CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Blue Hen sophomore guard Kory Holden scored a career-high 35 points but Delaware struggled from the field in the second half as UD fell at Boston College, 69-61, Saturday night at Conte Forum.
Holden drained 6 of 13 three-point attempts and went 5 of 6 from the free throw line while eclipsing his previous career-best by eight points for Delaware (5-4). Cazmon Hayes contributed 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Marvin King-Davis chipped in with seven points and Skye Johnson tied his career-best with eight boards.
Blue Hen sophomore guard Kory Holden scored a career-high 35 points. (File photo)
Boston College senior Eli Carter posted a double-double for the Eagles (5-6) with 20 points and 10 assists, while Matt Milon contributed 12 points off the bench. Meznieks Ervins added 10 points for Boston College, while Dennis Clifford notched eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
Holden poured in 22 points while Hayes added 13 as the duo accounted for all of the Blue Hens’ 35 first-half points and helped Delaware take a 35-32 lead into the break. But the Eagles responded with a 7-0 run in the opening minutes of the second half, going in front 41-37 on a layup by Jerome Robinson, and led the rest of the way.
Holden beat the shot clock with a tough three-pointer to make it a one-point game with 15:25 to play but Delaware hit just one of its next 14 field goal attempts, as the Eagles opened up a 51-42 margin following a three-point play by Milon. A layup by Holden later made it a 52-47 game, but Carter and Milon countered with consecutive three-pointers to give Boston College a double digit lead at 58-47 and force a UD timeout with 5:21 remaining.
Holden countered with a circus layup and a deep three-pointer to cut the deficit to six, but the Eagles answered with a 7-0 run and were not threatened from there.
Delaware shot just 30.6 percent from the field for the contest, including only 9 of 32 in the second half. The Blue Hens remained in the game due to a 15 of 20 performance from the foul line and a 42-34 rebounding advantage over the Eagles, including 13 to 2 on the offensive glass.
“Kory was fantastic tonight, we’ve just got to get some more from our other guys,” said Blue Hen coach Monté Ross. “It’s very difficult to win on the road when you only score 61 points. We fought and battled and out-rebounded them, so we were playing hard, we just weren’t very efficient. We had a tough night but we have to pick ourselves up and get ready for Villanova.”
Boston College reeled off 10 consecutive points early in the first half, taking a 16-7 lead on A.J. Turner’s third triple of the game five and an half minutes in. But Delaware used a seven-point spurt of its own to close within 18-16, while consecutive three-pointers by Hayes and Holden pulled the Blue Hens even at 25-25 and forced a Boston College timeout at the 7:21 mark.
Hayes then added another triple to put Delaware in front, and the Blue Hens led for the rest of the period. UD went up as many as six points, the second time at 35-29 following two Holden free throws, before a Carter three-pointer brought Boston College within three at the break.
Delaware travels to 12th-ranked Villanova on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in a game that will be televised by Fox Sports 1.
Free throws
Holden’s point total was the highest by a Blue Hen since Davon Usher scored 42 vs. Charleston on Feb. 5, 2014. … UD has lost 22 of its last 23 games against ACC opponents. … UD was playing the third contest in a six-game stretch of road games … Delaware won the rebounding battle for the eighth time in nine games.