Williams Leads Boston College Past UMass at TD Garden
The Eagles won 71-55 in the Commonwealth Classic, snapping a nine-shot 3-point drought late in the second half.
By Oliver Bennett ·
Boston College defeated Massachusetts 71-55 on Friday night in the annual Commonwealth Classic at TD Garden.
Money Williams drove the Eagles to victory with 35 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. He shot 10 of 22 from the field and 13 of 13 from the free-throw line. The game featured poor shooting from beyond the arc, as the teams combined for just two successful 3-pointers in 23 attempts.
Williams converted the second 3-pointer of the game with 4:37 remaining in the second half. That shot extended the BC lead to 60-51 and broke a streak of nine consecutive missed long-range attempts. UMass had cut the deficit to four points during that drought. Williams hit another 3-pointer with 2:56 left, pushing the score to 67-55. Zak Smrekar added 12 points for the Eagles, while Brandon Benjamin contributed 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
On the UMass side, Dwayne Wimbley Jr. scored 15 points and Abdullah Ahmed added 12. The Minutemen drop to 1-1 on the season. Boston College improves to 2-0, marking its second win under first-year coach Luke Murray. The Eagles now hold a 27-22 all-time series lead over UMass, having lost last year's matchup 76-74. This contest marked the first time the two schools played at the Boston Celtics' home arena since 2014.
Boston College will host Maryland Eastern Shore at Conte Forum on Tuesday. UMass will play at home against UMass Lowell on Wednesday.
