Chatman's 30 carries BC past Richmond 78-73 in overtime

BOSTON -- Jordan Chatman left campus with some good memories for his cross-country flight home for the Christmas break.

Chatman nailed one of his seven 3-pointers in overtime and matched his career-high with 30 points, Ky Bowman hit a key 3 and Boston College beat Richmond 78-73 Saturday to surpass its win total from each of the past two seasons.

"It's funny," Chatman said, smiling. "I missed more of the open ones than the contested ones. I had it going early. I felt good."

The 6-foot-5 junior guard from Vancouver, Washington, was 10 of 16 from the floor, and nailed 7 of 10 from beyond the arc.

"We found a way to win," BC coach Jim Christian said. "That's what you have to do. You're not going to play great individually or collectively every night."

Bowman had 17 points and Jerome Robinson 12 for the Eagles (10-3), who won their fifth straight game -- their longest streak since 2012-13.

BC won despite being outrebounded 45-36 and missing 15 of 25 3-point attempts.

"We don't have a plethora of depth, so we need everybody to play well," Christian said. "This is a tough game for a lot of people -- going home for Christmas for a lot of guys."

Grant Golden scored 17 points and Khwan Fore 14 for Richmond (2-10). The Spiders have lost eight of nine.

"This is a really good BC team," Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. "To come up here and be close to a win is really good for us."

The Eagles won just nine games last season and seven the one prior.

Chatman's 3 gave BC a 73-71 edge. Bowman's from the right wing made it 76-71 with 54 seconds left.

"They made a nice play," Mooney said of Bowman's trey. "I wish we could have handled that a little bit differently, so we weren't in that position."

Fore's baseline drive tied the game at 66 with 24.8 seconds left in regulation. BC's Steffon Mitchell missed a 3 from the left corner at the buzzer, sending it to OT.

Jacob Gilyard's 3-point play had given the Spiders a 61-59 lead, their first of the game, but Bowman followed with a 3-point play.

Chatman's free throw made it 63-61, but Nick Sherod nailed a 3 from the right corner on the next possession.

Chatman then hit his sixth 3-pointer of the game, making it 66-64.

BIG PICTURE

Richmond: The Spiders have opened the season with a tough schedule -- ranked 37th in the RPI. Combined with a nice effort against BC, it should help them when they get into Atlantic 10 play.

"We've played a challenging schedule for such a young team and it's hard when there are not tangible results that are positive," Mooney said.

Boston College: After navigating through their nonconference schedule with just three losses and an upset over then-No. 1 and previously unbeaten Duke, the Eagles should have confidence for their Atlantic Coast Conference schedule. A win in one of their first few games is important to keep a good flow going this season.

"We have 10 wins before Christmas and that's what you want," Christian said. "You want to give yourself a chance to get to the postseason."

LIMPING

Robinson came up favoring his left leg after hitting the floor early in the opening half and saw limited action the remainder of the half. He was looked at quickly by the trainer and remained on the bench with two fouls until late in the half. He started the second.

YOUNG AT HEART

Richmond's top four scorers entering Saturday were either freshmen or sophomores, with two in each year.

FAST START

Behind Chatman's 6-for-7 shooting (4 of 5 on 3s), BC pulled to a 31-14 lead 12 1/2 minutes into the game before Richmond closed the first half by scoring 19 of the final 27 points.

UP NEXT

Richmond: Hosts Davidson on Saturday in its A-10 opener.

Boston College: Returns to ACC play Saturday at Virginia.