Wed Jan 16 00:00:23 2008

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Eagles continue domination of 'Canes

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Chestnut Hill, MA (Sports Network) - Rakim Sanders drained 20 points, shooting 8-of-12 from the field, as the Boston College Eagles continued their mastery of No. 21 University of Miami-Florida, quieting the Hurricanes in a 76-66 upset.

Tyrese Rice poured in 14 points while hauling in eight rebounds and handing out six assists for BC (12-4, 3-0 ACC), which has downed Miami in 13 straight meetings. Shamari Spears notched 12 points, and Tyrelle Blair recorded a double-double, reeling in 12 boards to go with 11 points and five blocks. The Eagles have won back-to-back matchups, improving to 10-3 as the host.

Jack McClinton contributed 20 points on just 6-of-26 shooting for Miami (14-2, 1-1 ACC), failing in its attempt to break the school record for best start to a season, only able to equal the 2001-02 and 1959-60 squads. James Dews added 15 points, while Lance Hurdle chipped in with 13 points off the bench. The 'Canes snapped a two-game win streak, dropping to 2-1 on the road.

The Eagles wasted no time establishing the tempo, kicking off the game with a 20-4 flurry. Sanders and Rice highlighted the run for Boston College. Sanders tallied six points, and Rice did a little of everything, dropping in four points while dishing out four assists, grabbing three rebounds and even swatting a shot.

Rice found Corey Raji out on a fastbreak, and Raji finished the break and the burst, slamming home the 20-4 lead with 10:28 left in the half.

Meanwhile, Miami was unable to muster much, though it did notch the final points of the half. Brian Asbury hit a layup with 29 seconds to play, but the 'Canes were getting crushed, 36-22, heading into the locker rooms.

After allowing BC to build on its lead out of the break, the Hurricanes finally stormed back to life, ripping off a 17-5 scoring streak. McClinton stroked a three-pointer with 6:00 remaining to bring Miami within 10, 60-50.

UM, however, was unable to cut the deficit to single-digits, until McClinton connected from the charity stripe with 1:25 on the clock made it 73-64.

Game Notes

BC holds a 22-8 advantage over Miami in the overall series. Last season, the Eagles swept three meetings from the Hurricanes, including a 74-71 overtime victory in the ACC Tournament...Despite the lopsided loss, Miami only turned the ball over 11 times, compared to BC's 15...The game came down to efficient shooting, as the 'Canes chucked up 76 shots from the field while only converting 24, good for a 31.6 percentage. Meanwhile, the Eagles shot 26-of-55 for a 47.3 field goal percentage.