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals while shooting 34.6% from behind the 3-point line.

“[Shelton]’s a shooter,” Merrimack head coach Joe Gallo said. “Every time it comes out of his hand, you think it’s going in.”

Shelton knocked down 99 3-pointers for Merrimack last season and was among the top 40 in the country in 3-pointers made per game (2.9). He set a career high last season with nine 3-pointers in a game against Boston University and made five or more 3-pointers in six games.

The sharpshooter is a breath of fresh air for a Boston College program that finished last in the ACC in 3-point percentage last season.


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Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era

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Boston College received its first three transfer commitments of the 2026 transfer portal cycle on Thursday in Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel. Smrekar, Williams, and Frankel are the first three players to commit to BC since Luke Murray was named head coach on March 26 and join Jack Bailey as the only three players currently on the Eagles’ roster.

Smrekar is a 19-year-old, 6-foot-7 guard from Slovenia and was the first to commit to Murray. He played for the club Krka Novo Mesto in the Slovenian ABA for three seasons and averaged 9.8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15 games in the 2025-26 season. Smrekar also played for Slovenia in the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup and averaged 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists in seven games.

Williams is a 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 guard who played the last three seasons for Montana. The Oakland, California, native was named to the 2025-26 All-Big Sky First Team after averaging 20.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game on 49.8% shooting from the field. Williams scored a career-high 40 points against Northern Colorado in the Big Sky Tournament, along with tallying six other 30-point games last season.

“I can’t come up with enough words to praise Money Williams properly,” Montana head coach Travis DeCuire said in October 2025. “When you talk about the young man that he is off the court, the young man he is when you bring him in the office, and you have real conversations with him and look him in the eye and talk about things that are hard to talk about.”

Frankel is a 21-year-old, 6-foot-3 guard who is not moving far, as he played the last three years at Northeastern. He started 13 of 30 games for the Huskies last season and averaged 5.9 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. The New York City native scored a season-high 13 points in a road win against Harvard.

Coach Murray will have to continue to build up the Eagles roster, but with three guards being picked up, look for the Eagles to hone in on finding their starting forwards and big men.

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