Luke Hunger scored 16 of his 20 points in the first half as Boston College built a commanding lead en route to an 82-54 win over visiting Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Eagles shot 43.6% from the field, 11 of 29 (37.9%) from 3-point range and 23 of 24 (95.8%) from the free throw line as they improved to 3-0 under first-year coach Luke Murray.
Zak Smrekar scored 10 of his 16 points after halftime, while Colby Duggan netted his first four 3-pointers of the season as part of a 14-point performance. Armoni Zeigler scored all seven of his points in the second half and added a team-high nine rebounds to go with three assists and three steals.
Isaiah Griffin had a game-high 23 points and Bobby Gardner added 12 for UMES (1-3), which held its own in the shooting department (42.9%) but was outrebounded 42-20.
The Eagles played in front from the start. Money Williams’ block from behind helped set up Duggan for a 3-pointer in the opening 15 seconds, and the lead reached 10 after a Williams 3 capped an 8-0 run 7:01 in. Hunger sank a layup and a triple as the run reached 13-3.
UMES responded with seven straight and a 9-2 run to cut the margin to 24-18, with Gardner scoring three baskets and Alvin Cole hitting from distance. But a Hunger dunk and Duggan’s second trey moved the hosts back ahead by double digits.
A perfect 14-for-14 from the line and Ernest Shelton’s layup with 2:04 left helped Boston College grow its lead to 43-25 at halftime. UMES shot 47.6% from the field in the half but was 3-for-7 at the line and went without a field goal for the final 4:34.
The hosts continued to get to the line following the break, with Smrekar hitting all three after being fouled behind the arc in the opening minute.
Griffin scored seven points in the first four-plus minutes of the second half for the Hawks, but Zeigler and Smrekar both knocked down 3s and Zeigler made a tough layup as part of an 8-0 Eagles run to make it a 24-point game, 59-35, with 13:29 left.
BC’s advantage grew to 29 after a Shelton three-point play and a Zeigler layup capped a 7-0 run with 10:05 remaining to make it 66-37.
Griffin was 6 of 8 from the stripe in the second half, but Duggan continued his hot shooting by draining a 3 with 8:01 left. JB Frankel hit a pair of 3s off the bench and Smrekar had a runaway dunk in the final 3:25 to finish the victory.
