BC Men’s Basketball Falls to UVA, 76-57

Jan 28, 2023 - 6:53 PM

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Boston College lost to UVA today 76-57, after a poor second half.

After controlling the tip, it took almost 3 minutes to see a bucket. Makai Ashton-Langford got inside and finished the layup to break the offensive ice. BC’s lead was not meant to last, however, as a Kihei Clark UVA triple quickly put UVA up 5-4. Quinten Post committed three early turnovers which hurt the offense, but was able to draw two fouls and drain all 4 free throws to keep BC in the game. Of greater concern was Ashton-Langford picking up two early fouls and being forced to take a seat early.

After those three early turnovers, however, Post turned it up. He scored 14 (!!) points in the first 6 minutes of game action, including a pair of triples. UVA had no answer. He dominated inside, had several nice drives to the cup, and his footwork in the post was great as well. After a silky Aligbe midrange, BC took a 19-17 lead.

The Eagles and the Cavs continued to trade buckets and stops, as these two offenses continued to sputter. A tough DeMarr turnaround jumper trimmed BC’s deficit to three points, and sloppy offense on both sides kept the game close. I’ve said this before, but every once in a while Langford Jr. flips a switch and looks for his offense aggressively. He looks to get to the basket, and he finds his spots to hit shots. Especially with his brother struggling with foul trouble, DeMarr’s offense is critical to the team. With 6:12 to play in the half, Boston College trailed 26-23.

Then the Cavs offense began to click. A boneheaded foul by Makai on a three-point jumper gave UVA three points, and then another UVA bucket pushed the lead to 8 points. After Post’s explosion early in the first half, he found life much more difficult as he faced tough defense and frequent doubles. With Post facing more pressure and Ashton-Langford sitting most of the half with foul trouble, BC’s offense ground to a halt. After a decent half, BC trailed 35-27. The defense was effective enough and forced five turnovers and contested shots, but the offense really needed a boost. As a team, they were shooting 10/25 from the floor – not enough to beat the 7th best team in the country.

BC opened the second half with the concerning news that Langford Jr. would miss the rest of the contest with a knee injury. UVA’s offense continued its hot stretch from the first half and this game quickly began to get out of hand. BC committed three quick fouls, including some and-1 opportunities, and all of a sudden BC trailed by 15. A quick Makai triple trimmed it to 12 again, however, before a Jaeden Zackery pull-up closed BC within 10. UVA F Jayden Gardner slammed in his third dunk of the game to keep BC at arm length. The Eagles just could not string together a series of stops to make a run.

Finally, with around 12 minutes to play, the Eagle’s defense began to slow UVA’s roll. A Makai and-1 pulled BC within single digits, 50-41, but Chas Kelley committed a dumb turnover to gift UVA the easy bucket. With Langford out, Kelley got a good chunk of playing time but really struggled with bad shots and turnovers. He’s an exciting prospect, but he is not quite ready yet. The majority of the second half was all UVA, as BC missed shot after shot and UVA capitalized on the other end of the floor. With 4:25 to play, BC trailed by 22 and went on to lose 76-57. A rough second half for the Eagles doomed them in this one.