BOSTON (AP) — Elijah Strong scored 25 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and Donald Hand Jr. scored 17 points and Boston College held off Temple for a 72-69 win on Friday night.
Chad Venning added 10 points for Boston College (2-1) who beat the Owls for the first time in program history.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. scored 23 points, Steve Settle III scored 15 and reserve Elijah Gray 10 for Temple (3-1).
BC’s Chas Kelley III made 1 of 2 foul shots with nine seconds remaining for the game’s final points. Opting not to foul, Mashburn’s desperation 3-point attempt to tie it was contested and he missed to end the game.
Mashburn banked in a 3 with 17 seconds left to bring the Owls within 70-69. Seven seconds earlier, Strong hit a jumper to give the Eagles a 70-66 advantage.
Strong’s three-point play with 5:06 left gave BC the lead for good at 64-63.
The Eagles entered 0-4 all-time against Temple. Friday’s game was the first between the two programs in 22 seasons and was the first of a two-year home-and-home series.