THE HEIGHTS
B4
Monday, December 5, 2016
MEN’S BASKETBALL
<X^c\j KfiZ_ ;Xikdflk_ =ifd 9\_`e[ k_\ 8iZ `e :fddXe[`e^ N`e 9P I@C<P FM<I<E; 8jjfZ% Jgfikj <[`kfi It was business as usual for Boston College men’s basketball on Saturday—another day, another nonconference op70 Dartmouth Boston College 88 ponent, another career-high for Jerome Robinson. The Eagles squeezed another scoring spectacle out of their star sophomore guard against Dartmouth, as Robinson dropped 27 points in a 88-70 win. Freshman point guard Ty Graves chipped in 13 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, in his best performance for BC since the home-opener. For the first 10 minutes, the Eagles (4-3) struggled to pull away from the Big Green (0-6) and relied too heavily on Robinson to shoulder the scoring load. But when the ACC’s third-leading scorer went to the bench with a pair of fouls, the trio of Graves, Jordan Chatman, and Mike Sagay promptly stepped up to fill the scoring void. The second unit fueled a 12-2 run that extended BC’s lead to double-digits while also giving Robinson a muchneeded breather. “If we can’t score off the bench, we won’t be able to beat teams,” Robinson said. “When they start scoring off the bench, it makes it even easier for the starters to score, too. We just find a little groove and keep scoring.” Dartmouth kept within striking
distance thanks to a big day from forward Evan Boudreaux, last season’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year. Boudreaux entered the game ranked fourth in the conference in scoring with 17.2 points per game and first in rebounding with nine per game. To start the second half, he drilled a jumper, a 3-pointer, and then made one free throw to reduce the Big Green’s deficit to seven points. Boudreaux scored 10 points in the first five minutes of the second half to bump his total to 23, but that’s all he would get due to a controversial foul call. With about 10 minutes remaining, Boudreaux attempted to swat away a Connar Tava layup and instead caught him directly in the face. After an official review, the foul was determined to be severe enough to warrant a flagrant 2 foul, resulting in an ejection. Without Dartmouth’s best player on the floor, BC’s 10-point lead turned to 20, and head coach Jim Christian even subbed in Gordon Gehan, a fan-favorite walk-on, for the final minute. The Eagles looked like an entirely different team from the one that mustered 54 points in a loss to Richmond last weekend. After netting just four total bench points against the Spiders, BC’s bench trio of Graves, Chatman, and Sagay combined for 30 points. As a team, the Eagles shot 11-of-21 from downtown, a product of their quick perimeter passing. BC also tallied a season-best 23 assists, committed just 13 turnovers, and scored 20 points off
of Dartmouth’s mistakes. Once again, Robinson showed off his ability to score from anywhere on the court. He drained 4-of-7 attempts from 3-point range, some coming from the baseline and some coming from deep. He attacked the hoop, drawing contact and finishing through fouls as part of his fourth 20+ point game in the last five contests. The Raleigh, N.C., native even put his midrange shots on display, with off the dribble pull-ups and turnaround jumpers. At times, it almost looked too easy. But the real storyline from Saturday revolves around everyone not named Jerome. The rest of the Eagles complemented Robinson’s scoring barrage with a balanced offensive attack, something they haven’t done in each of BC’s three losses this season. AJ Turner connected on 1-of-2 triples to improve his 3-point shooting mark to 45 percent, compared to 26 percent last season. Chatman was typically efficient, needing only seven shots to reach 12 points. Ky Bowman and Tava recorded six points apiece and played solid defense on the other end. Mo Jeffers had eight points on 5-of-6 shooting, including a pretty left-handed floater in traffic. And, most importantly, the supporting cast gave fans a little more confidence that the Eagles won’t be playing 1-on-5 when the looming ACC schedule rolls around.
LIZZY BARRETT / HEIGHTS STAFF
Jerome Robinson tallied 27 points for the second straight game in his scoring explosion against Dartmouth.
9P 8E;P 98:BJKIFD ?\`^_kj JkX]] Jerome Robinson pulls up from mid-range, misses, but quickly grabs the offensive rebound. He dishes it to A.J. Turner for the three—buckets. Three minutes and 16 seconds into the first half, and Boston College men’s basketball’s air raid was just beginning. The Eagles went off from beyond the arc in their 88-70 victory over Dartmouth. Prior to Saturday afternoon, BC (4-3) had not made more than nine 3-pointers in a game this season. Against the Big Green (0-6), the Eagles broke the elusive 50 percent mark by draining 11-of-21 from deep. This past weekend at the Barclays Center Classic, the Eagles shot a mere 33.3 percent from 3-point land over the span of their two losses in tournament competition. Back in Conte Forum, BC cured its shooting woes, not just from 3-point range, but also from the field in general. By converting 55.7 percent of its shots, the Eagles put up 88 points . B oth their shooting percentage and total point value were season-highs. Five different players—Robinson, Turner, Jordan Chatman, Ty Graves, and Mike Sagay— cashed in from three. Their selfless playing style was driven by ball movement and ultimately showed in the stat line. Overall, the Eagles assisted on 23 scoring opportunities, the most so far this the year. Minutes into the game, it became routine. Penetrate and kick it out for the open shot, or simply bring the ball up and swing it to whoever had the best look. Coincidentally, many of these assists positioned scorers for “catch-and-shoot” opportunities. But the Eagles did not shy away from the paint either. In fact, they outscored Dartmouth 40-24 in the interior. Whether
it came from a Mo Jeffers post move, a Connar Tava putback, or a Robinson layup, BC’s inside game complemented its perimeter shooting. Head coach Jim Christian stressed that he never instructs his team to get points on the board in a particular fashion. “I’m not going into a game saying, ‘Hey we want 27 layups,’” Christian said. “I’d love that, but I want good shots. I want good ball movement. I want good player movement. I want us to understand what a good offensive play is.” It appears that Christian’s players are catching on—especially Turner. Despite immense scoring potential, the 6-foot-7 for ward has been extremely selective with his shots all season. Instead, he has focused on being a floor general. Unlike point guards, Ky Bowman and Graves, who constantly pushed the pace of Saturday’s game, Turner brought the ball up the court with patience. He surveyed the court and settled for the best option at hand. Turner took as many shots as he had assists: six. While the Eagles were expecting him to establish himself as the team’s second-leading scorer, he may be content with this efficient type of play. Since Turner’s scoring numbers were down, others were forced to step up against the Big Green. And they did. BC’s bench scored 10 more points than Dartmouth’s reserves. Graves and Chatman chipped in 13 and 12, respectively, and Sagay, who received a career-high 15 minutes, posted five points. BC’s supporting cast opened up the floor for its starters, enabling the Eagles to take over the game. Turnovers have proven to be BC’s biggest flaw this year. But by limiting careless passes and pressuring the opposition, the Eagles turned this negative stat around to force 20 turnovers
from Dartmouth. As Big Green mistakes compiled in the second half, BC strung together scoring chances, allowing it to stretch its lead. Fr o m h i g h p e r c e n t a g e shooting to ball movement to ball security, the Eagles left few points on the floor. They even knocked down 9-of-11 free throws, as they continued to improve their marksmanship from the charity strike. Throughout the first three games of the season, BC shot 57 percent from the line. In the next four, the team has shot 78 percent. The Eagles’ mistakes were disguised by their 18-point margin of victory and a multitude of season highs. But BC didn’t win every battle. Dartmouth, which has consistently been outworked on the glass all season, out-rebounded the Eagles 33-27. BC even conceded 11 offensive rebounds, giving its oppponent ample second chance opportunities. Fortunately for BC, the inability to crash the boards didn’t cost it the game. BC ’s win extended Dartmouth’s losing streak to six games—its longest to start the season since the 2006-07 campaign. Nothing seems to be going the Ivy League representative’s way. Dartmouth’s only bright light, sophomore forward Evan Boudreaux, was ejected during the second half, after smacking Tava as he was going up for a finish. Boudreaux, the conference’s fourth-leading scorer, had 23 points at the time. But, after all, the Big Green are 18-64 against current ACC schools . Even the odds were stacked against them. The Eagles have shown that they can make the necessary adjustments to roll over a team like Dartmouth. But, until the treys start landing against teams from the Power Five, their legitimacy will remain in question.
MEN’S HOCKEY
B`dËj CXjk$D`elk\ >fXc ?\cgj 9: Kfggc\ Efik_\Xjk\ie Xk DXkk_\nj 9P D@:?8<C JLCC@M8E Jgfikj <[`kfi
BOSTON — Casey Fitzgerald slammed his stick down and screamed at the glass. He knew what Boston College 2 the Northeastern 1 Dogpound—louder and prouder than ever—knew: another late penalty will seal this one for Northeastern. It’s not like Fitzgerald was the only culprit for Boston College men’s hockey on Tuesday night. The Eagles had seven penalties that led to power plays for the Huskies, compared to only two for NU. Whether all were legitimate is irrelevant. Hockey East’s infamous referees thought BC—the third-most-penalized team in the nation—deserved more time outs. But head coach Jerry York has been down this road before. He knows that there are ghosts who live in the famed Matthews Arena. Every once in a while, they creep onto the ice to bless or curse Northeastern. You can hear them in the creaks of the seats, the whir of the Zamboni, or sometimes in the Dogpound’s chants of “Stacy’s Mom.” “It was quite a college hockey game,” York said. “I’ve been here a lot of years, and it never ceases to amaze me how the ghosts of the building bring out the best.” York heard the ghosts come out on Tuesday with a loud ping—though that could’ve just been Michael Kim’s shorthanded game-winner. For the second year in a row, the Eagles stole a game from their historically maligned crosstown rivals on St. Botolph Street. Last year it was because of Matthew Gaudreau. This year, Kim—the
sophomore blue liner from Ontario—cursed NU in a 2-1 final to help BC remain undefeated in conference play. It was the least Kim could do. He feels BC was in that situation because of him. For much of the game, the Eagles (12-4-1, 7-0-1 Hockey East) had survived with a man down against Hocke y East’s second-best power-play unit. Northeastern (5-6-4, 1-5-2) attacked Joe Woll with a strong first- team unit of Z ach As ton-Reese, John Stevens, Dylan Sikura, Adam Gaudette, and Garrett Cockerill. Woll finished the game with 24 saves, and had a sharp performance—perhaps the best in his young college career. Yet York attributed much of that success to his defense’s strong play on the penalty kill. While the goaltender gets a lot of the praise, York wanted to spread that around to the men who come before him. “Our ability to win the game tonight was a direct reflection of our penalty killing,” York said. “Joe made some exceptional saves, but I thought our stick positioning and blocking of shots was almost like chalkboard.” Though the Huskies generated only four shots on goal in the first period, each was a high-quality chance. By the time they pumped that up to 11 in the second frame, the Eagles were back on their heels. The E agle s f inally broke through offensively with under a minute to go in the second period. JD Dudek broke away cleanly along the near boards, forcing Ryan Shea to skate in tight. At the last second before the crease, Dudek sent a desperation pass cross ice to Colin White. The sophomore center casually
flipped the puck over goaltender Ryan Ruck’s head to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead into the locker room. Yet, because of Kim, that lead wouldn’t last very long. Gaudreau took a hooking penalty only 1:22 into the third period. The Huskies had struggled all game long to gather momentum on that unit, but Kim accidentally abandoned Sikura on the left circle. The miscue allowed Sikura to dish the puck to Cockerill from the blue line. Aston-Reese cleaned up his rocket shot, knotting the game at one apiece. Frustrated with himself, Kim determined to make good on his mistakes. “The first goal they scored was my fault,” Kim said. “So I just told myself, I had to get this back.” Kim almost didn’t get that chance. With under two minutes remaining, Fitzgerald got called for interference, putting the pressure on the Eagles to do whatever they could to force a tie. But Kim saw an opening. He watched as Stevens mishandled a dump back to Aston-Reese at the blue line. That brief window gave Kim the opportunity to cause havoc and steal the puck away. The play caught Cockerill flat-footed in front of Ruck, with his stick on the wrong side to stop the shot of the left-handed Kim. By the time he brought it around, Kim had already heaved up a desperation attempt. “To be honest, I just shot it,” Kim said. “I wasn’t aiming. Just got a little bit of puck luck.” Kim might call it puck luck. But York knows better. It’s the ghosts of the Matthews Arena. And this time, they blessed the Eagles.
LUCIUS XUAN / HEIGHTS STAFF (TOP) | AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR (BOTTOM)
Michael Kim made up for an earlier defensive miscue with a late game-winning goal to defeat the Huskies.