PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — In a gritty, defensive-minded contest at Liacouras Center, the Boston College Eagles held off a second-half surge from the Temple Owls to secure a 76-71 victory in nonconference men’s basketball on Saturday.

Donald Hand led the way for Boston College with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Aidan Shaw anchored the defense with 14 rebounds and five blocks. The Eagles improved to 2-2 on the young season, while Temple suffered its first loss, falling to 2-1.

The game was characterized by offensive struggles and formidable rim protection, with the teams combining for 19 blocked shots. Boston College’s interior defense was particularly stifling, swatting away 13 Temple shot attempts. The Eagles built their lead in the first half, taking a 36-31 advantage into the break behind early three-pointers from Fred Payne and Boden Kapke.

Temple, which had been a 3.5-point pregame favorite, fought back to tie the game in the second half, but could never seize the lead. The Owls were led by Derrian Ford’s 18 points and nine rebounds, and Gavin Griffiths added 16 points, including four three-pointers.

A key differentiator was three-point shooting. While neither team was efficient, Boston College connected on eight shots from beyond the arc compared to Temple’s five. The Eagles also managed their possessions more effectively, committing just eight turnovers. Temple, despite forcing 13 Boston College blocks, shot just 34 percent from the floor and 23 percent from three-point range.

The game remained tight in the final minutes. With under a minute to play and Boston College clinging to a narrow lead, Fred Payne drove for a crucial layup to extend the advantage. Temple had opportunities to close the gap but missed critical three-point attempts in the waning seconds. Payne sealed the victory by making one of two free throws with seven seconds left for the final margin.

Beyond Hand and Shaw, Boston College received significant contributions from Payne, who finished with 17 points and four assists, and Kapke, who added 17 points and three blocks.

For Temple, Aiden Tobiason scored 12 points and dished out four assists, and Masiah Gilyard provided a spark off the bench with 11 points and six rebounds.

The game drew an attendance of 3,063 to the Liacouras Center. The total points scored, 147, fell under the pregame over/under line of 144.5. Boston College will look to build on the win when it hosts Hampton on Tuesday. Temple will aim to rebound at home against Hofstra on Wednesday.