James Karnik scored 11 of his 13 points in the first half as Boston College defeated Pittsburgh 66-46 in the opening game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Tuesday afternoon in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Boston College broke a four-game tournament losing streak for its first victory in an ACC tournament game since the second round in 2018. That game was also held at Barclays Center.
DeMarr Langford Jr. tallied 12 points, Quinten Post added 11 and reserve Brevin Galloway provided nine points for the Eagles, who shot 53.5 percent from the field. It matched their largest winning margin in an ACC tournament game.
Karnik shot 6 for 8 from the floor.
No. 13 seed Boston College (12-19), which broke a three-game losing streak, meets fifth-seeded Wake Forest (23-8) in Wednesday afternoon’s second round.
John Hugley’s 15 points, Mouhamadou Gueye’s 12 and Jamarius Burton’s 10 points paced 12th-seeded Pittsburgh (11-21), which ended the season with five straight losses after a Feb. 16 upset at North Carolina.
The Panthers were in a first-round game for the sixth straight year, failing to reach the second round for the second year in a row. They were held to a season-low point total.
Karnik went 5-of-6 shooting in the first half as the Eagles led 33-22 at the break.
Boston College shot 54.2 percent from the field in the first half compared to Pittsburgh’s 34.6.
Then the Eagles began the second half by scoring 14 of the next 19 points.
Pittsburgh continued to slump with its perimeter shooting, finishing 3-for-11 on 3-pointers.
While defense had let down the Panthers in recent games, it was the offense that was troublesome in this matchup. They shot 40 percent from the floor and also had problems with free throws at 7 for 12.
Reserves accounted for only three Pittsburgh points.
The teams split regular-season games in January, each winning at home.
–Field Level Media