Money Williams dominates early season
Boston College guard drops 35 points to defeat UMass 71-55 in their first matchup at the Celtics' arena since 2014.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Money Williams scored 35 points as Boston College defeated the UMass Minutemen 71-55 on Friday night at TD Garden. The victory marks the second win for the Eagles under first-year head coach Luke Murray.
Williams finished 10 of 22 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free-throw line. He also recorded nine rebounds and five assists. His performance followed a debut against Wagner on Tuesday, where he posted 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
The Eagles struggled from deep early in the contest, missing nine consecutive three-pointers. That drought allowed UMass to close the gap to four points. Williams broke the streak with a three-pointer with 4:37 remaining in the second half, extending the lead to 60-51. He added another triple with 2:56 left to make it 67-55.
Zak Smrekar has totaled 12 points in his first two games for Boston College. Brandon Benjamin contributed 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench for the Eagles. On the other side of the ball, Dwayne Wimbley Jr. led UMass with 15 points, while Abdullah Ahmed added 12.
Boston College holds a 27-22 all-time record against UMass. The Minutemen won last year's edition of the Commonwealth Classic 76-74. This contest marked the first time the two schools have played at the home of the Boston Celtics since 2014.
UMass returns to action on Wednesday when it hosts UMass Lowell. Boston College stays home on Tuesday to face Maryland Eastern Shore at Conte Forum.
