North Carolina State 78, Boston College 73
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Scott Wood was quiet for much of Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference opener between Boston College and No. 23 North Carolina State, but the 3-point specialist hit two big treys down the stretch to seal a 78-73 win for the Wolfpack.
N.C. State improved to 12-2 with its eighth straight win, the longest in the tenure of second-year coach Mark Gottfried.
The Eagles had a five-game winning streak snapped and fell to 8-6.
The Eagles jumped out to an 8-6 lead after Ryan Anderson corralled a pair of defensive rebounds and Joe Rahon and Patrick Heckmann hit back-to-back 3-pointers on the offensive end.
The Wolfpack went the next 13 minutes without taking a lead, as contested jumpers and missed free throws restricted them from going on a run.
For Boston College, Anderson led the charge. As the lone big on the floor in Steve Donahue's four-guard offense, which includes all underclassmen, Anderson was a one-man rebounding machine in the first half, hauling in eight boards and scoring nine points. He finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds.
With 7-foot sophomore Dennis Clifford shelved with a right ankle and left knee injury that has left him with limited playing time, Anderson has slid over to the center position and impressed, allowing Donahue to feel more comfortable with a four-guard offense that thrives off shooting 3-pointers.
The Eagles -- who entered the game leading the ACC in 3-point attempts, with 278 in 13 games -- went just 3 for 10 from downtown in the first half.
Clifford entered midway through the half and gave the Eagles a temporary boost, but the Wolfpack was still able to find easy buckets inside, scoring 20 of its 29 first-half points in the paint.
With 1:15 left in the half and the Eagles' shot clock winding down, Joe Rahon scrambled to collect a loose ball and hurled up a long-range prayer when Lorenzo Brown fouled him and sent him to the line. Rahon hit two of three as BC trailed 29-28 at halftime.
The Wolfpack, which hit just 4 of 11 from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes, took advantage later on, scoring six of its first 12 second-half points off free throws.
The teams exchanged buckets for most of the second half until Wood knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the game's closing minutes. Wood, who drained five 3-pointers when NC State knocked BC out of last year's ACC tournament with a 78-57 win in the opening round, attempted just one shot from long range in a limited first half after he made a temporary exit when he was struck in the head by Anderson's elbow.
The Eagles appeared dead in the water with less than a minute left and N.C. State out to a 72-68 lead, but some extra hustle on a rebound attempt resulted in a jump ball, with the possession arrow in favor of the Eagles.
Anderson came up with a clutch rebound and put-away basket on the ensuing possession and drained a free throw after being fouled by Rodney Purvis on the play.
With the Wolfpack up 72-71, the Eagles immediately fouled Wood, who hit both of his free throws.
Heckmann received the ball for BC and was fouled by Purvis, who fouled out on the play, when he took an off-balance 3-pointer. Heckmann made two of three.
Rahon missed an open 3-pointer to tie the game with two seconds left. Wood iced the game with four straight free throws.
NOTES: The Eagles, who are 8-7 in the all-time series between the two teams, have lost four in a row. Wood leads all active ACC players with 266 career treys. ... Purvis, who has averaged 10 points per game since returning to the starting lineup seven games ago, scored a team-high 19 points.
