Boston College lost to Clemson 78-69 in their season finale at Conte Forum. Jayden Hastings started strong with an early dunk and 5 points, but Clemson quickly took control, leading by 10 after finding defensive stops. Despite BC’s attempts, including a run that cut the lead to 5, Clemson consistently answered back. Although Hastings set a career-high in the first half, BC struggled with turnovers and matchups. Dion Brown’s late efforts briefly narrowed the gap, but BC’s shooting slump—missing 10 of 11 shots—halted any comeback hopes. Clemson secured the win, leaving BC with another disappointing outcome.
On Wednesday evening, Boston College concluded their Conte Forum season with a 78-69 defeat to Clemson.
Jayden Hastings got off to an impressive start, showcasing a fantastic block on Schefflin during the game’s second possession, followed by an and-1 dunk. He netted the Eagles’ first 5 points, but a couple of buckets from Chase Hunter and a run by Viktor Lakhin kept Clemson ahead. Both teams began strongly on offense, with multiple easy scoring opportunities near the basket. However, this fast-paced play didn’t last, as Clemson managed some defensive stops and extended their lead to 10 points by the 11:17 mark. As usual, BC struggled to defend against ball screens. Clemson capitalized with easy looks from a big man roller and open 3s in the corners. Jaeden Zackery then scored 8 consecutive points for the Tigers, increasing their lead to 14.
BC gained a little momentum with a Hand transition 3-pointer, narrowing the lead to 11. On the next possession, the Eagles forced a turnover and Dion Brown took advantage with another 3-pointer. However, Clemson quickly answered with a 7-point run, restoring their 15-point cushion. Jayden Hastings stood out as the brightest spot for the Eagles in the first half – achieving a career-high in points before the intermission – but it was mostly a Clemson offensive showcase as they led, 49-39.
The Eagles came out aggressively in the second half, narrowing the gap to just 6 after a tough take by Eli Strong. Yet, like in the first half, every time BC appeared to gain momentum, Clemson responded. BC simply lacked the depth to compete with Clemson’s diverse offensive threats both from the perimeter and inside. Grant shuffled his rotations, even giving Kany Tchanda and Luka Toews some notable playing time, but Clemson consistently maintained a multi-possession advantage.
This changed around the 11-minute mark, when Dion Brown capitalized on two turnovers for fast-break points, cutting the lead to 5. He then stepped back for a rhythm three-pointer, reducing the deficit to 2 and prompting a Clemson timeout. Unfortunately for BC, they went nearly four minutes without scoring afterward. Clemson regained a 9-point lead, once again taking the energy out of Conte Forum, before Hastings (who delivered his strongest performance to date) trimmed it back to 3. In the following 2 minutes, the Eagles forced 3 turnovers and had several chances to either tie or reduce the lead to 1, but they were unable to convert. Clemson then scored again to push their lead back to 5, and BC missed 10 of their next 11 attempts, effectively squashing their chances for a comeback. Clemson ultimately secured the 78-69 victory in yet another frustrating game for Grant’s team.