For the second time in three games, Boston College took a lead into halftime in the Eagles’ bid for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the season.
Once again, it wasn’t enough.
Jaron Blossomgame scored 23 points and Clemson kept its long-shot NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 65-54 victory over BC on Wednesday night in Greenville, S.C.
The Tigers (16-10, 9-5) trailed, 34-31, at the half and were down, 43-42, with 12 minutes left before going on a 16-5 run to gain control and send the Eagles (7-19, 0-13) to their 13th straight loss.
BC’s leading scorer, Eli Carter, was 1-of-17 shooting to end with 5 points, 11 fewer than his season’s average. Dennis Clifford had 17 points to lead the Eagles.
BC surpassed its previous worst losing streak of 12, set in 1999-2000 as members of the Big East.
Coach Jim Christian said his team has not shown signs of giving in during a poor season and perhaps played its best three-game stretch in losing to North Carolina (68-65), Syracuse (75-61), and at Clemson.
‘‘Our young guys are getting a little more experience and just have to hang in there,’’ Christian said. ‘‘As I told the guys, it’s not easy, but I’m impressed with what they’re doing.’’
BC made 13 of 28 shots in the opening half after entering dead last in ACC field goal shooting. The Eagles were 6 of 14 from behind the arc, after coming in 13th in that category in ACC play. BC rallied from 9 points down early to grab the 3-point halftime lead on Sammy Barnes-Thompkins’s second 3-pointer of the period with 47 seconds left.
Donte Grantham put the Tigers up for good, 45-43, with a 3-pointer before Blossomgame’s two foul shots.
Xavier 85, Providence 74 — Myles Davis (11 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) had the eighth-ranked Musketeers’ first triple-double in five years, and Xavier (23-3, 11-3 Big East) held off the No. 23 Friars (19-8, 7-7) in Cincinnati.
Kris Dunn scored 23 points for Providence, which has lost four of its last five.
BU 71, Colgate 68 — Cheddi Mosely scored 15 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his first career double-double and the Terriers (17-11, 10-5) held off the visiting Raiders (12-14, 8-7) to keep pace in the Patriot League race. BU extended its winning streak to seven and remained tied with Lehigh for second place, one game behind Bucknell.
Fordham 76, UMass 66 — Trey Davis had 20 points and 10 boards but the host Rams (13-11, 4-9 Atlantic 10) built a 15-point halftime lead and held off the Minutemen (11-14, 4-9).
Army 72, Holy Cross 68 — Kevin Ferguson scored a career-high 25 points on 12-for-16 shooting and corralled 13 rebounds to lead the Black Knights (16-11, 7-8 Patriot) past the visiting Crusaders. Malachi Alexander and Cullen Hamilton each scored 17 points for Holy Cross (10-16, 5-10).
Vermont 78, Binghamton 64 — Cam Ward scored 16 points, including the first 8 of a 21-4 run late in the second half that propelled the host Catamounts (16-12, 8-5 America East) past the Bearcats (6-20, 3-10).
Duke 74, North Carolina 73 — Grayson Allen scored 23 points and freshman Derryck Thornton came up with the clinching block on the final play to help the No. 20 Blue Devils (20-6, 9-4 ACC) edge the No. 5 Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Allen hit a pair of free throws with 1:09 left for the lead on a night when the Blue Devils trailed most of the way. Then Duke came up with a pair of stops in the final minute, first on a shot attempt inside in traffic by Kennedy Meeks. Then, on UNC’s final possession, Thornton blocked Joel Berry II’s shot in the lane. Allen rebounded the ball and flung it into the air to let the final seconds expire, and then the players raced to the bench to mob each other and celebrate.
Brice Johnson had 29 points and 19 rebounds in a dominating performance for North Carolina (21-5, 10-3).
Texas Tech 65, Oklahoma 63 — Aaron Ross scored 17 points, Keenan Evan added 14, and the host Red Raiders (16-9, 6-7 Big 12) upset the No. 3 Sooners for their third straight victory over a Top 25 team.
Evans hit three free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal it for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders had never beaten three Top 25 teams in a row. Texas Tech’s bench was the key, getting 25 points to seven for the Sooners’ backups.
Jordan Woodard scored 26 points, and Buddy Hield added 16 for Oklahoma (20-5, 8-5).
Villanova 83, Temple 67 — Jalen Brunson scored a season-high 25 points and the No. 1 Wildcats (23-3) pulled away to beat the host Owls (16-9) for their sixth straight win. Villanova took its 14th straight game in the Philadelphia Big 5 to claim its third consecutive city series title.
Penn State 79, Iowa 75 — Donovon Jack scored 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, and the host Nittany Lions (13-13, 4-9 Big Ten) upset the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes (20-6, 11-3).
Louisville 72, Syracuse 58 — Damion Lee scored 15 points and the No. 18 Cardinals (20-6, 9-4 ACC) pulled away in the second half to beat the visiting Orange (18-9, 8-6).
Saint Joseph’s 79, Dayton 70 — DeAndre’ Bembry had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and the host Hawks (22-4, 11-2) beat the No. 15 Flyers (21-4, 11-2) for their fourth straight win. The victory moved Saint Joseph’s into a tie for first atop the Atlantic 10 with Dayton and VCU.
Women’s basketball
UConn 88, Cincinnati 34 — Breanna Stewart scored 14 points off the bench to lead the top-ranked Huskies to their 62d consecutive win.
The senior added eight rebounds and five assists in just 21 minutes as UConn (25-0, 14-0 American Athletic) reached the 25-win plateau for the 23d consecutive season.
Coach Geno Auriemma chose not to start Stewart, a two-time national player of the year, or his two other stars, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck.
Ana Owens and Bianca Quisenberry each had nine points for Cincinnati (7-18, 3-11 American).
BU 71, Colgate 58 — Meghan Doogan scored a career-high 23 points — the most by any Terrier this season — and BU (3-22, 3-11 Patriot) posted its first road win of the season by topping the Raiders (4-20, 2-12).
UMass 76, Dayton 69 — Cierra Dillard scored 25 points and the host Minutewomen (8-17, 2-11 Atlantic 10) got their first win over the Flyers (13-11, 8-7) since 2007.
