Connect with us

Basketball

Takeaways: BC downs Vanderbilt 80-62 in Inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge

Published

3 years ago

on

Game Recap:

As part of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge, Boston College took down Vanderbilt by a score of 80-62. The Eagles played their best basketball of the season in the first half, moving the ball extremely well and playing their typical stifling defense, and took a commanding 44-23 lead into the locker room. In the second half, Vanderbilt was able to cut the lead down to as few as 11 points. However, the Eagles were able to regroup and finish the game on a high note with some timely buckets from Claudell Harris Jr. and Mason Madsen in the closing minutes of the contest. Quinten Post led the way with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. This is Post’s sixth 20-point game in the young season, and he continues to prove why he’s one of the most productive big men in the country. Harris Jr. poured in 22 points of his own, his highest-scoring game in a Boston College uniform. Finally, Jaeden Zackery had himself a solid game, scoring 10 points, dishing out 8 assists, and forcing 2 steals in his 34 minutes.

Scoring Excellence from Harris Jr.:

While Post has cemented himself as the Eagles’ primary option on offense, Harris Jr. has proven to be an excellent secondary scoring threat. Last night, Harris scored 22 points on an incredibly efficient 9-for-13 from the field, and 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Harris was a key reason the Eagles were able to build such a dominating first half lead, as 15 of his 22 points came in the first frame. Most importantly, however, Harris was able to carry the offensive load with Post on the bench with foul trouble. While this team has shown signs of struggle with the big man off the court, Harris has more than proven that he can take over when needed. Harris’ ability to hit contested jump shots is something that the Eagles have not previously had in Coach Grant’s tenure, so look for him to continue to shoot at a high volume.

Zackery Dropping Dimes:

While Post and Harris Jr. led the way in scoring for the Eagles, Zackery left his mark on the game with his tenacious defense and surgical facilitation. Once again, the veteran point guard was able to leave his mark on the game without putting the ball in the basket. Though Zackery was scoreless in the first half, he dished out an eye-popping six assists. No one else on either team had more than a single assist in the half. Zackery also drew the tough defensive assignment of Vanderbilt’s best player Ezra Manjon. While Manjon got his 16 points, Zackery made sure that nothing came easy to the guard, who came into the game averaging nearly 20 points a contest. Zackery finished the game with a stat line of 10 points, 8 assists, and 2 steals. Both Zackery’s playmaking and perimeter defense will continue to be key, as the Eagles open up ACC play this weekend.

Front Court Positives (outside of Post):

Nearly every “takeaways” article written so far this season has included a section regarding concerns with front-court depth. However, this article finally has something nice to say about the depth behind Post. With Post’s foul trouble in the first half, sophomore center Armani Mighty played eight crucial first-half minutes. With Mighty holding down the paint, the Eagles did not simply maintain their lead, they added to it. Mighty’s box score stats aren’t going to jump off the sheet to anyone, but the big man played solid defense and knew where to be on offense, which is all any BC fan could reasonably ask of the backup center. Also, freshman forward Elijah Strong provided another spark in his two minutes off the bench. The freshman scored his first career collegiate bucket at the first-half buzzer, prompting the entire Eagles bench to mob him on the floor. While front-court depth will continue to be an issue to monitor, especially come ACC play, last night’s performance was promising.

Late Game Concerns:

After a dominating first half, the Eagles extended their lead to as much as 24 points in the second half. While this should have been a large enough lead for the casual Eagles fan to turn the game off and head to bed, the die-hard fans might have had the late-game collapse against Loyola Chicago in the back of their minds. In stark contrast to their first-half performance, there were several consecutive possessions of sloppy offense and lazy defense, allowing Vanderbilt to cut the Eagle lead to 11 points. There was a brief moment with 2:15 to go, when the Eagles were on defense up 71-60, when some fans might have felt some doubts creeping in. However, BC was able to cast any doubts aside and end the game on a 9-2 run. Despite last night’s win, the past two games have each included some precarious late-game situations.

What’s Next:

With this win, Boston College moves to 5-2 on the season. The Eagles return to action this Saturday, where they will open ACC play with a home game against the NC State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack are 4-2 on the season, and are coming off a 20-point loss to Ole Miss in the ACC/SEC challenge. So, the stage is set for what should be a competitive ACC matchup, and a great indicator of what Eagles fans can expect for the rest of the season.

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