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BOSTON (AP) — Boston College dribbled out the clock, and the few hundred fans at the Conte Forum rose to sing the school fight song.
So this is what it looks like after a BC victory.
The Eagles snapped a 20-game losing streak on Tuesday night, getting 16 points from Jerome Robinson and 13 rebounds from Mo Jeffers to beat Maryland-Eastern Shore 73-57. It was BC's first victory since Dec. 30, 2015, including an 0-18 Atlantic Coast Conference record that was a first for the league.
"All summer, we had a bad taste in our mouths," said forward Connar Tava, a graduate transfer who wasn't a part of the 2015-16 team that went 7-25 and lost its last 19 games. "This was a stepping stone. We need to build off it."
Tava had 10 rebounds, and A.J. Turner scored 13 points for BC (1-1), which opened the season with a loss to Nicholls State that stretched the losing streak to 20.
Coach Jim Christian said his players weren't dwelling on the skid — especially the five freshmen and two transfers who had no part of it.
"Seven of them are 1-1. Those guys don't worry about any of that," he said. "People outside worry about it — and they should. But inside, we just needed to get better. We got better."
Bakari Copeland scored 14 points and Dontae Caldwell had 10 rebounds for the Hawks (0-3).
Copeland made the first basket of the game for the Hawks' only lead. It was tied 5-all before BC scored eight straight points. The Eagles went on an 8-1 run near the end of the first half to open a 39-27 lead.
The Hawks got as close as seven points, 49-42, with 12 minutes left in the second. But Ky Bowman hit a 3-pointer, Jordan Chatman made a basket and A.J. Turner and Garland Owens had dunks to make it a 16-point game.
"The thing I really wanted to see was a response," Christian said. "We came out the first five minutes and played hard. That's progress."
BIG PICTURE
Maryland-Eastern Shore: In the middle of a five-game road trip, the Hawks travel to Kansas, Colorado and Louisiana before returning home.
Boston College: The losing streak is over. The Eagles will try to pick up a couple of more wins on the non-conference schedule before resuming ACC play on Jan. 1 against Syracuse.
SHORE SCORE
The Hawks scored 71 and 73 points in their two losses, to George Washington and Maryland-Baltimore County. They had gone 23 straight games without scoring as few as 57.
"To keep them at (57) was a huge step forward for us," Christian said.
MORE REGRETS
Robinson was a freshman on the BC team that went winless in the ACC, but it's the 79-73 loss to Nicholls State that was on his mind this weekend.
"That night, I didn't really talk to anybody. It was not the way I wanted the season to start," he said. "We went right back to work after it. We didn't want to have a relapse."
UP NEXT
Maryland-Eastern Shore: Plays at Wichita State on Sunday.
Boston College: Hosts Stony Brook on Sunday in the opening round of the Barclays Center Classic.
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