CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team faced its first loss of the new year on Wednesday, falling 78-68 to the Boston College Eagles (9-5, 1-2 ACC) at Conte Forum.

Senior Matthew Cleveland led the Hurricanes (4-9, 0-2 ACC) in scoring for the third straight game, totaling 21 points against Boston College for his third consecutive double-digit scoring contest. Graduate student Lynn Kidd and senior Brandon Johnson paced Miami on the glass, totaling eight rebounds apiece.

The Hurricanes started the game on a 10-2 run, thanks largely to Kidd, who scored six of Miami’s first 10 points. Five Miami players scored five or more points in the first 20 minutes to put the Hurricanes up by 19, 32-13, at the 8:38 mark in the frame.

Chad Venning responded for the Eagles by pouring in 15 first-half points to cut the Hurricanes’ lead to 12 points, 41-29, at the halftime break.

Boston College opened the second half on a 10-2 run to pull to within four, 43-39, of the Hurricanes just four minutes into the half.

Cleveland put the Hurricanes on his back midway through the frame, ratting on 10 straight points to extend Miami’s lead back to seven, 53-46, at the 12:58 mark.

However, the Eagles continued to fight back and took their first lead of the day, 56-55, on a 3-pointer by Roger McFarlane with 8:15 to play in the game. The threes continued to fall for the Eagles in the second half as they shot 57 percent from 3-point range.

Boston College stifled the Hurricanes’ offense in the second half, holding Miami to a 28.6 percent shooting effort in the final 20 minutes. The Eagles ultimately outscored the Hurricanes 49-27 in the second half to come away with the 78-68 victory.

The Hurricanes remain on the road for their next game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Tipoff at Cassell Coliseum is set for 2 p.m., and the game will air on ACC Network.

Courtesy of Miami Athletics

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