The UMass men’s basketball team sputtered down the stretch in its 71-55 loss to Boston College at the TD Garden on Friday afternoon.

Trailing by just two points at halftime (37-35), the Minutemen shot 25% from the floor in the second half as the Eagles outscored UMass 34-20 in the final frame.

Boston College didn’t shoot all that much better in the second half, recording a 31% clip in field goals, however the Eagles were nearly automatic from the free throw line in what proved to be the difference.

Boston College made 14-of-15 attempts from the charity stripe in the second stanza, which improved their game total to 92.3%. The Minutemen, on the other hand, converted on 57.1% of their free throws in the loss.

UMass held the edge in 3-pointers, concluding with a 27.8% success rate compared to the Eagles’ 11.1% mark.

Dwayne Wimbley Jr. scored a career-high 15 points for the Minutemen and added six rebounds and two assists.

Money Williams starred for BC, potting a game-high 35 points, including 13-of-13 made free throws.

UMass (1-1) will host UMass Lowell next on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m.

Ryan Ames is a sports reporter at the Gazette. A UMass Amherst graduate, he covers high school and college sports and is on the UMass hockey beat. Reach him at rames@gazettenet.com and follow him on Twitter/X...