Basketball
Notre Dame 97, Boston College 94: Eagles fade down the stretch again
The Eagles, who fought admirably in both over time periods, could not over come the five overtime periods, (three Saturday at Syracuse, two tonight) and saw the Irish ultimately pull out the win, sweeping the season series.
The first half was a sharp shooting start for BC, who shoot over 60 percent from the field, including 7-of-12 from deep. Dion Brown and Fred Payne led the way with 9 points in the half, finishing with 15 and 11, respectively, for the game. The Eagles finished the half with a 21-9 run, heading to the locker room with a 41-35 advantage.
Boston College, who lead by as many as 14 in the second half, could not put the Irish away, as Markus Burton hit two key free throws with under 30 seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime. Burton finished with a season high 30 points for the Irish.
After last Saturday’s triple overtime thriller at Syracuse, BC’s Donald Hand Jr. hit a big 3-pointer to tie things up, sending it to a second free session. Hand would bring cut the deficit to one with about 80 seconds remaining, at 93-92 after a flagrant foul by Notre Dame’s Julian Roper. An ensuing layup by Brown gave BC the lead back.
Late game dramatics ensued, after Burton missed a pair of free throws for ND, the Eagles could not put the game away with a shot clock violation and turnover. This led to a second chance put back by Kebba Njie giving the Irish the lead at 95-94 with 16 seconds remaining.
A Dion Brown jump shot clanged off the iron, and the Eagles ultimately fell short for the second game in a row.
Chad Venning led the Eagles with 21 points, Hand chipped in 17 of his own on a team-high 45 minutes played. Roger McFarlane finished with 15 points, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
BC now falls to 10-14 (2-11) and will travel to Raleigh, NC to take on North Carolina State, Saturday at 2pm.
Basketball
Boston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
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.
Basketball
Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College
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.
Basketball
Boston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era
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.
-
Basketball5 months agoUPDATED: Boston College Basketball 2026 Transfer Portal Live Tracker
-
Basketball5 months agoBoston College lands one of nation’s top rebounders in Brandon Benjamin, along with former Charleston forward Colby Duggan
-
Basketball5 months agoBoston College lands Zak Smrekar, Money Williams, and JB Frankel, first three transfer commitments of Luke Murray era
-
Basketball5 months agoFormer Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College
-
Football2 months agoHUTCHINSON: Bill O’Brien says a rebuilt Boston College and starting quarterback Mason McKenzie are ready for Year 3
-
Uncategorized5 months agoDiMAURO: The best of BC still getting told through sports
-
Baseball3 months agoDiMAURO: Birdball’s great season a beacon and a reminder for all other BC programs
-
Football2 weeks agoBoston College Football 2026 Training Camp Notes: Defense sets the tone in Scrimmage No. 2
