On a night that saw Nik Popovic sit with a concussion, Jordan Chatman exit early with a lacerated finger, and Ky Bowman largely kept in check, Boston College received some much-needed help from its two freshmen who are still healthy.

Jarius Hamilton poured in 11 points off the bench and Chris Herren, Jr. provided a spark with nine points and four offensive rebounds to help the Eagles (12-11, 3-8 Atlantic Coast) snap a four-game losing streak in a 66-57 win over Pittsburgh (12-13, 2-10 ACC).

"Their other guys stepped up and really played well for them," Pitt head coach Jeff Capel said. "Between Herren, Hamilton, Reyes, and Kraljevic, they had 32 points, 20 rebounds, I think they were 13-of-18 from the floor. So those guys stepped up and made big plays. I think we did a good job on Bowman and Chatman, but it was the other guys who really hurt us."

Bowman began the game by banking in a triple before both teams went ice cold. At one point, in the midst of a three-minute scoreless stretch, the Eagles and Panthers had combined to start 6-for-25 from the floor. But after Sidy N'Dir converted a put-back plus the foul to put Pitt ahead, 11-7, BC busted out a 13-0 run to take a commanding lead that would hold until halftime. The Panthers only trailed at the break, 36-32, thanks to the Eagles' shaky defense on the perimeter, where they hit seven 3-pointers in the first half.

Pitt battled back early in the second half. With the game tied at 40-40, Jordan Chatman weaved through traffic for a nifty bucket and knocked down a jumper to put BC back on top. But with just under 12 minutes to play, Trey McGowens drilled his first triple of the evening to tie the game at 40-40.

Soon after, Steffon Mitchell headed to the locker room with an injured eye and Chatman sat with a lacerated finger. When the graduate guard tried to return minutes later, the wound reopened and Chatman was forced to sit the remainder of the game. With Popovic and Wynston Tabbs already injured, the Eagles were dropping like flies and their lead was slipping away.

When the Panthers secured their first lead of the second half at 49-47, it was Herren, Jr. who righted the ship for BC with a pair of clutch rebounds on the offensive glass. At 6-foot-3, the freshman's second-chance points gave him a boost of confidence, as observed by Capel.

"Our defense had actually been pretty good," Pitt's first-year head coach said. "If we get a stop, maybe we can take the lead. And he got two [offensive rebounds] in that possession, the smallest guy on the court, he gets two.

"What that does is it makes a kid feel good about himself," he added. "It's not a score, but he knows that he made a great play for his team. And then what happens is that he comes back and now he's making shots. Because he's all in for his team, and he's just thinking about, 'How can I contribute to winning?' He's not thinking about, 'Hey, I'm 3-for-22 in conference.' Because that's what he was: 3-for-22 in conference.

"When you do that, it's interesting how good things happen for you," Capel said. "I thought he made a couple of the biggest plays—those offensive rebounds—but I thought that led to him making big-time shots a little bit later because he felt good about what he just did. His teammates celebrated him because they knew how important those plays were, his coaches celebrated him because they knew. And all of a sudden a kid feels better himself and he's able to make big-time plays down the stretch."

After the put-back, Herren, Jr. pulled up in transition to give the Eagles a 57-53 lead. When Jared Wilson-Frame's 3-pointer cut the Panthers' deficit, Herren, Jr. hit an off-balanced, catch-and-shoot triple to give BC some breathing room.

With three minutes left, Jared Hamilton all but sealed the victory with a corner three that extended the Eagles' lead to 63-56. Playing zone defense, BC's crunch-time lineup of Bowman-Hamilton-Herren, Jr.-Hamilton-Mitchell allowed just six points the rest of the game after Pitt took a 51-49 lead midway through the second half. Bowman and the elder Hamilton brother, in particular, shut down Xavier Johnson, who finished just 3-for-19 from the field.

"Those guys just move better along the baseline," head coach Jim Christian said of his three-guard lineup in the final minutes. "It just fit. It was a quicker lineup for us to get to the shooters just a little bit quicker than with Luka and JC."

Christian couldn't give any detailed updates on Tabbs, Popovic, or Chatman after the game. Mitchell and the younger Hamilton both returned to action after their in-game tweaks.

"Tabbs is getting better. There's no updates," he added. "Niko Popovic is in concussion protocol, so he's been symptom-free for a few days, which is a great sign."