Hand scores 20, Boston College rides strong defense to 2nd straight win, 69-54 over Georgia Tech
BOSTON (AP) — Donald Hand Jr. scored 20 points and Boston College turned in a second-straight strong defensive performance as the Eagles pulled away late to post a 69-54 win over Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Boston College (12-15, 4-12) snapped a four-game losing streak Tuesday by beating Virginia Tech, 54-36, the lowest point total by an ACC opponent since the Eagles joined the conference at the start of the 2005-06 season, and the defensive emphasis carried over against the Yellow Jackets, who were held to just 32.1% shooting and forced into committing 13 turnovers.
On Senior Day, senior Chad Venning and sophomore Elijah Strong were stoppers in the middle for Boston College. Venning scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but more important defensively blocked four shots. Strong added nine points and two rebounds.
The Eagles led by five at intermission, 32-27, but Venning scored on three straight layups and added two free throws to fuel a 10-0 run to open the second half and the lead reached 15 points with 14 minutes left. Georgia Tech crawled back and Naithan George's 3-pointer with 4:28 left cut the deficit to 56-50. Dion Brown hit two clutch baskets and Hand drew a foul on a deep 3-point attempt and knocked down two of three at the line.
Baye Ndongo scored 17 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and dished four assists to lead Georgia Tech (13-14, 7-9). Lance Terry added 15 points.
Boston College is a game-and-a-half out of earning one of the 14 spots in the ACC tournament with four games left to play. The Eagles travel to face Stanford Wednesday and California Saturday.
Georgia Tech plays at Pittsburgh Tuesday.
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New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Seven takeaways from Eagles minicamp: Offense remains a force, Tyler Steen a front-runner, and more
PHILADELPHIA — The summer has officially arrived. After six workouts during OTAs, the Eagles fielded perfect attendance in their one-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. The reigning Super Bowl champions will break for just over a month before training camp begins in late July, kick-starting the official beginning of their title defense. Advertisement A series of important questions awaits a franchise seeking to extend its golden era. Nick Sirianni, whose contract was recently extended, oversees a coaching staff managing two major transitions. First-time offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is still fleshing out his first system with a pool of assistants that includes new-hires Parks Frazier and Scot Loeffler. Vic Fangio, who's entering his 22nd season as an NFL defensive coordinator, is still sorting out those who'll replace eight key members of a top-rated defense that helped win the city's second Super Bowl. Tuesday's viewing of minicamp afforded indications of the answers. In a numbered sequence, here are my takeaways from the final look at the Eagles before the summer begins. 1. The Eagles offense appears empowered by its roster stability. Charting completions and yards per rush is a fruitless exercise in May and June. That Jalen Hurts led a smooth operation throughout workouts is as promising a sign as the Eagles can expect, given the uncharted portions of Patullo's playbook. Hurts said Tuesday that it's 'too early' yet for him to have even spoken to Patullo about the way he intends to call plays in 2025. The Eagles are 'far from what we're going to be' in terms of their offensive identity, Hurts said. But the core elements are clear. Saquon Barkley at age 28 still embodies the strength of what has been a run-oriented attack, and, as if not to be forgotten, Hurts unfurled a long touchdown to DeVonta Smith along the left sideline (with rookie linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. chasing) during Tuesday's 7-on-7 drills to demonstrate the potency that still remains in the passing game. The only apparent hiccups were in the offense's roster holes. Right guard is the only position without a returning starter, and starting center Cam Jurgens is still sidelined while recovering from offseason back surgery. During team situation drills, backup center Brett Toth skipped a snap to Hurts, killing the play, and, on the first-team rep, right guard Tyler Steen was flagged for a false start. The seniority of this unit suggests it will remain a substantial force. 2. Speaking of Tyler Steen… It's evident Steen is the front-runner to start at right guard for yet a second summer. 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It's not hard to understand why the Eagles wouldn't spend a second-round pick on Mukuba only to start him out at nickel, the position in which his trajectory flatlined during his sophomore and junior seasons. But those two years of experience still factored into the front office's decision to pick Mukuba. The departure of Avonte Maddox hasn't been a major storyline this offseason. Cut last offseason, re-signed to a team-friendly, one-year deal, Maddox still supplied 345 defensive snaps for the Eagles in 2024 — often as the team's second slot corner in dime packages. Mukuba played dime for the first time on Tuesday. It's notable that Sydney Brown, one of Mukuba's competitors in the safety battle, was paired with Reed Blankenship at safety during those reps. It signals that the Eagles believe in Mukuba's coverage skills more, at least in slot matchups. It also revealed how much flexibility the newest members of the secondary are affording Fangio in 2025. DeJean to corner in base? Mukuba to the slot in dime? 5. Jihaad Campbell wore a helmet during individual drills for the first time. This was a notable sign for the No. 31 overall pick, who has been gradually increasing his workload since undergoing pre-draft labrum surgery. He still hasn't yet participated in 7-on-7 or team drills, but he'd only before observed individual drills during OTAs. Tuesday didn't suggest that Campbell is ahead of schedule in his recovery. (Fangio said last week that Campbell 'won't hit the practice field' until 'sometime in August'; Sirianni wouldn't offer a timeline on Tuesday.) But it's important to discuss how Campbell's recovery is different from DeJean's last year. DeJean, drafted as a corner, suffered a hamstring injury while working out in the summer, and returned Aug. 13 on a learning track that took him until Week 6 to start at nickel — 'a drastically different position' from outside corner, according to Fangio. Campbell's focus has only been at inside linebacker. 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Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
The NCAA's House settlement will change college sports forever. Here's how it could affect Massachusetts schools.
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The most common formula thrown around in recent months has been that schools will look to use around 75 percent of the money on football, 15 percent on men's basketball, 5 percent on women's basketball, and the remaining 5 percent elsewhere. UMass, Bamford said, won't be that high in football, with greater slices of the pie given to men's and women's basketball, as well as hockey. 'Over time, it'll sort itself out,' Bamford said. 'When you make the jump, the formula and the ratios and the percentages are a little bit skewed. But for instance, we're going to fund, probably $2.5 million on our women's sports just in scholarships alone. 'We've kind of let each coach determine how they want to do it and based on the budget. And I think our coaches are feeling like in talking to their peers, especially in the Group of Five, that we're in a really strong spot." 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Yahoo
4 hours ago
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Colorado vs. Georgia Tech: Game time, TV announced
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