Recap: Boston College vs. Baylor
Charleston, SC (Sports Network) - Pierre Jackson notched a game-best 31 points -- thanks to 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc -- and dished out seven assists, as the 16th-ranked Baylor Bears downed the Boston College Eagles by an 84-74 count in the first-ever meeting between the schools in the first round of the Charleston Classic.
Isaiah Austin posted 16 points and nine rebounds for the Bears (3-0), who advance to take on Colorado on Friday. A.J. Walton and Brady Heslip added 10 points each.
"You have to be impressed at how the young kids stepped up today," said Baylor head coach Scott Drew. "Our first half, nobody was solid defensively, but in the second half, Isaiah and A.J. led the charge."
Ryan Anderson totaled 25 points and six boards for the Eagles (1-1), who will face Dayton, which lost to the Buffaloes. Olivier Hanlon had 14 points and Andrew Van Nest connected for 13 in defeat.
Boston College hung tight in the latter stages of the second half, but couldn't prevent a Baylor rally.
Hanlan's layup with 9:06 to play pulled BC within 64-63, but after several missed shots on subsequent possessions, Austin completed a three-point play which ignited a 13-5 burst for the victors.
Heslip and Austin connected from beyond the arc during the surge, which ended on a Walton bucket with 2:58 to play that left the Bears ahead 77-68. Baylor's advantage ballooned to as much as 11 inside the final minute.
"It was a little bit of a struggle, but I think we showed that you can't hold anybody down," Jackson admitted.
Boston College led 12-8 early on, but a 19-9 burst from Baylor turned that into a 27-17 deficit just past the midway point of the first half. Gary Franklin and Jackson ignited the run with back-to-back treys, Deuce Bello hit one from long distance and Jackson capped the surge with two in a row from beyond the arc.
The Eagles rallied to pull ahead by 31-30 after a Danny Rubin three ended a 14-3 run, and when Van Nest sank a trey, it was 38-32. The Bears again shifted the momentum and led 41-40, before Anderson's heave from midcourt beat the buzzer and gave BC a 43-41 edge at the break.
Game NotesBaylor shot 51.7 percent from the floor, including 12-of-26 three pointers,
while Boston College hit 10-of-26 from long range in a 47.5-percent
performance ... Walton totaled a game-high four steals ... BC committed 13
turnovers to eight for Baylor.
