Clemson, SC – What could have been one of the best seasons in Boston College history went up in smoke here on January 20th amidst a second consecutive sellout as the Tigers dominated the final 30 minutes of the affair to win 74-54.

The loss of one of the nation’s truly great rebounders, BC power forward Sean Williams, who was tossed from the squad earlier in the week, limited the Eagles to nine players, seven of whom answered the call this day. Senior Jared Dudley, the team’s leading scorer, was held to only nine shots while BC as a team only attempted 40 – 20 in each half (15.6 FGA per game less than they have in previous games). Even with Williams, BC did not have much depth, especially at point guard where sophomore Tyrese Rice just could not get the offense going, beset by the tightly-pressing Clemson defenders and his own miscues.

Clemson, a team not known for its high percentage shooting from three-point land, turned that stroke around for this game, shooting 50-percent from behind the arc. The win was Clemson’s 18th of the season against only two losses (Maryland on the road and North Carolina at home the previous Wednesday). Boston College fell to 13-5, lost its first conference game in six tries and was set to face a Florida State team on a roll come January 23rd. The future appeared bleak.

But the Eagles regrouped. A fantastic all-around game by a trio of starters who probably will have to play 40 minutes most every game set the stage for a sensational late game performance. The sophomore Rice triggered a last minute run that saw him dazzle everyone with an array of dribble drives right down the center of the court in addition to a trio of 3s of the unbelievable category.

With a sparse but significant lead the Eagles awaited the expected Florida State run. The senior Florida State forward, Al Thornton was slowed down in the first half. During a run in the second half he broke loose for a short J and following a pair of free throws by Florida State’s junior guard Jason Rich, the game was tied at 82.

With seconds left on the clock, BC inbounded the basketball to Sean Marshall who was poised 22-feet outside on the left wing. Sean had just enough time to carefully set his feet and toss in a three at the buzzer. Marshall was shooting around .367 for the year in 19 games (including this outing) and was not noted for his long ball expertise. He is more of a slasher/short-pop type of guy, but this one hit nothing but net.

The win for BC was their 14th of the year against five losses and their 11th home triumph in 13 tries (and fifth in a row at home). More importantly, BC remained atop the ACC leader board with Duke coming up next Sunday in Durham.

This win changes the scene in this conference for now. Boston College stands at 6-1. North Carolina is 4-1 with Wake Forest coming up. Virginia Tech is 5-1 and Clemson is 4-2. With Maryland, Georgia Tech and Florida State tough at home, this could be the tightest ACC race in years.