Boston College-N.C. State: Eagles Take Bite Out of Wolfpack

Supposedly, lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice. At one point on Saturday afternoon, Al Skinner must have had his doubts.

For the second straight game, the Boston College Eagles (15-6) lost a large second-half lead against an ACC opponent they had on the ropes.

And like they did against Georgia Tech on Tuesday, the Eagles regrouped to win back-to-back conference games after dropping their previous three.

The Eagles, ahead 47-27, saw their 20-point lead over North Carolina State, aided in large part by a 16-0 run, trimmed to three.

But like he has so many times in his career, Tyrese Rice canned a three-pointer for B.C. to stem the run. The Eagles regained control and eventually went on to win, 79-68.

Boston College had four players score in double figures, led by Rice’s 25, as part of a balanced offensive attack.

Forward Joe Trapani had a double-double for the Eagles with 12 points and 10 rebounds while sophomore Corey Raji hauled down 12 boards of his own.

Rakim Sanders (12 points) and freshman Reggie Jackson (10 points) were also in double figures for Boston College.

The Wolfpack, after making a game of it in the second half, stayed within striking distance the rest of the way. But every time they got within a few points, the Eagles responded by extending their lead.

Two factors kept N.C. State from stealing a road win.

The Eagles hammered the visitors from Tobacco Road on the backboards by a margin of 46-25 including 22-10 on the offensive glass.

Foul trouble also plagued N.C. State.

Center Ben McCauley (15 points, six rebounds) played only 26 minutes before fouling out.

Brandon Costner, leading scorer for the Wolfpack at 14.6 ppg, managed only six points in 26 minutes while finishing with four fouls.

Tracy Smith provided a spark off the bench with 17 points and eight rebounds. But Smith managed only 24 minutes of action as he also finished with four fouls.

N.C. State didn’t help their cause as the Wolfpack had a miserable day from beyond the arc, connecting on only four of 14 threes.

Also, B.C. was able to keep N.C. State at bay by making 16-of-19 from the free throw line.

The Eagles now find themselves in sixth place in the ACC with a record of 3-3.

Next up for B.C. is a very winnable road game at Maryland on Tuesday.

The Terrapins are 2-3 in conference play, including a humiliating 85-44 loss at Duke on Saturday.

The Eagles then return home next Saturday for a return match with Virginia Tech. The Hokies won the first go -around in Blacksburg by a score of 79-71.

If the Eagles want to earn an NCAA berth, they’ll need to win those next two games, as February is shaping up to be a difficult month.

Starting Feb. 8, B.C. hits the road for a game at Wake Forest, who beat the Eagles by 20 earlier in the season. They then return home for back-to-back games against Clemson and Duke.