Boston College dropped a home conference game to Florida State this afternoon by a score of 61-57.
The Eagles led 27-22 at halftime. But allowed FSU to shoot 65% in the second half. BC was out-rebounded 39-22 in the game.
Rakim Sanders played perhaps his best game of the season with 17 points on 7-14 shooting. He picked up 2 fouls within the first 1:30 of the game but Skinner inserted him back in shortly after and he responded with 13 first half points. Coach Skinner hinted at the fact that Rakim has not been 100% healthy this season saying, "he is not where he was a year ago." Trapani added 15 points and 7 boards in a strong individual effort.
Reggie Jackson did not score his first points until mid-way through the second half. Jackson struggled to find open teammates and was caught in traffic several times. He was also called for a costly traveling violation one of the Eagles last possessions.
Skinner was amazed at the free throw differential. BC shot just 4 free throws in the game while FSU went to the line a whopping 16 times. That alone was worth a seven point swing.
One interesting note from the BC Athletic Department: Boston College is now 0-5 when they have scored under 60 points this season. Last year they were 1-3 in such games.
FSU had 16 turnovers compared to BC's 14 although FSU was able to capitalize with 21 points off the TOs. BC managed only 12 such points.
The BC bench continues to provide solid production. They outscored FSU's bench 19-18. Coach Skinner said, "our level of play has not fallen off when we go to the bench." The play of Dunn, Elmore, Roche, and of course Jackson continues to impress.
Florida State center Soloman Alibi is a long and athletic 7'1. He has a nice soft shooting touch (shoots 82% from the FT line). He appears to play a little soft on offense and is content to shoot 5-8 foot jumpers over the top of the defenders. Defensively he is a pretty capable shot blocker but needs to bulk up in order to improve his rebounding. He will no doubt get NBA looks based on his size and athleticism but his play leaves a lot to be imagined, he is certainly a project.
