Boston College Men’s Basketball Defeats #21 Virginia Tech in Overtime

It was a nailbiter on the Heights tonight, as Boston College and Virginia Tech had to go to overtime to decide the Eagles’ ACC home opener. Ultimately, the Eagles pulled off a surprise upset and defeated #21 Virginia Tech by a final score of 70-65

The Eagles won the tipoff and scored first to take the 2-0 lead right off the bat, but sloppy offense allowed Virginia Tech to jump ahead as the first half went on, despite some strong BC defense. The Eagles, however, were down by just 5 heading into halftime, with the Hokies leading 30-25.

BC, however, dominated for much of the second half, building as much as a 9 point lead before ending the half on a lengthy scoreless streak that allowed the Hokies to tie the game at 59. The Hokies had 2 chances to put away the win as the clock wound down, but missed a 3 pointer and a 2 pointer, and this one went into extra minutes.

Both teams initially struggled to score in overtime, but a deep 3 from Makai Ashton-Langford really turned the tide. The Eagles followed that up with some free throws, and pulled off a 5 point win over a ranked ACC opponent.

The teams were pretty evenly matched overall in the game, both shooting 40% from the floor, neither getting many three pointers, and with the Hokies leading just 45-40 in rebounds. Where BC really excelled was on defense, as the Eagles forced a normally steady Hokies team to make 15 turnovers, leading to 15 BC points.

Makai Ashton-Langford was the star of tonight’s game, not only for his highlight reel 3 pointer in OT, but by leading all players with 21 points. He also contributed 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Devin McGlockton was the other BC player to have a standout game, with 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.

The Eagles will close out 2022 on the road with a 2 PM game on New Year’s Eve at Syracuse.