Jared Dudley led the way for the Eagles scoring 25 points and adding 10 boards including seven on the offensive glass. Dudley scored 4 points in a row to close out the first half putting BC up by 10 and then added 8 straight to start the second half which increased the Eagles' lead to 16 and set the tone for the rest of the game.
Craig Smith, who started his 100th contest for Boston College, had an off night recording 11 points and 7 rebounds. This was mainly due to the zone defense that Texas Southern played which collapsed in on Smith every time he touched the ball.
Coach Al Skinner said he expected Texas Southern to play a zone defense.
“Any time a team plays zone, Craig more than likely wont have a big night because they will just double and triple team him," said Skinner following the game. "But it creates opportunities for everyone else.”
One of the BC players who benefited from this zone defense was Sean Marshall. Marshall netted 19 points and was all over the court. He nailed three jumpers from beyond the arc along with some fast break baskets, including an electrifying slam dunk off an alley oop from freshmen point guard Tyrese Rice. This was Marshall’s third game in a row scoring 15 or more points.
The only other Eagle who was in double figures was sophomore forward, Akida Mclain, who scored a career high 11 points, including two emphatic dunks. Skinner said that the most important part of this game was that he was able to give some quality minutes to Mclain, as well as freshman guard, Marquez Haynes.
Texas Southern was led by sophomore forward Jacques Jones, who had 18 points and 9 rebounds. The tigers fell to 2-8 on the season.
BC’s next game is Thursday, December 22nd against Harvard at Conte Forum. Tip Off is scheduled for 7 PM.