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Takeaways: Eagles overcome early deficit to beat Richmond

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3 years ago

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Recap:

In their most impressive outing so far this season, the Boston College Eagles were able to overcome an early 14-point deficit, and beat the Richmond Eagles 68-61, securing their third win of the season. After falling behind 28-14 with 7:11 to play in the first half, the Eagles were able to pick up their intensity on both ends of the floor. On offense, the Eagles were led by senior big man Quinten Post and sophomore forward Prince Aligbe, who scored 17 and 15 points, respectively. On defense, Coach Grant’s team was able to hold a high-octane Richmond offense to a season-low 61 points. Despite a tough shooting night, Jaeden Zackery made his mark on the defensive end. With his stifling defense, Zackery was able to hold Richmond’s best perimeter threat, Jordan King, to just 10 points on the night, including a scoreless second half.

Inconsistent Effort:

The first takeaway from this game was the inconsistent effort shown throughout this contest. After a tough road game to The Citadel, Eagles’ fans might have expected a bit more intensity going into this matchup with Richmond. The first 12 minutes of this game saw a Boston College team that looked completely unprepared. The Eagles showed no urgency on offense and gave up layup after layup on the defensive end. Then, after falling behind 28-14, the Eagles were somehow to flip a switch and went on a 13-0 tear, cutting the Richmond lead to a single point. After going into halftime down 34-30, the Eagles carried their momentum into the second half, going on a 16-6 run to take a 46-40 lead. With the uptick in intensity, BC fans saw a completely different team than the one that went down 14 points early. While the Eagles showed tremendous fight coming back from their first half deficit, fans might hope that it will not take another double-digit deficit to elicit this same effort.

Zackery’s Stellar Defense (Again):

As mentioned in my previous article, Zackery epitomizes the saying “Gritty not Pretty”. Despite shooting just 2-10 from the field, Zackery led the team in +/- with a +13. So, even on a night where he just couldn’t put the ball in the basket, Zackery left his mark all over this game. Zackery drew Jordan King as his defensive assignment, an incredibly shifty guard who came into this game averaging 22 points per game. And Grant could not have asked for a better defensive performance from his veteran guard. Zackery didn’t let King breathe once he crossed half court, hounding him all the way around the perimeter, and forcing Richmond’s other players to make plays instead. In his 38 minutes, King was limited to just 10 points on 3-11 shooting for the game. With another incredible defensive performance, Zackery continues to prove why he’s an All-ACC caliber defender.

Front Court Concerns (Again):

While Post was not able to match his incredible 31-point performance from opening night, he was able to stay out of foul trouble and stay on the court, playing 38 minutes in this game. In a physical matchup with fellow seven-footer Neal Quinn, Post had a hard-fought 17 points,10 rebounds, and 5 assists on 6-14 shooting. However, while Post had a fantastic game, it is not reasonable to expect 38 minutes from him on a consistent basis. Armani Mighty was only on the court for 15 seconds, and immediately gave up a shooting foul. Post returned to the game after this foul, and Mighty never returned from the bench. Then, in the second half, Grant gave Post a rest going into the under-12 media timeout. Rather than sending Mighty back on the floor, Grant trotted out a three-guard lineup with Aligbe and Devin McGlockton in the front court. Post was only on the bench for 1:58 before returning for the remainder of the game. In order for this Boston College team to be successful in the ACC, Grant needs to figure out how to manage lineups with Post off the floor.

Gritty Not Pretty:

The last, and most important, takeaway from this game is that this Boston College team fights. The Eagles shot just 37% from the field, doubled Richmond’s turnover total, and came into this game completely flat, but they still found a way. Just as they found a way to win last Friday at The Citadel, they were able to get the job done last night. Between Zackery hounding guards on the perimeter, and Post getting physical in the paint, the Eagles once again showed why their team mantra is “Gritty not Pretty”. The first 12 minutes of this game were certainly not pretty, and Grant’s team had to grit their way out. Once the Eagles were able to lock in defensively, they were able to dictate the flow of this game.

What’s Next:

The Eagles return to Conte Forum this Saturday for a regional matchup against the Harvard Crimson, where they will look to start their season 4-0 for the first time since the 2007-2008 season. Due to the Ivy League’s scheduling, Harvard will be coming into Conte less than 24 hours after their away game against UMass. So, BC will likely be favored going into this matchup. But, as most fans of this team know, not much can be taken for granted with this team. The Eagles are far from perfect, but they are 3-0. And what’s the best part about being 3-0? Having the chance to go 4-0.

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Basketball

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

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5 months ago

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April 19, 2026

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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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5 months ago

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April 17, 2026

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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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5 months ago

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April 16, 2026

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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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