BOSTON — In a thrilling season opener on Monday night, Donald Hand Jr. achieved personal bests with 22 points and 10 rebounds, helping Boston College secure a 69-60 victory over The Citadel.

Despite shooting 4 of 14 from the field, Hand excelled with a 3-point shooting performance of 3 for 8 and perfect free throw shooting, sinking all 11 of his attempts. Alongside him, Chad Venning contributed 15 points, while Elijah Strong started strong by making his first four shots, including a notable 3-pointer, finishing the game with 11 points. Dion Brown, who transferred from UMBC, made a quick impact off the bench by scoring a 3-pointer on his initial possession.

With 6:42 remaining in the game, Hand hit a crucial 3-pointer that extended Boston College’s lead to 61-48. However, The Citadel’s Keynan Davis responded with a 3-point basket of his own, narrowing the gap to 63-54 with just over five minutes to go. The Bulldogs managed to inch closer, highlighted by a layup from Brody Fox that made the score 67-60 with only 24 seconds left in the game.

Fox led The Citadel with 18 points, while teammates Cameron Glover and Davis each contributed 10 points. Boston College’s head coach Earl Grant has yet to lose against The Citadel, holding a perfect record of 5-0 against them. Grant’s connection to The Citadel as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2004 adds significance to this matchup, as three of his previous victories over the Bulldogs came during his tenure at the College of Charleston. Additionally, he now has an unblemished 4-0 record in opening games at Boston College.