Boston College Athletics
Women's Basketball Starts Season Monday
November 14, 1999 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 14, 1999
GAME #1- Preseason WNIT
#19 AP/ #21 ESPN/USA BOSTON COLLEGE (0-0)
vs.
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE (0-0)
DATE: Monday, November 15, 1999
TIME: 7:30 p.m.
SITE: Orono, Maine
ARENA (Capacity): Alfond Arena (5,712)
RECORDS: Monday's game will mark the first regular season contest for both teams. The Eagles lost their one exhibition game to the Australian Institute of Sport (91-86) on November 6. Maine won both of its exhibition games during the preseason. The Black Bears defeated the Univ. of Latvia Select Club team (67-53) on November 4 and the ADD Ilijara Club (86-68) on November 8.
SERIES RECORD: Tied, 1-1
(BC in Series: Home: 1-0, Away: 0-1, Neutral: 0-0)
| Dec. 1, 1992 | W | H 80-65 | ||
| Nov. 28, 1993 | L | A 49-55 |
SEASON OPENERS: Boston College is 17-10 in season openers (home openers: 12-5 , away openers: 5-3, neutral openers: 0-2). The Eagles have won the first game of the season the past two years. Boston College defeated UMass-Amherst, 72-66, in last season's opener on November 16, 1998, at Conte Forum. The last time that Boston College lost a season-opener was at the Reebok Classic on November 24, 1996, when the Eagles lost to Connecticut, 76-38, at the FleetCenter.
PRESEASON WNIT: Monday's game marks the first round of the 1999 Preseason National Invitational Tournament that will conclude with the championship on November 22. The 16-team field features two 1999 NCAA Women's Final Four participants (Duke and Georgia). The single-elimination tournament opens with first round games at the campus sites of participating schools.
PROBABLE BOSTON COLLEGE STARTERS (1998-99 stats)
| F | #54 | Becky Gottstein | (6-1, So., 10.4 ppg, 7.1 rpg) |
| F | #14 | Alissa Murphy | (5-10, Sr., 16.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) |
| C | #20 | Jamie Cournoyer | (6-3, Jr., 4.9 ppg, 3.4 rpg) |
| G | #11 | Brianne Stepherson | (5-8, So., 9.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) |
| G | #5 | Cal Bouchard | (5-7, Sr., 12.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg) |
EAGLES vs. AMERICA EAST: The Eagles have a 33-24 record against eight teams in the America East Conference. Boston College has a winning record in the series against Drexel (1-0), Hartford (7-0), New Hampshire (8-6), Towson (1-0), and Vermont (3-0). The Eagles have a 4-5 record against Boston University and an 8-12 mark against Northeastern.
EXHIBITION ACTION: The Eagles lost their exhibition game to the Australian Institute of Sport, 91-86, on November 6. Four players scored in double figures for the Australian team that shot 52.5 percent and outrebounded the Eagles, 39-30. Guard Jessica Mahony led AIS with 18 points, as the squad outscored Boston College, 47-39, in the second half for the victory.
The Eagles shot 60 percent from the field and 60 percent from three-point range, to lead the Australian team, 47-44, at halftime. Boston College added to its lead in the opening minutes of the second half and led AIS, 52-46, with 18:24 left in the game. Mahoney scored 10 points in the 19-11 AIS run and her layup at the 10:48 mark gave Australia a 65-63 lead. The visiting team built their lead to 14 points, before Boston College rallied with 1:58 left in the game. The Eagles scored 13 points in the closing minute to narrow the AIS margin of victory to 91-86.
Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by captain Cal Bouchard's 28 points. The senior guard connected on 10-of-15 shots from the field, including seven three-pointers in her first collegiate game since suffering a season-ending knee injury on January 10. Alissa Murphy scored 21 points and led the team with six assists. The senior guard was perfect from the line, connecting on all 10 free throw attempts. Junior center Jamie Cournoyer netted 13 points and sophomore Becky Gottstein added 10 points and led the Eagles with nine rebounds.
HEAD COACH CATHY INGLESE: Head coach Cathy Inglese is currently in her seventh season at the helm of the Boston College women's basketball program. Inglese arrived at Boston College in 1993 after serving as the head coach at the University of Vermont for seven seasons. In her first six seasons at BC she has registered a record of 86-81, and has a career record of 206-155. Inglese led the 1998-99 team to a 22-8 record, the most successful in school history, and was voted BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year. During her stint at Vermont, she became the winningest college basketball coach in the nation over the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. Inglese's teams were undefeated in regular-season play in both 1991-92 (29-0) and 1992-93 (28-0), and became the only Division I men's or women's team to have back-to-back perfect records. She earned District I Coach of the Year and North Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93, and was a National Coach of the Year finalist all three years. A 1980 magna cum laude graduate of Southern Connecticut State College, Inglese was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Inglese's Record
| Boston College Record (6 Years) | 86-81 |
| Career Record (13 Years) | 206-155 |
| BIG EAST Regular Season Record (6 Years) | 55-53 |
| BIG EAST Tournament Record (6 Years) | 3-6 |
| BIG EAST Overall Record (6 Years) | 58-59 |
| NCAA Record (3 appearances) | 1-3 |
EAGLES IN THE POLLS: The Eagles are ranked in the both the preseason Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls for the first time in school history. Boston College is No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today poll and No. 19 in the Associated Press poll. The Eagles were also recognized among the national leaders in a number of preseason publications. Listed below is a list of the national preseason polls:
Street & Smith's: No. 15
Lindy's College Basketball Annual: No. 15
Basketball News: No. 17
Athlon Sports: No. 20
Women's Basketball News Service: No. 22
DOUBLE FIGURE STREAK: Alissa Murphy enters Monday's game with a streak of 33 consecutive games scoring in double figures. The senior guard scored in double figures in all 30 games last season. The streak dates back to February 24, 1998.
1,000 POINT CLUB: Cal Bouchard and Alissa Murphy are both on pace to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Bouchard enters the season with 950 points and needs 50 to become the 11th Boston College player to score 1,000 points. Murphy currently has a total of 887 career points and needs 113 to join the elite club.
LEAGUE POLL: Boston College was selected to finish fourth in the BIG EAST Conference in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The University of Connecticut was selected to win the 1999-2000 BIG EAST regular season title, followed by Rutgers and Notre Dame. Rounding out the top five were the Eagles and Georgetown. Connecticut received 10 first-place votes and Rutgers earned the remaining three first-place votes.
1999-2000 BIG EAST Coaches' Preseason Poll
| 1. Connecticut (10) | 142 |
| 2. Rutgers (3) | 135 |
| 3. Notre Dame | 121 |
| 4. Boston College | 112 |
| 5. Georgetown | 90 |
| 6. Villanova | 86 |
| 7. Miami | 79 |
| 8. Syracuse | 59 |
| 9. St. John's | 46 |
| 10. Pittsburgh | 44 |
| 11. Seton Hall | 39 |
| 12. Providence | 38 |
| 13. West Virginia | 23 |
( ) First Place votes
PRESEASON HONORS: Senior Alissa Murphy was selected to the 1999-2000 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team in a vote of the league's head coaches. She was also recognized in a number of preseason publications. The senior guard was selected as a Second Team All-American by the Women's Basketball News Service and an Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's College Basketball. Murphy led Boston College in scoring a year ago with an average of 16.0 points per game and earned the BIG EAST Most Improved Player Award. The All-BIG EAST Second Team selection averaged 37.7 minutes per game and was the only player on the team to score in double figures in all 30 games. She was third in the nation, first in the BIG EAST, in free throw percentage (.890), and was perfect from the line in 14 games during the season. Murphy was also the team's top three-point shooter, connecting on 40-of-95 attempts (42.1). The BIG EAST Academic All-Star averaged 4.5 rebounds, and recorded 94 assists, 37 steals and 10 blocks.
Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
| Name | Cl. | Pos. | Team | |
| Svetlana Abrosimova | Jr. | F | Connecticut | |
| Tasha Pointer | Jr. | G | Rutgers | |
| Shea Ralph | Jr. | G/F | Connecticut | |
| Ruth Riley | Jr. | C | Notre Dame | |
| Shawnetta Stewart | Sr. | G | Rutgers |
Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
| Name | Cl. | Pos. | Team |
| Niele Ivey | Sr. | G | Notre Dame |
| Alissa Murphy | Sr. | G/F | Boston College |
| Katie Smrcka-Duffy | Jr. | G | Georgetown |
| Tammy Sutton-Brown | Jr. | C | Rutgers |
| Tamika Williams | So. | F | Connecticut |
EAGLE EXPERIENCE: The Eagles return four starters from last year's team that registered a 22-8 record, and participated in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. All three players that earned All-BIG EAST Conference honors return, including Alissa Murphy, the 1998-99 BIG EAST Most Improved Player. Becky Gottstein and Brianne Stepherson were both named to the BIG EAST All-Rookie team last season.
NEWCOMERS: The addition of three talented freshmen to the Boston College women's basketball roster complements the group of returning veteran players. Adriana Spears (Stratford, CT) earned USA Today Honorable Mention All-American honors after averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds at St. Joseph High School. The freshman forward played four minutes in the exhibition loss to the Australian team. Alicia Shields (Mandeville, LA) graduated from Fontainebleau High School as the career scoring leader with 2,300 points. The freshman guard played four minutes in the exhibition game. Freshman forward Maureen Magarity (Wappinger Falls, NY) finished her career at Our Lady of Lourdes High School with 1,485 points and 855 rebounds and was named the 1999 New York State Class B Player of the Year. Junior Rachel Byars transferred to Boston College from Western Kentucky University following the 1998-99 season, and will not be eligible to play for the Eagles this season. Named Western Kentucky's Most Improved Player as a sophomore, she averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 27 games. She was named Miss Kentucky Basketball in 1997 after finishing her career at Union County High School as the all-time leading scorer (2,430 points) and rebounder (1,272 rebounds).
CAREER CHARTS: Cal Bouchard enters her senior season second on the Boston College career list for three-point field goals made (116) and third on the career list for three-point field goals attempted (300). The senior guard is also eighth in career free throws made (224) and eighth in free throws attempted (298). Alissa Murphy enters her senior season eighth on the three-point field goals made list (57) and three-point field goals attempted list (152). She is fifth in free throws (286) and seventh in free throws attempted (337).
EAGLE CAPTAIN: Senior Cal Bouchard will serve as the captain for the Boston College women's basketball team during the 1999-2000 season.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR: A number of Eagles gained international playing experience this past summer. Cal Bouchard competed as a member of the Canadian team at the Pan Am games and was voted team captain of the squad that won the silver medal. The senior guard competed as a member of the Canadian National Team during the summers following her freshman and sophomore seasons. Sophomore forward Kim Mackie also competed for Canada during the summer, playing at the World University games. Jamie Cournoyer represented Boston College on the 1999 BIG EAST/Nike All-Star Team that toured Belgium and Germany (May 29-June 8). The junior center averaged 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in the five games.
SUMMER TOUR: Cathy Inglese led the 1999 BIG EAST/Nike All-Star Team on a five-game tour of Belgium and Germany, May 29-June 8. In addition to Inglese, Boston College assistant coaches Kelly Cole and Bill Gould, and trainer Donna Bennett accompanied the team. The team finished with a 4-1 overall record.
