Connect with us

Basketball

Takeaways: BC downs Fairfield in season-opener

Published

3 years ago

on

Recap:

Boston College opened their season with a dominating 89-70 victory over the Fairfield University Stags. Star center Quinten Post led the way, scoring a career-high 31 points, grabbing 11 rebounds, and swatting 4 blocks. Jaeden Zackery contributed 10 points and 4 assists, converting on some fantastic finishes in the process. The quartet of MJ Harris, Devin McGlockton, Mason Madsen, and Donald Hand Jr. each added 9 points. Aside from a shaky end to the first half, the Eagles dominated both sides of the ball, limiting Fairfield to just 38% shooting from the field, while shooting over 49% themselves.

Read the full recap here.

Post’s Dominance:

The star of this game was unequivocally Quinten Post. As any Eagles’ basketball fan would tell you, this basketball team goes as Quinten Post goes. And tonight, he took his game to new statistical heights. Post dominated the paint with his finishes on the block, he dominated perimeter with his 5-6 performance from three-point territory, and he dominated on the defensive end with his 4 blocks. Post led the Eagles to a rapid 31-15 lead in the first 10 minutes of this matchup. The Eagles thrived with Post on the court, yet struggled at times with him off the court. With Post on the bench to end the first half, the Stags were able to cut the Eagle lead to just 12 points going into the locker room. However, upon returning to the game in the second half, Post continued his dominance, helping the Eagles stretch their lead to as much as 26 points.

Three Point Success:

Following the sheer dominance of Post, the next biggest takeaway from the Eagle’s season opener was their volume and efficiency from behind the arc. Led by Posts’ five three-point field goals, BC converted on 11 of 27 attempts from three-point land. In addition to Post’s success, Madsen and Hand both connected on three shots from deep. This performance from behind the arc is something Eagles fans have not seen from Earl Grant’s past two teams, as they had traditionally achieved success on limited three-point attempts and stifling defense. While 41% on 27 attempts per game is likely not sustainable over the course of an entire season, it certainly suggests promising development in Grant’s offense.

Superior Bench Depth:

This iteration of the Eagles’ basketball team has far more depth than fans are used to seeing. Grant played eleven players in the first ten minutes of the game. He started the game as expected, with Zackery, Harris Jr., Prince Aligbe, McGlockton, and Post. Madsen, Chas Kelly, and Armani Mighty came off the bench together about four minutes into the contest. And Fred Payne, Elijah Strong, and Hand also saw the court in the opening minutes of the game. Following Fairfield’s run going into halftime, Grant tightened his rotation, only playing seven players in the first ten minutes of the second half. Once the Eagles regained a comfortable lead, Grant was able to test his bench once again, finishing the game with Fred Payne, Chas Kelley, Donald Hand Jr., Elijah Strong, and Armani Mighty.

Stifling Interior Defense:

The only way Fairfield was going to have a chance in this game was to make an incredible amount of contested jump shots. And, in the first half, Fairfield’s Brycen Goodine and Michael Rogan were able to keep them within striking distance with some impressive shot-making, scoring 15 and 10 points, respectively. However, with Fairfield missing some big men, BC’s superior size proved to be far too much for the Stags to handle. Behind six total blocks from Post and McGlockton, the Boston College front court dominated the interior. The frontcourt held the Stags to 7-20 on layups and a mere 20 points in the paint. Front court depth will continue to be a concern for this team, but tonight’s performances were definitely cause for hope.

Looking Ahead:

The Boston College Eagles return to action this Friday night in Charleston, where they will take on the Bulldogs of the Citadel. The Citadel just last night lost 72-59 against NC State, and according to ESPN analytics, has a 49% chance to take down BC. While the Bulldogs will likely pose a greater challenge than the injury-ridden stags of Fairfield, BC will look to capitalize on the momentum gained in tonight’s victory. The Eagles return home to Conte Forum on Wednesday November 15th, where they will take on the Richmond Spiders.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Basketball

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

Published

5 months ago

on

April 19, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

Basketball

Former Merrimack sharpshooter Ernest Shelton commits to Boston College

Published

5 months ago

on

April 17, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

Basketball

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

Published

5 months ago

on

April 16, 2026

By

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.

Continue Reading

Trending

©2026 Eagles Daily