Heath, Hamilton lead Boston College past High Point 59-33

BOSTON (AP) — Jay Heath scored 14 points, Jared Hamilton had 12 and Boston College cruised to a 59-33 victory over High Point Wednesday night.

Steffon Mitchell had 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Derryck Thornton scored seven with five assists before leaving with an ankle injury for the Eagles (3-0).

BC forward Jairus Hamilton missed his second straight game with a leg injured suffered in the opener.

Denny Slay II led High Point (0-3) with 10 points. The Panthers shot just 25 % (12 of 48) and committed 29 turnovers.

Thornton, a graduate transfer from USC and the team’s leading scorer the first two games at 22.5 per game, limped to the locker room favoring his right ankle early in the second half, but returned to the bench and seemed to be moving fine coming onto the court to cheer on his teammates during timeouts.

BC closed the final six minutes of a sloppy first half with a 17-4 run to take a 33-18 lead into intermission. Jared Hamilton scored seven points in the spree and Thornton had five.

The Eagles broke it open by scoring the first 19 points of the second half, holding the Panthers scoreless for the initial 10:31 until Cliff Thomas Jr.’s three-point play. High Point missed its first 11 shots and had six turnovers.

The game was part of the Gotham Classic, which features five teams from across the country (also Eastern Washington, Saint Louis and Belmont) playing four games apiece.

BIG PICTURE

High Point: Trying to build a program in his second season at his alma mater, head coach Tubby Smith looks like he has a lot of work ahead of him. The Panthers also had double-digit losses against William & Mary and Wofford.

Boston College: For the third straight game, the Eagles showed defensive intensity that was missing a lot last season. They jumped to a quick 10-0 lead, but let it slip away when they let up. They came out even more committed to start the second half. It showed they’re not good enough to have those letdowns against more talented teams.

UP NEXT

High Point: Hosts Belmont on Monday night.

Boston College: Hosts Belmont Saturday afternoon.

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