The first loss of 2025 was an ugly one.

Aside from a brief lead in the opening minutes of the game, BC never really had a chance against Georgia Tech on the road Saturday, getting blown out 85-64.

The embarrassing loss drops BC to 9-6 overall and 1-3 in the ACC while the Yellow Jackets moved to just 8-7 overall and 2-2 in the conference despite looking like Duke or Clemson.

Chad Venning led the team with 18 points and nine rebounds, but BC shot 42% from the field and 33% from three. Meanwhile, Georgia Tech was 58% from the field and 47% (8-17) from three. 'Tech also had eight steals and 44 points in the paint. The Yellow Jackets attempted 27 free throws while BC had just 15.

"You'e got to credit them some," said Earl Grant. "We aren't as bad as we played, but we didn't play well enough. Georgia Tech...you've got somebody on their home court, you've got to take certain things away and we didn't do it well enough."

The Eagles built an early 11-9 lead five minutes in. Strong had five quick points (including a three) and Hand had four.

Georgia Tech surged ahead before a frantic back-and-forth sequence at both ends with multiple blocks ended in two free throws for Strong, pushing BC back in front 15-14.

Strong remained hot with nine points, but the Yellow Jackets also couldn't miss, taking a 21-17 lead just ahead of the 10-minute mark. A 14-7 run for Georgia Tech put BC in an 11-point hole (35-24) with 5:59 left in the half. McFarlane had five points for the Eagles during the run.

Things unraveled a bit more with just under four minutes to go when Strong committed his second foul and Georgia Tech immediately buried a three to push it to 40-24. A runner and missed free throw from Venning on the and-one made it 41-28 with two to go. After each team oddly had a bucket taken off the board on back-to-back possessions, Payne knocked down a three to cut it to 10. The Yellow Jackets answered with a three and the teams went to the locker room with BC down 44-31.

The Eagles shot 42% from the field (13-31) in the first half including 3-7 (43%) from three. Georgia Tech was 17-29 (59%) and 7-11 (64%). BC also got out rebounded the first 20 minutes (18-11).

"They play with good place, they get out in transition," Grant said of the GT offense. "We allowed them to play their game. We allowed them to get out in transition, they got some open threes, got some stuff at the rim. They got a couple guys that are lob threats, so again, you've got to keep that team in the half court and we we didn't do a good enough job doing it.

"It was part of our plan, but the game got away from us right there in the middle of the first half."

In the first four minutes of the second half, Georgia Tech upped the lead to 56-38. The Yellow Jackets took the first 20-point lead of the game seven minutes in at 61-41.

It grew to 74-49 before a Venning bucket with just under seven minutes left in the game, but the Eagles never sniffed a comeback of any kind.

BC takes on Syracuse at home next Saturday at 3 p.m.

"Just got to get back and work at it," Grant added. "Obviously, it's a season, you've got to practice. You get 32 opportunities. Some games you play great, some games you wish you could do it over again. This is one of those games you wish you could do it over. But, you've just got to go back and work at it. Get the repetitions in on the things you need to drill.

"Continue to get the guys to understand how we have to play to win. What tempo we need to play at. That's what you do. You keep...it;s a journey. It's a season. If you look at the definition of a season and a journey, it'll define what we have to do now. We've gotta get back in and keep working and don't get discouraged and fix the things we need to fix."