After a bumpy start to the season, Boston College hopes to travel down a smoother path beginning with Tuesday’s game against visiting Hampton in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Eagles (2-2) have lost to Florida Atlantic and Central Connecticut, although they did bounce back with a victory each time. Now they are looking to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season, although they certainly know not to take anything for granted.
“When you’re on a journey and you deal with adversity and disappointment and setbacks, you never know how the team’s gonna respond,” BC coach Earl Grant said after Saturday’s 76-71 win over Temple. “Specifically, when you have a team that’s forming — this team hasn’t been together, so with the blend of the new guys and the returners, they try to find a way to win.”
Donald Hand (16.8 points per game) paced the Eagles with 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Owls. However, he shot just 5-of-15 from the floor and has yet to shoot above 36 percent in any of the team’s four games.
Still, he’ll definitely be a focal point of the defensive game plan for Hampton (2-3), which has also alternated between losses and wins over its first five games.
Part of the Pirates’ early-season slate was another road game against an ACC foe. They traveled to face Virginia and trailed 47-19 at halftime en route to a 91-53 defeat.
Hampton bounced back to defeat Brown in its next game before falling to visiting Holy Cross 67-61 on Sunday. The Pirates shot just 37% from the field in that one and missed 15 of their 20 attempts from 3-point range.
Xzavier Long led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three steals. Josh Ogundele added 10 points, but the other three Hampton starters combined for three points on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor.
“Year 2 looks like just continuing to build a culture,” Hampton coach Ivan Thomas said earlier this month. “We’re just trying to put out a product every year of energy, effort, enthusiasm and toughness.”
