Boston College Athletics
Women's Hoops Battles Ohio State in NCAA Tournament
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
March 12, 1999
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The good news for Boston College and Ohio State is that each has a legitimate shot to advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The bad news is that Tennessee most likely awaits the winner on its homecourt.
The eighth-seeded Eagles (21-7) will battle the ninth-seeded Buckeyes (17-11) on Saturday in an opening-round, East Regional matchup at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tenn.
Boston College finished fourth in the Big East and comes off a 64-59 loss to Georgetown in the conference quarterfinals. Prior to the defeat, it had won four straight to give the team its first 20-win season.
Ohio State was a fourth-place finisher in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes dropped a 72-59 decision to Purdue - the top-ranked team in the nation and No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region - in the league semifinals.
The Eagles are 0-5 all-time against Ohio State, but they will take on a club that has struggled after a fast start. After going 12-3 to open the season, the Buckeyes have lost eight of their last 13.
BC is led by Alissa Murphy, who was named the Big East's most improved player. Murphy scores 15.9 points per game and is a dangerous perimeter threat. The junior boasts a .420 shooting percentage from beyond the 3-point arc and makes 89 percent of her free throws.
The Eagles will be making their first appearance in the tournament.
Marrita Porter averages a team-high 14.6 points and 5.9 rebounds for Ohio State.
Barring a monumental upset by 16th-seeded Appalachian State, the winner will advance to play Tennessee, the top seed and winner of the last three national titles, on Monday.
