Boston College 66, Stony Brook 51: Young Eagles Snap Four-Game Skid
by Brian Favat on Dec 11, 2011 8:42 PM EST
in Boston College Basketball
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PrintThe young Eagles halted a four game losing skid this afternoon, scoring 22 unanswered to end the first half and holding onto a 66-51 victory over the Stony Brook Seawolves. Patrick Heckmann lead all BC scorers with 18 points, including a perfect 5-5 from the field, while Ryan Anderson (10 points, 8 boards) and Jordan Daniels (12 points, 8 boards) also had big games.
The opening minutes of the game were nearly unwatchable, with the Eagles committing several bad turnovers (10 in the game's first 13 minutes) and allowing Stony Brook to jump out to an 11-6 lead. Sure, the Eagles played better defense during the rest of the first half, but the Seawolves also didn't do themselves any favors. Stony Brook went stone cold from the floor for the rest of the first half, missing 16 straight shots to finish 5-for-32 for the half. Even with Stony Brook coach Steve Pikiell rotating guys in, no one seemed to give the Seawolves much of a spark shooting the ball.
The result was the lowest point total in a half in Conte Forum history (since 1998).
Stony Brook went on runs of 7-1 and 12-4 to start in the second half, but after a Donahue timeout up 11, the Eagles settled down and started playing better defensively. It was nice to see Donahue give the starters more playing time, as he starts to cut down on the rotations and give more playing time to the starters. Just six players finished with 20+ minutes -- Jordan Daniels (39 minutes), Lonnie Jackson (32), Dennis Clifford (32), Matt Humphrey (31), Ryan Anderson (23) and Patrick Heckmann (22). Moton, who played just one minute, was likely limited due to his right ankle injury suffered in the loss to Providence.
Overall, I felt that this team played a bit better in the loss at PC. There were plenty of missed opportunities, including loads of BC turnovers (17), some defensive breakdowns in the second half and some poor shooting from Jordan Daniels in particular. Daniels finished the day 5-for-16 from the floor, including 0-8 from beyond the arc.
That said, the Eagles may have finally put together their first 40-minute performance. The win, of course, is a huge boost to this young team's psyche. Hopefully Donahue and the team can build on this victory, particularly over the next several games. The Eagles have two very winnable games coming up -- Bryant (December 18) and Sacred Heart (December 21) before hosting 24th ranked Harvard on December 29.
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Any reason why Heckmann played so few minutes?
The kid did put up 18 on 5 shots in 22 minutes. That kind of efficiency seems like it would earn more time to me.
probably because Jackson was starting in his place and the two guys he was sharing time with (jackson and humphrey) also warranted getting good minutes. I get the feeling like because of the success Heckmann had in the first couple games the team was prematurely asserting him as the offensive leader/weapon that he hasn’t actually developed into yet… IMO limiting Heckmann’s minutes tonight was a good move by the Don to make others step up. Daniels did a good job running the offense and I liked the way the rest of the players were able to compliment each other.
I know some people want Heckmann to be the go-to-guy, but right now no one on this team is comfortable/good enough for that role; plus, something like that needs to develop organically rather than being forced
by bloomsday16 on Dec 12, 2011 2:17 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Overall better performance
I think the players are starting to get it and the intensity on defense is definitely there (whether that translates into production against ACC teams will be a question.)
They are starting to get more consistently better shots in the system and shooting with confidence. Here are some other thoughts:
Daniels going 0-8 was bad but most of those looks were good ones and I think he’ll hit his fair share of open threes when they are available.
Also Heckmann, is a good player but he still is somewhat of a ball stopper in the offense right now. I’m not against him driving but he is still learning when to force the issue and when to keep the ball moving.
Humpfrey is starting to play much better (especially in terms of his decision making.)
Lonnie Jackson has some serious range and confidence. He will be a good one if they can get him stronger and improve his quickness in the offseason.
Clifford looked good on defense (especially positioning) and Caudill still needs to get quicker and stronger with the ball.
Anderson played OK.
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