Smith, BC get it done

WORCESTER -- Just when it appeared he would never score his 2001st career point, Craig Smith rebounded from a frustrating first half to score 17 of his team-high 19 points and grab 12 of his career-high 17 rebounds in Boston College's 63-53 nonconference victory over Holy Cross last night before 5,524 at the DCU Center.

Smith entered the game needing just 2 points to become the fifth player in BC history to score 2,000. But he struggled mightily to join former teammate Troy Bell (No. 1 at 2,632), Dana Barros, Bill Curley, and Danya Abrams in the club, as he was held to a pair of first-half foul shots.

''Those are great guys," said Smith, whose 2,017 points and 915 rebounds enabled him to join Abrams (1,029 rebounds) and Curley (994) as the only BC players with 2,000 points and 900 rebounds. ''Obviously, being a teammate of Troy's and being a friend of his, he's a great guy. But the guys before me -- Abrams, Curley, and Barros -- those were special players in their time here at BC and it's special to be a part of that."

Smith tried to settle the matter quickly and emphatically on a dunk attempt just 2:25 into the game, but wound up drawing iron and contact from Holy Cross forward Kevin Hyland. After he clanged his first foul shot, Smith swished his second.

History had to wait, however, for another 4:18 before Smith, who was neutralized by Holy Cross's double-team, finally got his 2,000th when he went to the line (courtesy of Keith Simmons's first personal) and made the first of two. He struggled the rest of the half, finishing 0 for 1 from the field, 2 of 4 from the foul line, with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, and 1 steal in 19 minutes.

''I'm happy for him, and it's an indication of the success that he's had, but there's a lot more points that he needs to score if we're going to have a big year," said BC coach Al Skinner, whose team (13-4) resumes Atlantic Coast Conference play at Miami Saturday night.

Smith, who went for 28 points and 14 rebounds last Saturday against Florida State, recorded his sixth double-double of the season and 35th of his career. It was fitting that the milestone came in the building where his BC career was put on a fast track as a freshman after a loss to the Crusaders Dec. 1, 2002. Uka Agbai suffered a season-ending neck injury and BC assistant coach Ed Cooley was rushed to a local hospital after that game with chest pains.

''It was another rock fight," said Cooley last night. ''No heart attacks this time around. No bacterial infections. We're walking out of here on our feet."

But to hear Skinner tell it, the Eagles did so just barely.

''I thought the game was quite physical, and not in a positive sense," said Skinner, who sniped at the officiating crew for not containing the physical play. ''Sean Marshall got smacked in the face, Craig's got a bruised hand, and Louis [Hinnant] has a sprain in his [left] wrist and his arm. So it's not good."

Said Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard, ''BC's a very physical basketball team. I didn't think it was tremendously overly physical, to be honest about it. They run a very interior-oriented offense and we packed the lane. I didn't think it was physical."

After Tyrese Rice drained a trey to give the Eagles a 31-27 halftime lead, Jared Dudley increased BC's lead to 33-27 before the Crusaders (9-9) mounted a 12-6 run to tie it, 39-39, getting timely 3-pointers from Kevin Hamilton (team-high 17) and Torey Thomas (16).

Rice hit a pair of foul shots and then drained another deep trey to help the Eagles pull away to 44-39. Sean Williams, who went on a 7-point tear in the first half to fuel a season-high 13 points, threw down a foul-inducing follow dunk but failed to make the free throw as BC clung to a 46-39 lead.

Then Smith caught fire and scored 13 of BC's final 17 points.