A clash of two teams looking for their first conference win will always leave one fanbase feeling relieved and another wishing that the earth would swallow them up and that they could unwatch this game. Right now, every Eagle fan is feeling the latter. This time, an undermanned Notre Dame Fighting Irish team defended its home court and defeated the Boston College Eagles 69-66. Ky Bowman led BC with 24 points, while Nik Popovic had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the effort. Notre Dame’s John Mooney led all scorers with 27.
It was a slow first half, as each team found itself mired in multi-minute scoreless slumps. Notre Dame, missing two starters, switched to an early zone to keep out of foul trouble and force the Eagles to shoot over them. The plan worked to perfection, as the Irish committed just six first half fouls and held the Eagles to a meagre 29.4% from the floor and 25% from deep. Bowman singlehandedly kept the Eagles in the game early. With 6 minutes left in the half, he had 11 of the teams 19 points and all of its three-pointers. Untimely turnovers and lethargic ball movement allowed the home team to build a 7 point lead, which might have been greater had Notre Dame been able to buy a shot (they were slightly better, at 35% from the field).
Early foul trouble sent Popovic to bench, a presence that was missed direly as the Eagles were outscored 12-4 in the paint in the first half. But the big man came out and scored 4 right out of the gate and was an instrumental player in the second half, putting up 15 and 10. But while the BC big man might have had a good game, ND’s put up a career one. John Mooney, averaging 13 and 7 coming in, had a staggering 27 and 13. On top of that, he was constantly a thorn in the Eagle’s offensive plans, drawing at least 9 fouls that I can think of.
Like the first, the second half was a game of exchanging runs. A 4 minute scoreless spell allowed the Eagles to get back in it and cut the lead, but the Irish immediately responded by going on a 7-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. But no matter how far the Eagles fell behind, they never seemed to let the game get out of reach. The Eagles kept it close enough to give themselves a chance. In the final minute, a Popovic block led to a Bowman fast-break layup to give the first lead of the game. Then, Pop got ANOTHER stop, but ultimately tripped over Bowman recovering the rebound and was called for a travel. On the inbound, with just seven seconds left, ND’s Prentiss Hubb drove to the basket, and the referees, who had swallowed their whistles all game, called the world’s softest blocking foul. Two free throws gave the Irish a one point lead, and Jim Christian’s failed full court play meant the Eagles were going home with another heart-wrenching loss.
Ultimately though, it should have never gotten here. The Irish dressed just six scholarship players due to injuries and sickness, a depth problem the Eagles should have exploited more. But an inability to get to the rim early, combined with poor shooting by everyone not named Bowman or Popovic, is always a recipe for disaster.
Defensive miscues continued to haunt the Eagles. Missed rotations, overplaying the pick-and-roll, among others, led to multiple easy baskets in the paint. BC has had no trouble keeping their man in front of them when playing 1:1 defense, but when the opponents start moving the ball in more than 2-successive passes it all breaks down. It’s been a problem in all Jim Christian teams, but at least in the past few years one could blame it on a general lack of depth or talent. Now it has become the most pressing issue the Eagles face.
Boston College will now head to face a Louisville squad that just blew out #12 UNC this Wednesday, hoping for a conference win.