Robinson scores 25, BC defeats La Salle 82-61

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- Jerome Robinson scored a season-high 25 points to lead Boston College over La Salle 82-61 on Sunday in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

Nik Popovic had 18 points for the Eagles (4-1). Ky Bowman added 13 points with seven assists and Jordan Chatman 10. Deontae Hawkins had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. All five Boston College starters scored in double digits for the second straight game.

"We have a lot more pieces on offense than we did before and I feel like it's all coming together for us," said Robinson, who was 8 for 14 from the field and 3 for 4 on 3-pointers. "I wasn't comfortable before because there were so many pieces and I had to pick and choose.

"I kind of figured it out today."

Boston College outrebound La Salle 48-30.

B.J. Johnson led the Explorers (3-2) with 27 points, while Pookie Powell added 16. No other player scored more than six points.

"I thought today we just really had a great response after (the loss to Texas Tech)," Boston College coach Jim Christian said. "We knew we were capable of playing a lot better and we came out to prove it."

The Eagles closed the first half on a 10-0 run, with Bowman hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer, to make it 30-22. The Explorers led 17-13 with 10:42 left, but finished the half making just 1 of their last 14 shots.

"It was a big momentum change," La Salle coach Dr. John Giannini said. "The last two minutes of that 10-0 run was a complete momentum change."

Bowman and Popovic each had eight points at the half, and the Eagles scored eight points off eight offensive rebounds.

In the second half, La Salle cut the lead to 40-34 on Johnnie Shuler's 3-pointers inside 13 minutes, but the Eagles answered with a 10-3 run to create some breathing room.

"I'm not really worried about who's scoring, I'm concerned with us making the right plays," Christian said. "I liked the way we played."

BC shot 56 percent in the second half, and 48 percent for the game. La Salle finished at 34 percent shooting overall.

In two losses at the tournament, teams shot 45 percent on the perimeter against the Explorers.

BIG PICTURE

Boston College: The Eagles are getting plenty of offense with at least three players scoring in double figures every game.

La Salle: The Explorers have already found their go-to guy in Johnson, who is a transfer from Syracuse. The fifth-year senior has led the team in scoring four times.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

The Eagles not only won the rebound battle, but they used it to generate their offense. Boston College turned 15 offensive rebounds into a 19-3 advantage in second-chance points. Popovic scored eight of his points on four offensive boards.

HE SAID IT

"We struggled the whole game offensively. I thought we played hard enough on defense the first 18 minutes that we had a chance to win the game, and things changed after that. . We really couldn't do anything well the final 22 minutes of the game." -- Giannini

UP NEXT

La Salle meets its second ranked team of the season, No. 11 Miami, on Wednesday.

Boston College hosts Colgate on Wednesday before ending the month with road trips to Providence and Nebraska.