After transferring from the Florida Gators prior to this season, senior shooting guard Eli Carter knew heading into the opening contest of the 2015-16 campaign that much of the Boston College Eagles' (1-0) ability to score would rest on his shoulders.
Carter obliged with a tremendous performance, receiving some assistance from the Eagles core of freshman, as well.
Shooting 10-for-19 from the field in 27 minutes of action, Carter accounted for 23 points in addition to his seven assists, leading Boston College to a commanding 75-49 victory over the St. Francis (NY) Terriers (0-1) at Conte Forum to open up the season.
Freshman guard Jerome Robinson paired well with Carter in the backcourt, contributing 19 points and six assists on 7-for-13 shooting in 30 minutes for the Eagles. Much-heralded recruit A.J. Turner was stellar in his debut, garnering six points and five rebounds in 24 minutes of play, while senior center Dennis Clifford manned the paint with 11 rebounds to accompany his seven points.
Boston College also was granted valuable performances from other freshman as well. Guard Sammy Barnes-Thompkins hit two three-pointers en route to a nine-point showing in 16 minutes of action, while Latvian forward Ervins Meznieks chipped in seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in 21 minutes.
For the Terriers, putting the ball in the basket was a tumultuous effort. The team's first 14 shots from the field went awry, the rim being enclosed by a lid until 11:32 remained in the first half as senior forward Jon Doss finally broke through with a three-pointer.
St. Francis shot just 28% from the field while hitting on just six of their 24 three-point attempts, underlining a porous offensive effort which pitted the sqaud in an insurmountable hole early on.
Reserve guard Dagur Jonsson lead the Terriers with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting in 31 minutes, garnering five rebounds as well. Forward Chris Hooper garnered eight points, three rebounds, and three blocks, while forward Amdy Fall chipped in seven points and seven boards despite shooting just 1-for-7 from the field and turning the ball over three times.
Guard Tyreek Jewell, St. Francis' leading returning scorer, struggled from the field as well, converting on just two of his 10 field goal attempts in a six-point effort.
A jumper by Carter provided the Eagles with a 2-0 lead 1:26 into the contest, and the Eagles never looked back. A jump-shot and an and-one layup by Robinson followed to give the team a 7-0 lead, preceding a layup by Carter and a subsequent bucket by Meznieks.
After a jumper by Carter with 12:17 remaining in the half, Boston College lead 13-0, the game almost out of reach before the Terriers even converted a single basket. A three-pointer by Doss cut the deficit to 21-8 with 8:34 left in the first half, however, the Eagles strangled control of the ballgame from that point, going on a 20-8 run to close out the first 20 minutes with a 41-16 lead.