Boston College Athletics
Eagles Basketball Gets Ready to Take on Michgan State Spartans
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
November 22, 1998
BOSTON COLLEGE (2-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. MICHIGAN STATE (1-1, 0-0 Big Ten)
DATE: Sunday, November 22, 1998
TIME: 3:00 p.m.
SITE: Boston, Massachusetts
ARENA: FleetCenter
RECORDS: Boston College enters Sunday's game with a 2-0 record after defeating the University of Massachusetts (72-66) on November 16 and Holy Cross (65-59) on November 19. Michigan State split its opening home games of the season, losing to Butler (70-62) on November 13, but bouncing back to defeat Central Michigan (73-48) on November 15.
COACHES: Cathy Inglese (Southern Connecticut '80), currently in her sixth season at Boston College, has a record of 66-73 with the Eagles. Inglese's overall coaching record is 186-147 in 13 years. She is assisted by Pam Borton, Kelly Cole, and Bill Gould. Karen Langeland (Calvin College '70) is currently in her 23rd season as the head coach at Michigan State, where she has led the Spartans to a 341-265 record. She is assisted by Angela Jackson, Carolyn Jenkins and Christine Powers.
EAGLES vs. SPARTANS: Today's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Boston College and Michigan State. The Eagles are 0-10 against teams from the Big Ten Conference (Michigan 0-1; Northwestern 0-2; Ohio State 0-5; Penn State 0-1; Purdue 0-1).
EAGLES IN THE REEBOK CLASSIC (1-2)
November 26, 1995
Ohio State 62, Boston College 40
November 24, 1996
Connecticut 76, Boston College 38
November 23, 1997
Boston College 82, Texas 68
REEBOK CLASSIC: Sunday's game will mark the fourth consecutive year that Boston College has hosted the Reebok Classic at the FleetCenter. Last year's 82-68 victory over No. 25 Texas was the first victory for Boston College at the event. Arkansas defeated No. 11 Iowa, 83-57, in the opening game of the Reebok Classic last year. In 1996, Boston College lost to Connecticut, 76-38, and Vanderbilt defeated Louisville, 63-60. The first year of the Reebok Classic, Vanderbilt defeated UCLA, 70-64, and the Eagles lost to Ohio State, 62-40.
LAST YEAR: Boston College defeated No. 25 Texas, 82-68, in game two of the Reebok Classic on November 23, 1997. Cal Bouchard led the Eagles with a career-high 32 points (9-17 FG, 2-6 3-pt., 12-14 FT). Alissa Murphy scored 17 points and Allison Booth netted 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Jamie Cournoyer grabbed six rebounds in 12 minutes of play.
ATTENDANCE RECORD: The 1996 Reebok Classic, featuring Boston College, Connecticut, Louisville, and Vanderbilt was the largest crowd ever to attend the event. The crowd of 9,337 at the two games broke the previous attendance record of 8,307, set in the inaugural Reebok Classic in 1995. In 1995, the inaugural Reebok Classic was the first collegiate event in the FleetCenter.
PROBABLE BOSTON COLLEGE STARTERS
F #12 Alissa Murphy (5-10, Jr., 13.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) F #44 Paula Bacso (6-1, Sr., 4.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg) C #32 Whitney Steele (6-4, Sr., 19.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg) G #5 Cal Bouchard (5-7, Jr., 17.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) G #11 Brianne Stepherson (5-8, Fr., 11.5 ppg, 0.5 rpg)
OFF THE EAGLES' BENCH
G #4 Danielle O'Banion (5-7, So.,5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg) C #20 Jamie Cournoyer (6-3, So., 5.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) F #54 Becky Gottstein (6-1, Fr., 1.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg)
BOSTON COLLEGE vs. MICHIGAN STATE
Statistical Comparison
Boston College Michigan St. Points Per Game 68.5 67.5 Opponents Points Per Game 62.5 59.0 Field Goals 45.9 (50-109) 38.1 (53-139) Opponents Field Goals 37.8 (48-127) 44.2 (46-104) Free Throws 61.9 (26-42) 52.1 (25-48) Opponents Free Throws 69.2 (18-26) 64.5 (20-31) 3-pt. Field Goals 40.7 (11-27) 23.5 (4-17) Opp. 3-pt. Field Goals 22.0 (11-50) 35.3 (6-17) Rebounds 38.5 41.5 Opponents Rebounds 35.5 38.5 Assists 15.5 16.5 Opponents Assists 16.5 11.0 Turnovers 14.0 16.0 Opponents Turnovers 13.0 26.0
LAST GAME: Senior Whitney Steele scored 23 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds to lead Boston College to a 65-59 victory at Holy Cross on November 19. The Eagles never trailed in the game, as senior Alissa Murphy opened the scoring with a three-point field goal. Boston College had its biggest lead of the first half at 28-16 with 3:14 left. In the second half, Holy Cross scored six unanswered points, narrowing the Eagles' lead to 48-44 with 9:23 remaining in the game. Another Murphy three-point field goal increased the lead to seven points. Boston College eventually led by 11 points, 62-51, with 3:31 left in the game. Freshman Brianne Stepherson finished with 14 points and six assists, and Murphy added 12 points. Junior point guard Cal Bouchard sat out the game after hitting her head in Tuesday's practice. The win over Holy Cross snapped a two-game losing streak in the series with the Crusaders.
STEELE'S CAREER PERFORMANCE: Senior Whitney Steele led the Eagles to victory against Holy Cross on Tuesday night, grabbing a career-high 17 rebounds and scoring 23 points. The senior center pulled down 13 defensive rebounds and also had two blocked shots in the victory.
STEPHERSON'S DEBUT: Freshman guard Brianne Stepherson has made an immediate impact in the first two games of her collegiate career. Stepherson started both games at point guard and is currently third on the team in scoring with an average of 11.5 points per game. In the season opener against Massachusetts, she scored nine points in 22 minutes. Stepherson netted 14 points, including eight-of-11 from the line, and handed out six assists in the win at Holy Cross.
INJURY UPDATE: Junior guard Cal Bouchard missed the game against Holy Cross after hitting her head in practice, but is expected to play in Sunday's game against Michigan State. Bouchard, who suffered a concussion against the Lithuanian Select team on November 12, played against the University of Massachusetts on November 16, but hit her head in practice prior to the Holy Cross game. Senior forward Shawna Rainer missed all of preseason due to ankle surgery, and is not expected to play until December. Allison Booth played in the first exhibition game on November 4, but the senior center has been sidelined for the first two contests with an injury to her right knee.
EAGLES IN NON-CONFERENCE ACTION: Last season, Boston College finished with a 5-3 record against non-conference opponents. The Eagles have started the 1998-99 season with a 2-0 mark against non-league foes.
EAGLE CAPTAINS: Senior Paula Bacso and junior Cal Bouchard will serve as the captains for the Boston College women's basketball team during the 1998-99 campaign.
SEASON OPENER: Boston College opened the 1998-99 season with a 72-66 victory over the University of Massachusetts on November 16, at Conte Forum. Four players scored in double figures to lead the Eagles to victory. Cal Bouchard was the team's leading scorer with 17 points, including four three-point field goals, and seven rebounds. Senior center Whitney Steele and Alissa Murphy each netted 15 points for the Eagles, and sophomore guard Danielle O'Banion provided a spark off the bench scoring 10 points. Freshman Brianne Stepherson started at point guard for Boston College and finished with nine points and two assists. The Minutewomen were led by Tez Kraft and Kelly Van Huisen's 18 point-efforts.
The Eagles had a six-point lead in the final minute of the first half, but Van Huisen's three-point field goal in the closing seconds narrowed the score to 33-30 at halftime. Massachusetts opened the second half with a 9-2 run, and the Minutewomen extended their lead to seven points with 13 minutes remaining in the game. Boston College rallied and Murphy's three-point field goal gave the Eagles a 51-49 lead with 8:56 left. Massachusetts narrowed the Eagles' five point lead to 69-66, but Boston College connected on three-of-four free throws in the final 12 seconds to secure the Boston College win. Boston College is 17-10 in season openers (home openers: 12-5 ; away openers: 5-3; neutral openers: 0-2). The Eagle's last season-opening defeat was at the Reebok Classic on November 24, 1996, when the Eagles lost to Connecticut, 76-38, at the FleetCenter.
EXHIBITION ACTION: Despite a 31-point effort by junior guard Cal Bouchard, Boston College lost to the Russian Select team, 93-84, on November 4 at Conte Forum, in the opening exhibition game of the 1998-99 season. The Russian Select team jumped out to a 25-17 lead with 10 minutes left in the first half, but the Eagles rallied and led 42-40 at halftime. Boston College held a slim lead until the 7:48 mark when Maria Stepanova's free throw gave the Russian Select team a 67-66 lead. The visitors increased their lead to 13 points late in the game. Senior center Whitney Steele added 18 points for the Eagles, connecting on nine-for-14 attempts.
Boston College won its second exhibition game of the season, defeating the Lithuanian Select team, 99-68, on November 12, at Conte Forum. Junior Alissa Murphy scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Eagles. Boston College jumped out front early and led the visitors, 33-8, with 10 minutes left in the first half. The Eagles led 52-29 at halftime, and the Lithuanian team shot only 24 percent from the field. Sophomore Jamie Cournoyer led the Eagles in scoring in the first half with 13 points. Boston College opened the second half with a 14-5 run and increased its lead to 68-34. The Eagles' lead never fell below 30 points for the remainder of the game, and the Eagles shot over 60 percent from the field. Freshman Brianne Stepherson netted 15 points and handed out eight assists in her second start of the season, and freshman Becky Gottstein added 12 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Danielle O'Banion scored 10 points for BC.
EAGLES IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: Boston College received four votes in the USA Today/ESPN Preseason Coaches Poll.
UP NEXT: Following the Reebok Classic, Boston College will travel to the University of Hartford for a game on Tuesday, November 24 at 7:00 p.m.
HEAD COACH CATHY INGLESE: Head coach Cathy Inglese is currently in her sixth 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 six seasons she has registered a record of 66-73, and has a career record of 186-147. 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) 66-73 Career Record (13 Years) 186-147 BIG EAST Regular Season Record (5 Years) 43-47 BIG EAST Tournament Record (5 Years) 2-5 BIG EAST Overall Record (5 Years) 45-52 NCAA Record (2 appearances) 0-2
FOURTH IN BIG EAST POLL: The Boston College women's basketball team was selected to finish fourth in the BIG EAST in a preseason poll of the league's head coaches. The University of Connecticut was selected to finish first in the league, followed by Rutgers University, Notre Dame, and the Eagles.
1998-99 BIG EAST Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Connecticut (9) 141
2. Rutgers (4) 136
3. Notre Dame 120
4. Boston College 108
5. Villanova 95
6. Miami 83
7. Georgetown 68
8. Syracuse 63
West Virginia 63
10. Providence 48
11. St. John's 32
12. Seton Hall 30
13. Pittsburgh 26
( ) First Place votes
PRE-SEASON HONORS: Cal Bouchard was named to the preseason All-BIG EAST First Team and Whitney Steele earned preseason All-BIG EAST second team honors in a vote of the league's head coaches. An All-BIG EAST First Team selection a year ago, Bouchard led the team in scoring with an average of 16.0 points per game. The junior guard earned BIG EAST Player of the Week honors twice last season. Bouchard led the BIG EAST in three-point field goal percentage and finished 11th in the nation (45.1), connecting on 55-of-122 attempts. Steele earned All-BIG EAST Third Team honors a year ago. The senior center led the Eagles in rebounding with an average of 6.0, and was second on the team in scoring with 14.1 points per game. Steele scored in double figures in 23 games and was sixth in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage, connecting on 48.1 percent (164-341) from the field.
1998-99 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team
Name Cl. Pos. Team Svetlana Abrosimova So. F Connecticut Cal Bouchard Jr. G Boston College Kym Hope Sr. F/C Miami Tasha Pointer So. G Rutgers Tomora Young Sr. G Rutgers
1998-99 Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team
Name Cl. Pos. Team Sheila McMillen Sr. G Notre Dame Ruth Riley So. C Notre Dame Paige Sauer Jr. C Connecticut Whitney Steele Sr. C Boston College Sylita Thomas Sr. F Georgetown
EAGLE EXPERIENCE: The Eagles return three starters (Cal Bouchard, Paula Bacso, and Whitney Steele), including two All-BIG EAST Conference selections, from last year's team that finished with a 17-11 overall record and an 11-7 league mark. The Eagles lost only two players from a team that led the nation in three-point field goal percentage (41 percent, 119-290) and finished sixth in free throw percentage (75.2 percent, 466-620) a year ago. Bouchard was named to the All-BIG EAST First-Team and Steele earned All-BIG EAST Third-Team honors.
NEWCOMERS: The addition of four talented freshmen to the Boston College women's basketball roster complements the group of returning veteran players. Freshman Brianne Stepherson has made an immediate impact, starting at point guard in both games. She is currently third on the team in scoring with an average of 11. 5 points. In the victory over Holy Cross, Stepherson netted 14 points and added six assists. She netted nine points and added two assists against Massachusetts. Becky Gottstein has contributed in the Eagles' frontcourt in both game. Against the Minutewomen, she netted two points and pulled down seven rebounds in 23 minutes. Nicole Conway, a Street & Smith All-America honorable mention selection in 1998, will contribute in the backcourt. Conway played 10 minutes in both exhibition games and scored four points in the victory over the Lithuanian Select team. Forward Kim Mackie played six minutes in the exhibition victory over the Lithuanian team.
Women's Basketball Polls
Associated Press (Media)
(Preseason)
1. Tennessee (42) 1,050
2. Louisiana Tech 1,000
3. Connecticut 960
4. Duke 894
5. Purdue 876
6. UCLA 824
7. Georgia 679
8. Virginia 632
9. Alabama 595
10. North Carolina 567
11. Kansas 566
12. Rutgers 527
13. G. Washington 494
14. Texas Tech 468
15. Old Dominion 449
16. N. Carolina St. 402
17. Notre Dame 317
18. Arkansas 294
19. Stanford 248
20. Vanderbilt 222
21. Arizona 208
22. Florida 160
Iowa State 160
24. UC Santa Barbara 148
25. Illinois 136
USA Today/ESPN (Coaches)
(Preseason)
1. Tennessee (40) 1,000
2. Louisiana Tech 945
3. Connecticut 897
4. Duke 825
5. Purdue 720
6. UCLA 678
7. North Carolina 637
8. Kansas 525
Texas Tech 525
10. Georgia 518
11. Rutgers 517
12. N. Carolina St. 488
13. Alabama 475
14. Virginia 464
15. Old Dominion 395
16. G. Washington 332
17. Stanford 324
18. Arkansas 323
19. Notre Dame 282
20. Florida 263
21. Arizona 210
22. Vanderbilt 178
23. Wisconsin 155
24. Illinois 151
25. Iowa State 143
Votes: Boston College (4)
BOSTON COLLEGE ROSTER
4 Danielle O'BANION
5 Cal BOUCHARD
11 Brianne STEPHERSON
12 Alissa MURPHY
20 Jamie COURNOYER
22 Tish FEW
24 Nicole CONWAY
32 Whitney STEELE
33 Allison BOOTH
35 Shawna RAINER
44 Paula BACSO
50 Kim MACKIE
54 Becky GOTTSTEIN
Returning In 1998-99:
9 Letterwinners (5 Frontcourt, 4 Backcourt) 3 Starters (Cal Bouchard, Paula Bacso, Whitney Steele)
1,649 of the 1,959 total points scored
581 of the 687 total field goals made
86 of the 119 three-point field goals made
401 of the 466 free throws made
830 of the 1,041 total rebounds
124 of the 386 total assists
56 of the 56 total blocks
105 of the 151 total steals
4156 of the 5823 total minutes played
BIG EAST FAX-ON-DEMAND
The BIG EAST Conference offers a Fax-On-Demand service that sends the latest in sports information from the BIG EAST and its member institutions to your fax machine instantly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Boston College basketball codes are as follows:
(201) 947-3918
Boston College Women's Basketball
Press Release 1130
Notes 1132
Statistics 1133
Box Scores 1134
BOSTON COLLEGE QUICK FACTS
Location: Chestnut Hill, MA
Founded: 1863
Enrollment: 14,600
President: Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.
Athletic Director: Gene DeFilippo
Nickname: Eagles
Colors: Maroon and Gold
Arena (Capacity): Silvio O. Conte Forum (8,606)
Conference: BIG EAST
Ticket Office Phone: 617-552-3000
Individual Records
Most Points
32 Cal Bouchard (BC) vs. Texas (11/23/97)
Field Goals Made
9 Cal Bouchard (BC) vs. Texas (11/23/97)
Nykesha Sales (UConn) vs. BC (11/24/96)
Sheri Sam (Vanderbilt) vs. UCLA (11/26/95)
3-Pt. Field Goals Made
4 Kamara Stancie (Arkansas) vs. Iowa (11/23/97)
Paige Redman (Vanderbilt) vs. Louisville (11/24/96)
Nickey Hibert (UCLA) vs. Vanderbilt (11/26/95)
Free Throws Made
12 Cal Bouchard (BC) vs. Texas (11/23/97)
Rebounds
15 Na'sheema Hillman (Vand.) vs. Louisville (11/24/96)
Assists
10 Christy Smith (Arkansas) vs. Iowa (11/23/97)
Steals
7 Nickey Hilbert (UCLA) vs. Vanderbilt (11/26/95)
Erica Gomez (UCLA) vs. Vanderbilt (11/26/95)
Blocks
4 Mara Cunningham (Vanderbilt) vs. UCLA (11/26/95)
Angela Gorsica (Vanderbilt) vs. UCLA (11/26/95)
Team Records
Most Points 83 Arkansas vs. Iowa (11/23/97)
Fewest Points 38 Boston College vs. Connecticut (11/24/96)
RECORD OF BC STARTING LINEUPS:
Murphy, Bacso, Steele, Bouchard, Stepherson 1-0
Cournoyer, Bacso, Steele, Murphy, Stepherson 1-0
EAGLES RECORD WHEN...
Leading at the half: 2-0
Trailing at the half: 0-0
Tied at the half: 0-0
BC outrebounds opponent: 0-0
Opponent outrebounds BC: 2-0
BC FG% is 50.0 or higher: 0-0
BC FG% is below 50.0: 2-0
BC has more FT attempts than opponent: 2-0
BC has fewer FT attempts than opponent: 0-0
BC has equal FT attempts as opponent: 0-0
BC scores more than 80 points: 0-0
BC scores 70-79 points: 1-0
BC scores 60-69 points: 1-0
BC scores fewer than 60 points: 0-0
BC allows more than 80 points: 0-0
BC allows 70-79 points: 0-0
BC allows 60-69 points: 1-0
BC allows fewer than 60 points: 1-0
EAGLES BY THE NUMBERS...
Overall: 2-0
Home Games: 1-0
Road Games: 1-0
Neutral Games: 0-0
Tournament Games: 0-0
BIG EAST Games: 0-0
BIG EAST Home Games: 0-0
BIG EAST Road Games: 0-0
BIG EAST Neutral Games: 0-0
Non BIG EAST Games: 2-0
Non BIG EAST Home Games: 1-0
Non BIG EAST Away Games: 1-0
Non BIG EAST Neutral Games: 0-0
Day Games: 0-0
Night Games: 2-0
November Games: 2-0
December Games: 0-0
January Games: 0-0
February Games: 0-0
Overtime Games: 0-0
Television Games: 0-0
vs. Ranked Teams: 0-0
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Led Team In Scoring
Cal Bouchard (1 game)
Whitney Steele (1 game)
Led Team In Rebounding
Cal Bouchard (1 tie for the lead)
Becky Gottstein (1 tie for the lead)
Whitney Steele (2 games, 1 tie for the lead)
Led Team In Assists
Alissa Murphy (1 game)
Brianne Stepherson (1 game)
Led Team In Steals
Paula Bacso (1 tie for the lead)
Cal Bouchard (1 tie for the lead)
Alissa Murphy (1 tie for the lead)
Whitney Steele (1 tie for the lead)
Brianne Stepherson (1 tie for the lead)
20+ Games Whitney Steele (1 game)
