BC hits heights with 20th win
Unbeaten streak is best in conference history
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Throughout Boston College's 19-0 start, Eagles coach Al Skinner steadfastly maintained his basketball team had yet to accomplish anything special.
Last night, however, the understated coach acknowledged that his fifth-ranked Eagles had, indeed, accomplished something.
Despite having a subpar night, BC managed to find a way to win and make history in its swan song season in the Big East. The Eagles became the first team in school and conference history to start a season with 20 consecutive victories after their hard-fought 60-52 conference triumph over Seton Hall before a
The Pirates were the team that ended Syracuse's perfect start (19-0) with a 69-67 upset at the Carrier Dome Feb. 7, 2000.
"It's nice to put yourself in the record books," said Skinner, who participated in Coaches vs. Cancer Awareness Weekend last night by donning a pair of black suede sneakers. "Of course, it's important, but the most important stat is our record in the league."
Sophomore forward Jared Dudley led the Eagles (20-0, 9-0) by scoring a game-high 20 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds (7 offensive). He also hit the game's biggest shot when he drained a 3-pointer that stretched a 49-47 lead to 52-47 with 2:32 to go. Craig Smith, despite struggling on the offensive end against a pesky Pirate squad, chipped in 15 points and had 11 rebounds.
It added up to a history-making victory that enabled the Eagles to remain alone atop the Big East standings and keep pace with the nation's only other unbeaten Division 1 team, top-ranked Illinois (22-0), which hosts Indiana today. BC will travel to the Hoosier State to face Notre Dame Tuesday night (7, ESPN2).
"A lot of people don't respect us still, you know," Dudley said, referring to the boastful guarantee former Notre Dame coach Digger Phelps made last weekend on ESPN that BC's winning streak would come to an end against the Irish, who suffered a 60-57 loss at Syracuse last night.
"When did he guarantee any wins when he was a coach?" Skinner said of Phelps. "That's fine, that's his business. If that's what he's in it for, that's his business. If Notre Dame believes that, then that's great for them, but we still have to play the game."
And as the Pirates found out last night, the tighter the game, the tougher the Eagles are to beat.
BC threatened to put the game in the books early when it streaked to a 20-8 lead, scoring 14 straight points. Seton Hall, aided by a 10-2 run, fought back to tie the game, 26-26, on Jamar Nutter's 3-pointer with 4:27 left in the half. But Dudley and Sean Marshall, who scored 12 first-half points, combined for 25 points to help BC grab a 33-29 halftime lead.
Nate Doornekamp tallied BC's first basket of the second half, hitting from the top of the key to make it 35-29 with 19:32 to go, but the Eagles missed their next seven attempts and exacerbated their shooting woes by committing four turnovers.
"I think not getting off to a good start [in the second half] kind of hampered us because we began to rush shots," Skinner said. "Seton Hall was hustling their tails off."
Jermaine Watson's driving layup off a Seton Hall turnover helped make it 40-37. Smith, who went 2 for 9 from the field in the first half, tallied his third basket of the game after a strong offensive rebound (his 10th overall of the game) to make it 42-37 with 11:42 left.
BC, however, was unable to bury the Pirates.
After pulling within 38-37 on Andre Sweet's putback, Seton Hall twice pulled within 1 (42-41 and 44-43) before Dudley, a force on the offensive boards, went to the line for a pair of foul shots that made it 46-43 with 6:49 to go. Smith then converted a 3-point play on his foul-inducing leaner to stretch BC's lead to 49-43.
A long-range jumper by Justin Cerasoli and a pretty slash to the basket by John Allen pulled Seton Hall within 49-47, but Dudley buried a clutch trey from the corner that gave BC the breathing room it would need to make history.
Is it OK to call it a historic season?
"I think we might wait to call it that if we win the Big East title or go on to win a national title," Dudley said. "Then it could be historic. But it's definitely magical right now because no one expected this. It wasn't like we were preseason No. 1 and it was supposed to go down like this." 