BOSTON — Donald Hand Jr. led Boston College with a remarkable performance, contributing 29 points, including 15 in the first half, and securing 10 rebounds in their 78-70 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.
Chad Venning also had an impressive showing, scoring a season-high 18 points on an efficient 8-of-10 shooting, helping Boston College improve their record to 8-5.
As the game drew to a close, Ahmed Barba-Bey was fouled while attempting a three-pointer and successfully converted all three free throws. Terrence Brown then added a three-point play, narrowing Fairleigh Dickinson’s deficit to five points with just two minutes remaining. Barba-Bey hit another three-pointer with 39 seconds left, trimming the score to 74-70. However, Hand quickly responded with a layup and later sealed the game’s outcome with two free throws, leaving 18 seconds on the clock.
Barba-Bey, a graduate transfer from Division-II Jefferson, delivered a standout performance for Fairleigh Dickinson, scoring a career-high 31 points with a remarkable 10-of-12 shooting, including eight three-pointers. Brown contributed 20 points, and Bismark Nsiah added 10 points, all coming in the second half.
Hand’s pivotal 3-pointer early in the game established Boston College’s lead for good, coming just over a minute into the first half at 17:17. He tallied 13 of the Eagles’ first 24 points, including a three-point play that boosted their lead to 17-7 with 11:58 remaining before halftime.
In a response to being down, Barba-Bey sank two consecutive 3-pointers, closing the gap to four points shortly after, yet Boston College quickly countered with eight unanswered points and maintained control for most of the matchup.
This victory marked just the second win for Boston College following their earlier triumph over Boise State on November 26 during the Cayman Islands Classic, improving their record to 6-1 during that stretch. Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson is struggling significantly, losing four consecutive games this season and remaining winless in ten away games.
Boston College previously faced Fairleigh Dickinson back on December 10, 1992, where they emerged victorious with a score of 72-54 in their only other matchup.
