BOSTON (Interstat) — Boston College used a late second-half surge and a 35-point performance from Money Williams to beat visiting Massachusetts 71-55 on Friday at TD Garden in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game. The Eagles improved to 2-0, while the Minutemen fell to 1-1. Boston College led 37-35 at halftime after a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes, then outscored Massachusetts 34-20 after the break. Boston College shot 22 of 59 from the floor, 3 of 27 from three-point range and 24 of 26 from the free-throw line. Massachusetts shot 21 of 54 overall, 5 of 18 from deep and 8 of 14 at the line. Attendance was 4,734.

Massachusetts stayed close early behind Dwayne Wimbley and Abdullah Ahmed. Wimbley hit two 3-pointers in the first eight minutes, and Ahmed scored inside and later connected from beyond the arc as the Minutemen kept pace. Boston College answered with Williams, who scored at the rim, made free throws and hit a hook shot. The Eagles took a two-point lead into halftime after Williams made two free throws in the final minute, and Junjie Wang’s layup and Ahmed’s free throw kept Massachusetts within 37-35 at the break. Williams was the central figure throughout for Boston College, mixing drives, free throws and midrange shots while also helping on the glass.

The second half turned when Boston College tightened its defense and Williams took over. Massachusetts tied the game at 37 on Ahmed’s tip-in layup, but Boston College responded with Zak Smrekar’s free throws, Brandon Benjamin’s dunk and layup and Smrekar’s turnaround jumper. Later, after Massachusetts cut the deficit to 55-51 on Wimbley’s layup with 5:35 remaining, the Eagles closed with a decisive 16-4 run. Luke Hunger made two free throws, Williams hit a 3-pointer, Smrekar made two free throws, Williams added two free throws and another 3-pointer, and Benjamin finished the scoring with two free throws. That stretch, powered by Williams’ scoring and Boston College’s work at the line, put the game out of reach.

Williams finished with 35 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 39 minutes, leading all scorers. Brandon Benjamin, a 6-foot-6 forward from Anaheim, Calif., added 10 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 16 minutes for the Eagles. For Massachusetts, Dwayne Wimbley, a 6-foot-6 forward, had 15 points, six rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes, and Abdullah Ahmed, a 6-foot-10 center, had 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks in 27 minutes. Smrekar scored 12 points with five rebounds in 35 minutes, Zeigler had four points, two rebounds, three assists and one block in 31 minutes, and Wang added seven points, six rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes. Sylla scored four points with one rebound in eight minutes, Carbuccia had four points, one rebound and six assists in 26 minutes, and Hunger scored six points with two rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes. Williams had 22 points and five rebounds in Boston College’s previous win over Wagner, while Massachusetts opened its season with a 71-60 win at Troy.

Boston College scored 71 points from 64 possessions, an offensive rating of 110.3. Massachusetts scored 55 points from 62 possessions, an offensive rating of 89.2. Massachusetts had 12 offensive rebounds to Boston College’s 11, and both teams blocked three shots. Boston College had eight assists and committed four turnovers, while Massachusetts committed 13 turnovers. The Minutemen were whistled for 21 fouls, and the Eagles committed 16. Boston College’s free-throw advantage proved significant: the Eagles made 24 of 26 at the line, while Massachusetts made 8 of 14. The Eagles also overcame a cold 3-of-27 performance from beyond the arc by getting to the rim and the line. Massachusetts made 5 of 18 3-pointers and could not match Boston College’s late efficiency.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected Massachusetts to win 77-65, while its ELO system gave Boston College a 57 percent probability. Massachusetts was installed as a 5.5-point favorite, and the over/under line was 143.5. The game’s total score was 126.