BOSTON (AP) - A scare from New Hampshire might just have been the reality check Boston College needed.

Troy Bell scored 15 of his 22 points in the first half and 17th-ranked Boston College withstood a 22-point run by New Hampshire in the last 7 1/2 minutes for an 80-77 victory Wednesday.

"We've already seen a quirk in this team that's not a good one," Boston College coach Al Skinner said. "We have to work that out. It's only a good thing in that it's a character that we have and we can recognize it. Now we've got to work it out."

The Eagles (2-0) built a 78-55 lead with 7:42 to play, but the Wildcats closed the gap to two points when Kyle Peterson made one of two free throws with 73 seconds left.

After Uka Agbai rimmed out a short jumper in the lane with just under 50 seconds left, New Hampshire's Chris Brown made the second of two free throws with 26 seconds left to make it 78-77.

Bell then hit two free throws with 8.4 seconds left and tipped the ball away in the backcourt before John Dullea's desperation 3-point shot from halfcourt missed wildly as the buzzer sounded.

In their season-opening 82-65 win over crosstown rival Boston University, the Eagles had a 33-point second-half lead before it was sliced to 13.

"Like coach said in the locker room, you don't think that because you're the 17th-ranked team in the country people will give you stuff'. That's not the way its going to be," Eagles guard Ryan Sidney said.

Bell, who had knee surgery Oct. 31 and didn't start practicing until Nov. 14, scored only 11 points on 4-of-11 shooting in the victory over Boston University. He had 12 in the opening 7:13 on Wednesday.

Bell, last season's Big East co-player of the year, calmly stepped to the line and sank both after sitting out for nearly three minutes during the run.

"I was nervous," Bell said. "There was a thing in the back of my mind that `what if I miss one, anything can happen."'

Boston College led 46-33 at the half.

The Eagles got all but six of their first 74 points from their starters. Sidney had career-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds, Kenny Walls scored 15 points, and Agbai had 13 points and nine rebounds.

Austin Ganly led the Wildcats (0-2) with 28 points. Marcus Bullock and Peterson each had 13.

"It's not a moral victory for anybody," New Hampshire coach Phil Rowe said. "We came to play hard and to play to win, and that's not what we did. A great job? Yeah. But was it successful? No."

The Wildcats, who lost their season-opener by 42 points at Notre Dame, gained confidence by a slew of other recent upsets.

"Ball State, Davidson and Hampton," Ganly said of his team's thoughts in the closing minutes. "That just gave us great confidence knowing that mid-level schools can play with big-time teams."

Boston College forward Andrew Bryant, reinstated to the team Monday after being suspended Friday for violating a restraining order, was in uniform but did not play.