Chestnut Hill, MA (Best E Casino) - Jeremy Lin posted a game-high 27 points with eight assists, as Harvard shocked 17th-ranked Boston College, 82-70, at Conte Forum.
Oliver McNally had 17 points, including a 10-for-11 mark from the foul line, for the Crimson (8-6), who recorded their first-ever win over a ranked team. Andrew Pusar added 13, while Doug Miller scored eight points with nine boards.
Corey Raji posted 16 points for the Eagles (13-3), who had won 10 consecutive games, including an 85-78 shocker at then-No. 1 North Carolina on Sunday. Tyrese Rice added 14 points, and Joe Trapani had 12 in a surprising setback.
Things looked bleak for the Eagles, as the Crimson began the second half on a 10-4 run. Lin hit from beyond the arc, then sank one-of-two from the line with 3 1/2 minutes played for a 43-31 advantage.
BC closed within 49-43 on a Trapani deuce with 11:42 to play, but Harvard continued to press and re-established a 12-point lead on Peter Boehm's three- pointer with 9:05 left.
McNally drained a three with 7:23 to go and the Crimson held a 62-48 advantage. Miller's easy deuce pushed the Harvard bulge to 66-50, and it wasn't until a pair from the line by Rice with 1:20 remaining that BC's deficit sunk below double digits.
Lin, however, countered by making both free throw attempts on the next possession for a 10-point Harvard lead.
Later, Rice was fouled on a three-point try and sank all three of his tries for a 70-63 game, but McNally, Dan McGeary and Drew Housman locked up the game with sharp shooting from the line down the stretch.
Boston College scored the game's first five points, but Harvard's 12-2 run gave it a 21-17 lead with 7:09 remaining as Lin finished a break with an easy layup.
The Crimson went up by six, 27-21, with 3:52 to play on another Lin lay-in, and maintained that margin at the break on Miller's jumper in the final seconds.
Game Notes
Lin was good on 11-of-16 shots from the floor...BC has won 32 of the 42 meetings...Harvard shot 60.9 percent (14-of-23) from the floor in the second half and made 17-of-20 from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes...Boston College held a 38-28 edge on the boards in the loss...The Eagles look to get back on track when they host Miami-Florida on Saturday, while the Crimson look to build on the victory at Dartmouth, also on Saturday.