Despite Suspensions, Boston College Cruises Past Dartmouth, 89-58

Prior to the game, head coach Al Skinner enforced some discipline among his team. Juniors Rakim Sanders, Corey Raji, and Courtney Dunn were all suspended for two games for unspecified violations of team rules.

The three players will miss the opening two games of the season for Boston College, including tonight’s victory over Dartmouth. Despite two of the three being usual starters for Al Skinner, the Eagles got plenty of contributions from their replacements in part to an easy victory over Dartmouth, 89-58.

Senior Tyler Roche scored a career-high 30 points on 10 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. He also recorded five blocks.

The suspensions reduced the Boston College roster to just nine players, but the extra playing time didn’t seem to bother them. Normal back-up players Dallas Elmore and Evan Ravenel took full advantage of their minutes, scoring 10 and 7 points respectively.

With over 4,000 people in attendance at Conte Forum, Dartmouth played with Boston College out of the gate, trailing only 18-14 with 11:25 remaining in the first half.

The Eagles responded by finishing the half on a 27 to 9 advantage, taking a 45-23 lead into the halftime break.

Joe Trapani struggled in the first half in very limited minutes after picking up two early fouls. He responded in the second half and finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Sophomore Reggie Jackson played well and had a quiet 16 points and 6 rebounds.

For Dartmouth, it was a road game against an ACC opponent and their struggles against the higher competition were highly evident. Sophomore Jabari Trotter led the way with 10 points, the only member of the team scoring in double figures.

Despite the limited roster, the Eagles looked strong in their first game without Tyrese Rice. Junior point guard Biko Paris played solid, picking his shots, shooting 3 of 3 for 6 points in the game, but also added a team-high 7 assists to go along with 3 rebounds.

The Eagles (1-0) will play host to St. Francis (NY) on Tuesday, November 17th, which will also be the final game of the recently induced suspensions. Dartmouth (0-1) will head down to face George Mason on Sunday, November 15th.