Batten Leads Boston College To Road Win Over Virginia Tech
By Gregory Hunt
The Boston College men's basketball raced to a 41-28 halftime lead, then held off a Virginia Tech rally to earn a 66-59 victory at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia Monday night. Graduate student guard Dimitri Batten had a superb night for the Eagles, shooting 7-for-9 from the floor, including 4-for-5 from beyond the three-point line. His 18 points was a season-high. Junior guard Olivier Hanlan added 15 points and six rebounds while junior center Dennis Clifford chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.
"The last three halves of basketball - the two halves against North Carolina State and the first half here - were as well as we've played all year," said Boston College head coach Jim Christian. "I thought we did a great job of attacking them in transition. We got some layups. We got some open three-point shots. We were just in a good rhythm. We only had two turnovers. We played really well."
Overall, the Eagles shot 52.4 percent from the field (22-for-42) while holding the Hokies to 38.9 percent (21-for-54). The Eagles led by as many as 22 points in the second half. The Hokies rallied to reduce the deficit to as low as six points late in the second half, but they would draw no closer.
"I just focused more," said Batten about his performance. "The coaches said to just focus and play the game. The team kept passing me the ball, and I just kept shooting it. I had some open looks and made some, and that built my confidence throughout the game."
The game was played just hours after Hanlan was named ACC Player of the Week. In games against Pittsburgh and North Carolina State last week, Hanlan averaged 31.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. Against Pitt, he scored a season-high 39 points, going 10-for-20 from the field and 14-for-14 from the foul line. It was the most points scored in an ACC game this season, and Hanlan's fourth 30-point game in a six-game stretch. Hanlan's play has made him a candidate for ACC Player of the Year this season, but the favorite for that honor is probably Duke's freshman center Jahlil Okafor, who is averaging 18 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 65 percent from the field.
Monday's victory gave Boston College its first winning streak since the Eagles won four in a row in December. The win improved BC's conference record to 3-14 and improved BC's chances of avoiding a last-place finish in the ACC. Virginia Tech now sits at the bottom of the standings with a 2-15 record while the Eagles are tied for 13th place with 3-14 Georgia Tech. Thanks to wins this season over both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, a win in the season finale at home against Wake Forest on Saturday will lock the Eagles into the 12th seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament. The tournament begins Tuesday, March 10 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
