Boston College’s season-opening homestand continues with a Friday afternoon contest against Detroit Mercy.

The Eagles (1-0) were 79-77 Monday winners over Cornell, using freshman Prince Aligbe’s layup in the final second of regulation to emerge victorious.

Leading BC’s rookie-heavy lineup and five double-digit scorers, Aligbe had 16 points, nine rebounds and two steals in his college debut.

“You’re playing four freshmen, that’s really hard,” BC coach Earl Grant said. “But, we figured it out.”

With Quinten Post injured, T.J. Bickerstaff stepped up inside and became only the second Atlantic Coast Conference player since 1996 to record at least 12 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, five steals and two blocks.

Makai Ashton-Langford scored 12 and dished his fourth assist to set up Aligbe’s winner. Jaeden Zackery had 11 points, seven assists and four of BC’s 16 steals, its most in a game since 1999.

BC has started 2-0 in four of the past five seasons, only falling short of that mark after beginning the pandemic-altered 2020-21 schedule against Villanova at Mohegan Sun.

“You just take it one game at a time,” Grant said. “You want to be playing your best in March, so it’s a pursuit to become a really good team.”

Detroit Mercy (1-0) downed NAIA foe Rochester 93-65 on Tuesday, snapping a five-game losing streak in season openers.

“(BC is) going to be a totally different game,” Titans coach Mike Davis said. “Those guys are big, strong, and they’ll come after us. They’re a very good team, well coached.”

Against Rochester, graduate point guard Antoine Davis recorded 28 points in his 112th consecutive game as a double-figure scorer, putting him just three behind the NCAA record. The Horizon League Preseason Player of the Year has scored at least 20 points in 78 of those 112 games.

Davis hit 4 of 12 from 3-point range and dished out nine assists, helping forward Jordan Phillips and fellow guard Jayden Stone post double-doubles and career-high marks with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

–Field Level Media