Eagles Stun Seminoles In Upset

Wednesday night's basketball game against No. 15 Florida State not only gave the Boston College faithful something to talk about—it gave them something to nearly storm the court about. The Eagles' 64-60 victory over the Seminoles was one of the more improbable victories of the ACC season thus far.

The Eagles ended their own 6-game losing streak by also extinguishing the red-hot play of the ACC co-leader Florida State and its 7-game win streak. Behind the poised point guard play of Jordan Daniels and his 21 points and five assists, the Eagles came together for their first big win of the season.

The key word for BC on Wednesday night was poise. As it has been seen throughout the season, the Eagles have been able to play 32-36 minutes of good basketball and have fallen victim to their inexperience down the stretch. Last night, they were as "cool as the other side of the pillow" down the stretch, and it was the monumental role Daniels played that propelled the Eagles to victory.

The first half of play was marked by two consistent themes: domination of the paint for the Seminoles and bombs away from behind the arc for the Eagles. At the open, it seemed that the play of senior forward Bernard James and sophomore forward Okaro White was going to be too much for the Eagles to handle. The Seminoles jumped out to a 14-5 lead that was capped off by a 12-0 run behind the powerful inside presence of White and James.

At the 12-minute break in the first half, the Seminoles had racked up 12 of their 16 points in the paint and held a plus-four rebounding margin. Things continued to roll for the Seminoles until the eight-minute mark, when the Eagles began their rapid run right after a timeout when Lonnie Jackson connected from three to close the gap and bring the score to 23-15. From there, BC went on an impressive 23-3 run, as the Eagles fired on all cylinders from behind the arc. During that time span, the Eagles obtained a seven-point lead, 33-26.

Due to the hard-fought battle down-low and BC's inability to get back on defense, the Seminoles cut the lead to one at halftime, as the Eagles entered the locker room with a narrow 34-33 lead. Despite the Seminoles' ability to cut the deficit, the Eagles were the story of the half, and their 23-3 run turned Conte Forum into an electric environment that fueled the entire contest. During that game-changing run, junior forward Matt Humphrey and Daniels each hit two 3-pointers, while Jackson and Ryan Anderson each added one of their own. Head coach Steve Donahue noted that his players "weren't indecisive in terms of stepping up and shooting. The only way you're going to beat a team like this is you got to make plays."

Playmaking was a strength of BC not only from behind the arc, but in all facets of the game. For the Eagles, the all-important W stemmed from their ability to handle the ball effectively, as evidenced by their 14-to-10 assist to turnover ratio.

Not only were the Eagles effective with the ball, but they were also able to play great defense. BC held the Seminoles to just eight offensive rebounds, marking only the fourth time this season the Seminoles have been held under 10 offensive rebounds. Donahue attributes much of the success of the defense to the zone.

"I thought the zone in the second half saved our legs a little bit," he said. "I thought it was a good defense for us, as we were able to limit them to one shot, and there wasn't a lot of penetration—all the things you hope a zone would do, and they did a great job with it."

The BC defense and its zone was also able to hold All-American candidate Michael Snaer to just 33 percent shooting from the field, and effectively rendered him as a non-factor.

 As the second half began, there was no rest for the weak and weary, as both teams came out hot, scoring a combined 13 points in the first two minutes. During this fast-paced opening, the Eagles were able to retain a marginal lead of 41-39. Fouls, steals, and tough defense slowed the game to a more moderate pace while the two teams continued to battle. BC still found opportunities to score behind the phenomenal play of Daniels and two crucial scoring plays that contributed to the game-winning 9-2 run.

Once the Eagles obtained a 55-47 lead at the 8:00 mark, they never looked back. Even though there were six lead changes and two ties during the game, BC never relinquished the lead at any one time during the final 14 minutes of play.

With that said, the game continued to be a tough-nosed battle. Snaer finally reared up his head to add two baskets and cut the deficit to four, and the Eagles held a 55-51 lead with 5:22 to play.

From there on out, BC fought hard to get to the foul line. At the stripe, the Eagles were able to capitalize on opportunities, shooting 70 percent from the line and making enough free throws to win this David versus Goliath-esque matchup.

Donahue is certainly right: "They aren't freshmen anymore." This win not only proved that the Eagles aren't a collage of inexperienced freshmen, but also that they are players who can win. Most importantly, the Eagles have showed they can win when it matters—down the stretch.