Jared Hamiltion, Mitchell lead BC past winless Central Conn
BOSTON (AP) — Jared Hamilton scored 18 points, Steffon Mitchell posted his second straight double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Boston College beat winless Central Connecticut 74-55 on Sunday.
Jay Heath added 16 points and Derryck Thornton chipped in with 12 for the Eagles (7-5), who won their third straight game since learning starting center Nik Popovic was sidelined indefinitely with a back injury.
Greg Outlaw scored 18 points for the Blue Devils (0-10), who remained only one of three Division I schools without a victory.
BC used runs of 11-0 and 13-4 early in the game en route to a 35-23 edge at halftime. Jared Hamilton had a trio of 3-pointers. His brother, Jairus Hamilton, and Thornton each had one during the sprees.
The Eagles opened the second half by outscoring the Blue Devils 17-3. Heath had consecutive baskets, Thornton nailed a left-wing 3 and Mitchell had a conventional three-point play followed by a fast-break layup in the spurt.
Central Connecticut did go on a 12-0 run midway into the half that made it respectable for a while.
With the Patriots televised at the same time, the students preparing for finals and a weak nonconference opponent, there was a very small crowd which looked more like a preseason scrimmage.
BIG PICTURE
Central Connecticut: With 10 players in their first year in the program and the nation’s fourth youngest team with seven freshman and 11 underclassmen, it looks like a long rebuilding season. They entered the day averaging 56.3 points per game — ranked 343rd out of 353 Division 1 programs.
Boston College: The Eagles will be challenged to find consistent inside scoring with the loss of 6-foot-11 Popovic — their third-leading scorer at 11.8 per game — and they’ll need to find it soon. They play out West against California next weekend before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play at Duke on Dec. 31.
UNWANTED COMPANY
Central Connecticut, Houston Baptist (0-9) and Florida A&M (0-7) are the only winless Division I schools. The Blue Devils entered the week 350th in the Pomeroy rankings out of 353 schools.
SEEING DOUBLE
Mitchell had 15 points, 13 boards in the last game — a 72-51 victory over Albany.
WOW
Sofia Rae, a 6-year-old from Plymouth, Mass., sang a stunning rendition of the national anthem.
UP NEXT
Central Connecticut: At Dartmouth on Wednesday.
Boston College: Faces California at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday.
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