Boston College Finally Beats Duke

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – It was fitting that Jared Dudley was in the house.  Fitting, because the last time fans rushed the court at Conte Forum – nearly four years ago to the day, as it was February 19, 2005 – Dudley was a sophomore and the Eagles beat Syracuse.  This time, Dudley witnessed the Eagles showing once again that they are the epitome of the wacky season of college basketball this has been, knocking off Duke 80-74 on Sunday.

There’s more to this game than just BC beating Duke and North Carolina in the same season where they also lost to Harvard and Saint Louis.  The Eagles snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Blue Devils, and ever since BC joined the ACC, Duke has had their number.  Duke has been the one team the Eagles just can’t beat, whether it’s a close call as happened twice in their first year or a blowout.  And there were moments when this game looked like it would be more of the same.

When BC trailed at halftime despite shooting over 58 percent from the field and holding the Blue Devils to 43 percent, those thoughts probably set in among fans – at least, those who would qualify as fans among the 8,606 present since it’s reasonable to think a large number made their only appearance of the season at Conte Forum.  But the simple fact of it was that the Eagles let Duke get too many opportunities via turnovers (17 points off turnovers) and second chances (10 points off nine offensive rebounds), so in a pure halfcourt game they had an edge.

In the second half, they kept it to just that, eliminating the costly turnovers that led to easy baskets (although they still gave the ball away nine more times).  Duke didn’t get many run-outs, and the Eagles again defended them well, holding them below 42 percent from the field.

BC was able to tie the game at 49, but it was short-lived.  The same would happen at 51 and 53, and that’s when one had to wonder if BC’s fate might finally be a little different.  Reggie Jackson – no, not Mr. October, although he could be Mr. February for the baseball-oriented fans that were at the game – came off a screen and hit a slight fade-away three-pointer to give the Eagles a 56-55 lead and start a 7-0 run.

But as Red Sox fans know, nothing is ever safe in a big game.  And when Lance Thomas re-entered after sitting with foul trouble to get a tip-in, then Kyle Singler brought Duke within 60-59 and later 62-61, one had to wonder again if Duke was going to find a way and was just biding their time.  Then Tyler Roche hit a three-pointer that looked a bit shaky leaving his hand, and at that point one might start thinking this could be Boston College’s day against Duke at last.

However, that wouldn’t last long.  With 2:27 left, the Blue Devils regained the lead, and they went back up 72-71 about a half minute later.  The game was tied at 74 with a minute to go, when Jackson came through again for the Eagles with a short jumper to put the Eagles up 76-74.

There was still more drama, though.  Gerald Henderson, Jr. had the ball on the next possession, and when he hoisted up a three-pointer from the left wing, some probably held their collective breath.  It bounced out, and the rebound was secured, ironically enough, by Tyrese Rice.  Rice, you will recall, was hammered by Shelden Williams on a drive to the basket in the waning moments of an 83-81 loss to Duke in his freshman season, with no foul called.  This time, there was a foul called after the rebound, and Rice, who earlier in the game became the seventh Eagle to surpass 2,000 career points, sank both free throws to help seal it.

And once the final seconds ticked away, the fans rushed the court, with Dudley naturally being one of the ringleaders.  He clearly has a protégé in Jackson, who on several occasions helped get the crowd going just like Dudley used to.

Away from the excitement, the Eagles aren’t talking up this win very much.  They’re all too aware that it can become meaningless save for the things that led fans to rush the court in the first place – things that, at the end of the day, don’t really matter because they aren’t comparable to a place in the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve still got some work to do in the remaining part of the schedule,” said head coach Al Skinner.  “If we put ourselves in a good position, it can help a lot.  Still, we’ve got some other business that we have to take care of.”

“Beating Duke and Carolina is only two wins in conference,” said Rice.  “It’s not like a times-five and it gives us 10 wins in the conference.  It’s only two wins in the conference, and we’ve got a couple of more to get.”

For the fans it seemed like five wins, if their reaction is any indication.