“Survive and advance” is a phrase usually saved for March, but it’s exactly what Boston College has done in the Cayman Islands Classic over the last couple of nights.
A night after outlasting Missouri State in an overtime thriller, the Eagles (5-1) will take on Boise State (5-1) in the tournament’s championship game Tuesday in George Town, Cayman Islands.
Elijah Strong’s second 3-pointer of the extra session, coming with 4.1 seconds remaining, was the difference in the 76-74 victory over the Bears. Boston College is now within one win of its first multi-team event victory since 2018-19.
“Obviously, that was a âgritty, not pretty’ (win), right?” coach Earl Grant said. He added that in the Missouri Valley Conference, in which Missouri State competes, “the games were always in the 50s with a few minutes to go, so I knew it would be a grinder. I’m glad we won it. We needed that for growth.
“We came here … for an early opportunity to compete for a championship, and our hope is still alive.”
Strong scored eight of his 13 points in overtime, while fellow sophomores Donald Hand Jr. and Fred Payne each had 18 for the Eagles.
Payne, who had multiple injuries shorten his freshman season to five games, has scored in double digits for three straight contests. He began the trip to the Cayman Islands with 11 points in 14 minutes of the Eagles’ 82-52 win over Old Dominion on Sunday.
“The game kind of presented different things with foul trouble, so other guys had to step up and make plays,” Grant said. “Fred did a beautiful job. … and then Elijah delivered some huge shots late.”
While Boston College’s latest game featured 16 lead changes and eight ties, Boise State is coming off an 83-82 win over South Dakota State in which the score flipped 17 times and tied on 13 occasions.
The second free throw of a one-and-one that rolled off the rim was the difference.
“What a heck of a game,” Boise State coach Leon Rice said. “When you play a team that shoots like they can, it’s pretty tough. … Our guys just hung with it.”
Javan Buchanan scored a season-high 28 points to lead the Broncos, who shot 47.5 percent from the field. Buchanan went 11-of-17 from the field, including four 3-pointers and a layup with 63 seconds left in the game.
Tyson Degenhart (11 points) has scored in double figures in all six games, while Alvaro Cardenas had 16 points with seven assists, and Julian Bowie was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for 11 points.
Rice has seen the team’s shooting as an early-season strength.
“I know we can shoot. I know that’s a big weapon, so (South Dakota State) kind of picked their poison there,” he said. “Javon was a big hero (Monday) and so was Julian, but we’ve got a lot of other guys that will step up and surprise some people.”
