BOSTON – All the frustrating late-game losses finally were worth it for Boston College. The young Eagles looked as if they've grown up a lot with their upset of No. 15 Florida State.
Jordan Daniels scored a career-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers, to the Eagles to a 64-60 victory over Florida State on Wednesday night
"I felt really confident," said Daniels, one of six freshman that played significant minutes. "Being able to pull it out at the end like that really measures our growth. Coach told us in the locker room: This far in, we're not freshmen anymore."
Boston College, which had early season losses to in-state rivals Holy Cross, Massachusetts, Harvard and Boston University — all by double digits — snapped a six-game losing streak. The Eagles fell behind 23-10 before they went on a 3-point shooting barrage during a 23-3 spurt that gave them confidence.
The loss snapped the Seminoles' win streak at seven games. They entered tied with North Carolina atop the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I don't put great emphasis on wins and losses with this group," BC coach Steve Donahue said. "I don't ever. If they're going to do their best and working their tails off, I'm satisfied. I've been really happy the last two weeks."
The Eagles had been close in the final five minutes of their last five games before falling apart at the end.
"We've been in that position before, not many times this season had we been able to pull it out in the stretch," Daniels said, "but this time it was something. We really came together and we were able to do it."
BC (8-16, 3-7 ACC) had lost nine of its previous 11. It had not beaten a ranked team in three years.
But the Eagles took the lead midway through the first half and fell behind only briefly in the second, running their lead to eight points and holding on.
Michael Snaer scored 16 for Florida State (16-7, 7-2). But he shot 6-for-18 from the floor and made one of seven 3-point attempts.
Matt Humphrey scored 15 points and Ryan Anderson had 14 points and six rebounds for the Eagles.
The Eagles led by eight points, 55-47, midway through the second half before Florida State began sending them to the foul line. The Seminoles cut the deficit to three points, 60-57, after BC's Matt Humphrey missed the front end of a one-and-one with 1:43 to play and Okaro White made his free throws at the other end.
Bernard James blocked Anderson, and Deividas Dulkys saved the ball from going out of bounds. But with a chance to tie it or cut the deficit to one point, Luke Loucks fired up a 25-footer that clanged off the side of the rim, and BC's Lonnie Jackson grabbed the rebound; he was fouled and hit his free throws to give BC a five-point cushion.
Snaer, who bandaged his left pinky early in the second half, hit a 3-pointer with under 10 seconds left, but BC iced it from the free-throw line.
BC had eight 3-pointers in the first half for only its second halftime lead in 2012.
Florida State, which had attained its highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1998, entered the night tied with North Carolina atop the ACC. The Seminoles won the head-to-head matchup.
Florida State trailed 5-4 before scoring the next 12 points. The Seminoles led by 13, 23-10 with 8:37 left in the first half, before BC scored eight points in a row, 14 of 16 and 23 of 26 — including six 3-pointers in a span of 4:17.
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