Basile’s 33 points not enough for Tech against Boston College
Hokies post late rally, fall short, 82-76
Hokiesports.com
BLACKSBURG – Grant Basile posted a season-high 33 points on Wednesday night in Cassell Coliseum, but it still wasn’t Virginia Tech’s night, as Boston College earned an 82-76 victory.
Outscored 39-27 in the first half, the Hokies struggle to shut down the Boston College’s 3-point shooting was apparent. The Eagles finished 12-24 (50%) from beyond the arc, one of their best deep-ball shooting performances of the season. Seven of those 3-pointers connected in the first half alone.
On the other side, 27 points is the second lowest halftime score for Virginia Tech this season behind 22 points against NC State on Jan. 7.
Boston College’s Quentin Post led the Eagles in scoring, finishing with 24 points, going 3-3 from 3-point land. Chas Kelley III complemented Post’s performance, tallying 17 points in a 4-7 night from beyond the arc himself.
In juxtaposition, the Hokies finished 10-32 (31.3%) from deep, as they hoisted the most treys that they have attempted all season.
Despite the inefficiency from beyond the arc, the Hokies and Eagles weren’t too different from the field overall, with Virginia Tech shooting 42-percent and Boston College posting a 49-percent mark.
In the Hokies’ loss, Grant Basile led all scorers with a 33 point night, a season high performance despite the defeat for Virginia Tech. A major inspiration to Tech’s late rally came from the transfer’s 25 points in the second half alone.
Sean Pedulla and Justyn Mutts were the only other Hokies to finish in double figures, putting up 12 and 16 points respectively.
Post led all players with 10 boards on the night, Justyn Mutts right behind him with six of his own.
Otherwise, this game remained an outlandishly low scoring contest. En route to a 12-point lead for Boston College at halftime, there was a stretch of play where neither team scored a single point for nearly three and a half minutes, a drought lasting from 15:29 to 11:46 in the first half.
Boston College proceeded to go on a 9-0 scoring run mid-way through the first half, and it was easy going from there. The Eagles held Virginia Tech empty-handed from the field for the last four minutes of the first half of play.
Perhaps the biggest thorn in Virginia Tech’s side on the night: Mekhi Ashton-Langford’s ball movement. With 12 assists – a career high – he led all players in that category.
The Hokies still fought back, as Basile, Pedulla, and Mutts led an abbreviated comeback effort in the final minute, combining for 12 points in a push that shrunk the lead to just 4 points with 18 seconds to go.
Nonetheless, the Eagles’ Chas Kelley III returned fire to seal the game for Boston College, in Cassell Coliseum.
Up next, the Hokies will travel to South Bend, Ind. for a 2 p.m. Saturday date with Notre Dame.