Boston College came into its Monday night bout with South Florida as the top team in the ACC in rebounding margin. The Eagles didn’t live up to their standard against USF, though.
In fact, the Bulls outrebounded BC, 41-32. They had a season-high seven offensive rebounds at halftime and finished with 15 on that side of the court.
The problem was, USF scored only four second-chance points. BC’s defense suffocated the Bulls, holding them to 35.7% shooting. The Eagles outscored USF in the paint, 36-18, and pulled away for a 64-49 win.
BC (5-3) and USF (3-3) rank 330th and 349th nationally in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom. So it was no surprise that the teams got off to a slow start offensively.
The Eagles were first to string together a scoring surge. They went on a 9-2 run to pull ahead of USF, 14-9. The Langford brothers fueled the momentum swing, and center James Karnik added a 3-pointer.
Turnovers were a big story in the first half. USF coughed up the rock eight times, while the Eagles committed just one turnover. BC scored nine points off first-half USF turnovers, two of which were courtesy of a breakaway Kanye Jones dunk.
Both teams were getting help from their supporting casts. But starting USF guard Caleb Murphy, who ended up with a game-high 11 points, was leading the way offensively for the Bulls. His mid-range game was on display, and, at one point, he used a Russel Tchewa screen to get a step on Jaeden Zackery before accelerating to the cup for an emphatic dunk.
BC maintained its slight advantage throughout the first half. And after Quinten Post and Murphy traded jumpers, the Eagles found themselves with a 28-24 lead. Post tacked on another bucket to lead all scorers with nine points at the break, and BC took a 30-24 advantage into intermission, despite shooting just 1-of-11 to end the half. Not only that, but USF had already blocked seven BC shots.
A DeMarr Langford Jr. turnaround jumper got things going for the Eagles in the second half. Karnik, who scored nine points in the final period and finished with a game-high 12, cashed in on his second 3-pointer of the night soon after, giving BC a 10-point cushion.
Makai Ashton-Langford went coast-to-coast before registering an old-fashioned 3-point play. USF guard Trey Moss answered with a triple to cut USF’s deficit to 41-35 with 12:03 remaining.
The Bulls went on another scoring drought, however, and BC capitalized. Ashton-Lanford used a perfect touch pass to feed Post for an alley-oop slam. Post set a screen, rolled to the basket and finished with both hands. Ashton-Langford piled up seven assists in the win and flashed another when he slipped a pass to his younger brother underneath the rim.
Tchewa responded with a two-handed flush to keep USF within six points. That said, the Eagles began to create some distance between them and the Bulls.
Brevin Galloway had a sweet sequence where the College of Charleston grad transfer assisted TJ Bickerstaff on one possession and then drilled his second 3-pointer of the night on the next.
Then a self-made 6-0 run by Karnik practically put the game away. It started with an offensive rebound and putback following a Langford miss.
Together, Karnik and Post combined for 23 points and 11 rebounds.
They helped the Eagles control the paint and win their second straight game.
