Marcus Banks Jr. scored 29 points and had seven rebounds to lead UMass to a 76-74 victory over Boston College on Wednesday night at the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Springfield, Mass.
After Boston College’s Chase Forte missed two free throws with 21 seconds to play, Banks broke a 74-74 tie by making two free throws with 5.1 seconds remaining. Forte then missed a 3-point attempt at the final buzzer.
Daniel Hankins-Sanford added 17 points for UMass, which squandered a 14-point second-half lead. UMass (7-3) won despite missing 11 of its 24 free throw attempts.
Donald Hand Jr. led Boston College (5-6) with 18 points but made just six of his 16 shots and was 0-for-5 from 3-point range. Forte and Boden Kapke each added 12 points for the Eagles.
Boston College was 3-of-23 from 3-point territory.
UMass had the lead for most of the first half and went up by eight points, 33-25, on a Banks 3-pointer with 2:41 remaining in the half. Boston College responded with an 8-0 run capped by Hand’s 3-point play that tied the game, 33-33. Banks hit a jumper to give UMass a 35-33 halftime lead.
Boston College was 3-of-18 from 3-point territory in the first half, but had a 17-3 edge in points off the bench. Banks had 15 points and four rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
The Minutemen had a 46-38 lead after a Dimitri Clerc jumper with 15:37 to play and extended the lead to 54-40 on a Clerc layup with 11:54 left.
A three-point play by Hand pulled the Eagles within seven points, 54-47, and the game was tied after Kapke’s three-point play made it 56-56 with 8:47 left.
When Forte’s layup put the Eagles in front 58-56, Boston College had its first lead since it was 8-7. The lead grew to 63-56 when a Forte dunk capped a 16-0 run.
UMass responded with a 15-5 run, regaining the lead on a Banks 3-pointer with 3:12 left.
