BOSTON – Down four at the half, the University of Massachusetts basketball team erupted for 54 points after the break en route to season-opening 86-73 win over Boston College at TD Garden Sunday.

Plagued by sloppiness and iffy shooting, UMass trailed 36-32 after a back-and-forth first half and started the second similarly. But a 29-8 run sparked by four Chaz Williams 3-pointers and a dominating performance in the paint from Cady Lalanne (27 points, 12 rebounds) swung momentum and put the game away for the Minutemen.

"We talked at halftime before we came out, and we all knew and agreed that this was a game that would either hurt us or help us down the line when it came tournament time. So we pulled it together," said forward Sampson Carter, who finished with 12 points and powered the post-halftime comeback early on with seven straight points that redeemed him from an earlier gaffe.

"I got down on myself after getting a steal and going coast-to-coast and missing that layup," he said. "That kind of added fuel to my fire to kind of bring us back."

Carter combined with Lalanne to control the game down low. With the Eagles (0-2) using a smaller lineup, it allowed the pair to clean up on the glass, helping UMass to a 21-9 advantage in offensive rebounds and 44-27 overall.

Lalanne, whose return to health this offseason has been touted by coach Derek Kellogg, took advantage of the opportunity for a career night.

“I think being in shape and just working on my game helped a lot,” he said. “Every day in practice, every day we do anything, they all – coaches, Chaz, Sampson, every player – always tell me, ‘You gotta make sure you dominate every game,’ so that was my mindset coming in.”

His performance came together so quickly that Kellogg couldn't quite keep track of it, but he'd like to see more of the same.

"I didn't realize he had 27 and 12; I thought it was more like 15 and nine," Kellogg said. "But the reality of it is, I expect a lot out of Cady. I've seen what he's capable of doing, and I expect him to play like he did tonight just about every time out. Maybe not 27 and 12, but with that ferocity and rebounds around the basket."

After a relatively quiet start, Williams used his flurry of daggers to help turn the tide. He was a perfect 5 for 5 from beyond the arc, finishing with 20 points. His energy was infectious for his teammates and the crowd, which was largely pro-UMass.

"It’s good to know that we can do it, but we’re not satisfied," he said. "We had the lead at one point and we gave it up."

With the Eagles struggling to hit outside shots early, UMass opened a 25-19 edge with six minutes, 50 seconds left in the first half. Led by Ryan Anderson, who scored a team-high 22, BC made a late push to close the half on a 17-7 run.

It was then, Williams said, that he made a conscious decision to collect himself and settle down.

"Just being patient," he said of what helped UMass commit just four turnovers after the break. "Taking what the defense was giving us and not forcing things. I caught myself trying to do to much a couple of plays and threw a couple of turnovers. I look over to the bench and I see Cady and Sampson telling me to calm down, just slow down. I just realized that, and we just came into play from there."

Kellogg praised Williams and fellow guards Trey Davis and Derrick Gordon for making adjustments on their own to flip the game.

BC appeared poised to pull away after making a pair of 3-pointers and converting a three-point play, but Carter's 7-point stretch and a switch to a full-court press threw the Eagles off balance.

A Williams 3-pointer at the 11:16 mark put UMass ahead 54-51 and gave it the lead for good. Quality play off the bench from Tyler Bergantino (four points, four rebounds in seven minutes) and Maxie Esho (nine points) helped supplement the run as Lalanne padded his numbers down the stretch.

The Eagles' Olivier Hanlan, last season's ACC freshman of the year, was kept relatively in check by early foul trouble before eventually finding his stroke for 19 points.

Gordon struggled with consistency in his UMass debut after sitting out a year following his transfer from Western Kentucky, scoring seven on 2-of-12 shooting, but looking explosive in getting to the rim at times.

The Minutemen are back on the court Tuesday for an 11 a.m. matchup with visiting Louisiana State as part of ESPN's 24-hour Tipoff Marathon.