Cavaliers Win at Boston College 79-74

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BOSTON (AP) – Mamadi Diane scored 20 points, including a key 3-pointer with 45 seconds left, and Virginia snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 79-74 win over Boston College on Sunday.

Sean Singletary scored 16 points, Laurynas Mikalauskas 13 and Mike Scott 11 for the Cavaliers (12-12, 2-9 Atlantic Coast Conference). Virginia’s only other ACC win was also against BC — 84-66 at home on Jan. 19.

Tyrese Rice led the Eagles (13-11, 4-7) with 28 points on 11-for-24 shooting. Tyrelle Blair added 11 points and Shamari Spears 10 for BC.

The Eagles lost for the seventh time in eight games.

Virginia led 71-63 after Scott’s short jumper in the lane with 2:51 to go, but BC rallied to cut it to one on Rice’s 3 from the left corner with 67 seconds left before Diane drained his 3 from the left wing with 45 seconds to play.

Rice’s driving basket closed it to 74-72, but Diane hit one free before Calvin Baker nailed a pair from the line, making it 77-72 with 13.7 seconds left.

After missing its first nine shots in the second half, Virginia used a 13-3 run to move head 53-43 on Singletary’s 3 from the top with 12:22 to go.

BC cut it to 57-54 on Rice’s conventional 3-point play with 8:38 left, but the Cavaliers answered with the next six points. Diane closed the spree when he hit two free throws and followed with a fastbreak layup.

The Eagles, who trailed by eight at halftime, scored the first eight points after the break to tie the game at 40-all on Blair’s two free throws with 16:48 to play.

In the first half, the Cavaliers trailed 19-9 midway, but picked up the pace offensively and scored 16 of the next 18 points en route to a 40-32 lead at intermission.