Guard Derryck Thornton, back in the Atlantic Coast Conference, scored 23 points as Boston College defeated visiting Wake Forest 77-70 to begin league play Wednesday night.

Thornton began his career at Duke before going to Southern California, where he left in the offseason to join the Eagles as a graduate transfer.

Nik Popovic added 19 points and freshman guard Jay Heath scored 18 points for the Eagles. Heath made 7 of 11 shots from the field and helped a steady backcourt as Boston College committed only seven turnovers.

Boston College (1-0, 1-0 ACC) scored its final eight points on free throws.

Brandon Childress, with a huge second half, posted 23 points for Wake Forest, while Isaiah Mucius scored 11 of his 19 points in the first half. Ody Oguama, a freshman reserve forward, chipped in with 10 points.

Boston College led by as many as 18 points before holding a 42-27 halftime lead. By then, Wake Forest had 10 turnovers compared to one for the Eagles.

The Demon Deacons (0-1, 0-1) shaved a 19-point hole from early in the second half to 57-49. Thornton bagged a 3-pointer to restore a double-digit margin.

Wake Forest was within 67-60 on Chaundee Brown's jumper with slightly more than two minutes remaining.

Childress, a senior guard, missed his first six shots from the field, failing to connected on a field goal until the second half.

Boston College took a 25-12 lead. Wake Forest made only five of its first 20 shots from the field.

Eight Boston College players were in the scoring column within the first 18 minutes.

The game marked Wake Forest's first opener away from home since a win over Memphis in November 2003 in New York.

This is the sixth year in a row the Demon Deacons played their first ACC game on the road, and they lost each of those. Under coach Danny Manning, Wake Forest has won five of 46 ACC road games.

--Field Level Media