Although Boston College has played only two games this season, head coach Earl Grant said his team’s strength is obvious as it enters Tuesday night’s non-conference matchup against Central Connecticut State in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

“Our identity is defense,” Grant said. “We have to know who we are. We want to defend. That’s something we can control.”

The Boston College defense was in control for most of last Thursday’s 76-47 victory over The Citadel. The Citadel had a nine-point lead seven minutes into the game, but Boston College prevented the Bulldogs from scoring for the next five minutes after that, seizing the lead for good with a 14-0 run. The Citadel shot 30.2% from the field (16-for-53).

It was the first time Boston College has held a non-conference opponent to less than 50 points at home since a 53-49 victory over Rhode Island in 2022.

Despite missing each of his seven 3-point attempts, Donald Hand Jr. led the Eagles with 18 points and eight rebounds. Hand also tossed in a team-high 20 points when Boston College opened the season with an 83-78 loss to Florida Atlantic.

“Played hard, played with good energy,” Grant said. “We were unselfish.

“I think our bench did give us a lift. We have a lot of talented guys on that bench. I think we have eight starters, but you can only start five.”

Central Connecticut (1-1), a member of the Northeast Conference, opened its season with a 117-55 win over Vermont State Johnson before losing 71-49 at Quinnipiac on Thursday. Offense was the main issue in the loss, as the Blue Devils shot 27.7% from the field (18-of-65), including 4-of-23 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Forward Darin Smith Jr. tossed in 10 points during the loss, finishing as the only Central Connecticut player in double figures. The Blue Devils had to replace all five starters from last year’s team that was 25-7.

“We let the lack of offense bleed into our defense,” Central Connecticut coach Patrick Sellers said. “We have 10 new guys and a lot of guys who are new to their roles. All of the guys have to learn their role to be productive.”

-Field Level Media