Boston College Athletics
Women's Hoops Takes on Mountaineers
June 21, 1999 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 1998
BOSTON COLLEGE (14-9, 9-6 BIG EAST)
VS. WEST VIRGINIA (10-13, 6-9 BIG EAST)
DATE: Wednesday, February 18, 1998
GAME TIME: 7:00 p.m.
SITE: Morgantown, West Virginia
ARENA (Capacity): WVA Coliseum (14,000)
COACHES: Cathy Inglese (Southern Connecticut '80), currently in her fifth season at Boston College, has a record of 61-71 with the Eagles. Inglese's overall coaching record is 181-145 in 12 years. She is assisted by Pam Borton, Kelly Cole, and Bill Gould. Alexis Basil (West Virginia '87) is in her first season as the head coach at West Virginia. She is assisted by Renee DeVarney, Dan Burt, and Selese Neal. Basil was an assistant at her alma mater for two years prior to being named head coach in May of 1997.
SERIES RECORD: Boston College leads, 4-0
(BC in Series: Home: 3-0; Away 1-0; Neutral 0-0)
EAGLES vs. MOUNTAINEERS: Boston College and West Virginia have played four times, and the Eagles have won all of the games. Earlier this season, the two teams met in Chestnut Hill, and the Eagles defeated West Virginia, 64-45, on December 6, 1997. The only time that the teams played in Morgantown, West Virginia, was on December 2, 1995, and Boston College defeated the Mountaineers, 75-65.
SERIES SCORES: December 2, 1995 at Morgantown, WVA W 75-65 January 13, 1996 at Chestnut Hill, MA W 82-77 January 19, 1997 at Chestnut Hill, MA W 73-66 December 6, 1997 at Chestnut Hill, MA W 64-45
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA: The Mountaineers are currently 10-13 overall and have a 6-9 record in the BIG EAST Conference. West Virginia has a three-game losing streak after losing to Marshall, 68-63, on Monday. Three players are averaging double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Talisha Hargis' 14.7 points per game. Hargis, a BIG EAST preseason all-conference selection, is eighth in the league in scoring. Junior guard Christie Lambert is second on the team in scoring with 10.7 points per game, and junior forward Maria Tchobanova is averaging 10.5 points. Tchobanova is the leading rebounder with an average of 5.8 per game. The Mountaineers have a 6-4 record in home games this season. West Virginia's last conference victory was on January 31, when the Mountaineers defeated Pittsburgh, 86-61. The Mountaineers are second in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage (71.6).
LAST MEETING: The Eagles registered their second consecutive BIG EAST victory, defeating West Virginia, 64-45, at Conte Forum on December 6. West Virginia shot only 24.2 percent for the game and the Eagles outrebounded the Mountaineers, 48-36.
Boston College jumped out to an early lead and with 6:27 left in the first half, the Eagles led the Mountaineers, 25-9. West Virginia went on an 8-0 run in the closing minutes of the first half to cut the score to 25-18 at halftime. The Mountaineers shot only 12.9 percent from the field, connecting on only four-of-31 attempts in the first half.
Boston College extended its lead in the second half with a 24-9 run in the first 10 minutes, and the Eagles outscored the Mountaineers, 39-27, in the second half to secure the victory.
Sophomore guard Cal Bouchard led the Eagles with 14 points. Junior center Whitney Steele added 11 points and senior Kim Beezer finished with eight points and seven rebounds.
Boston College vs. West Virginia
Boston College West Virginia
Points Per Game 70.7 72.2
Opponents Points Per Game 63.9 72.3
Field Goals 44.0 (579-1316) 42.1 (549-1304)
Opponents Field Goals 40.4 (542-1342) 44.2 (578-1307)
Free Throws 74.3 (372-501) 71.6 (370-517)
Opponents Free Throws 67.7 (300-443) 70.9 (339-478)
3-Pt. Field Goals 40.4 (97-240) 30.6 (121-396)
Opp. 3-Pt. Field Goals 32.0 (85-266) 34.4 (96-279)
Rebounds 37.4 35.4
Opponents Rebounds 35.7 39.6
Assists 13.7 14.5
Opponents Assists 11.3 15.5
Turnovers 15.5 20.0
Opponents Turnovers 16.1 22.4
Blocks 2.1 1.0
Opponents Blocks 1.2 3.5
Steals 5.6 11.1
Opponents Steals 8.0 9.8
PROBABLE BOSTON COLLEGE STARTERS
F #23 Kim Beezer (5-8, Sr., 4.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg)
F #44 Paula Bacso (6-1, Jr., 8.2 ppg, 4.9 rpg)
C #32 Whitney Steele (6-4, Jr., 15.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg)
G #5 Cal Bouchard (5-7, So., 16.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg)
G #24 Aimee McGuire (5-8, Sr., 6.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
EAGLES OFF THE BENCH
G #12 Alissa Murphy (5-10, So., 8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
C #33 Allison Booth (6-4, Jr., 5.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
C #20 Jamie Cournoyer (6-3, Fr., 3.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg)
G #4 Danielle O'Banion (5-7, Fr., 2.8 ppg, 0.9 rpg)
F #35 Shawna Rainer (6-0, Jr., 2.3 ppg, 1.9 rpg)
LAST GAME: Junior center Whitney Steele scored 19 points to lead Boston College to a 65-42 victory over Seton Hall on February 11 at Conte Forum.
Boston College was in control from the beginning, running up a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes. Junior forward Paula Bacso scored all of her 15 points in the first half, and Steele added 10 in the first 20 minutes. The Eagles took their largest lead of the first half, 36-12, on a jumper by Kim Beezer at 4:33, en route to a 38-19 halftime lead.
Seton Hall made a run at the start of the second half, outscoring the Eagles, 8-2, with six points from Danielle Golay, and cut the deficit to 43-27 with 14:59 left. Boston College increased its lead to 50-29 at 11:08 as sophomore guard Cal Bouchard hit the first of her three three-point field goals in the half. Boston College maintained control the rest of the game, holding a margin of 20 or more points.
Bouchard finished with 11 points for Boston College and senior guard Aimee McGuire added five points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Boston College outrebounded the Pirates, 47-23.
EAGLES ON THE ROAD: The Eagles have not won a game away from Conte Forum since December 31. Boston College has a 2-6 record in road games, including a 2-5 mark in BIG EAST away contests. The last time that the Eagles won on the road was a 74-54 victory at St. John's on December 31. Last season, Boston College finished with a 9-3 record in away contests, including a 7-2 mark in league road games.
EAGLES AT HOME: The Eagles are 7-1 in BIG EAST games, and 9-2 overall, at Conte Forum this season. Boston College won its first five league games at home, before losing to Villanova (48-35) on January 31. The Eagles have defeated BIG EAST foes West Virginia (64-45), Providence (94-73), Rutgers (74-65), Notre Dame (78-76), Pittsburgh (75-64), Georgetown (70-67), and Seton Hall (65-42) in Chestnut Hill this season. Boston College's second loss in Conte Forum was to Holy Cross (80-68) on December 9.
WINNING STREAK: The Eagles snapped their four-game losing streak on February 7 with a 70-67 victory over Georgetown, and currently have a two-game winning streak. Boston College defeated Seton Hall, 65-42, on February 11, to improve its' record to 9-6 in the BIG EAST. Prior to the win over Georgetown, the Eagles had lost at No. 2 Connecticut (86-53), at Syracuse (64-56), at home against Villanova (48-35), and at Providence (84-75).
THIRD IN THE NATION: Boston College is currently third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage. The Eagles have connected on 97-of-240 (40.4 percent) three-point field goal attempts, including a season-high 72.7 percent (8-11) in the victory over Rutgers on January 14. Boston College led the nation in three-point field goal percentage for two weeks.
SCORING: Boston College is averaging 70.7 points per game, but when the Eagles score 80 points or more in a contest, the team's record is 4-0. Boston College opponents are averaging 63.9 points per game. The Eagles' record is 0-5 when opponents score over 80 points in a game.
Two players are averaging double figures in scoring. Sophomore guard Cal Bouchard leads the team with an average of 16.3 points per game. Junior center Whitney Steele is second on the team in scoring with an average of 15.0 points per game. Both players are among the top 10 (Bouchard- 5th; Steele- 7th) in BIG EAST scoring.
FIRST IN THE BIG EAST: The Eagles are currently first in the BIG EAST Conference in free-throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage. Boston College is currently shooting 74.3 percent (372-501) from the line and 40.4 percent (97-240) from three-point range. The Eagles shot a season-high 90 percent (18-20) from the line against Seton Hall on February 11.
BALANCED OFFENSE: Boston College has had at least five players score in double figures in five games this season. The Eagles have won four of those games. In the season opener against Marist, six Eagles scored in double figures in the 104-60 victory. Six players also scored in double figures in the 85-79 loss at Miami on January 10. Five Eagles registered double digits in scoring in games against Notre Dame (January 17), Providence (January 8), and St. John's (December 31).
WHO'S HOT: Aimee McGuire has recorded career-high performances in the last two games. The senior captain grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds in the win over Seton Hall on February 11, and connected on a career-high four three-point field goals in the victory over Georgetown on February 7. That performance tied her previous career-high of four three-point field goals against Miami in the BIG EAST Tournament on March 2, 1997. In the last three games, she has averaged 10.3 points and 5.7 rebounds. McGuire has scored in double figures in two of the last three games (10 points vs. Providence, 16 points vs. Georgetown) and equaled her season-high of 16 points in the victory over the Hoyas on February 7...Paula Bacso scored 15 points in the victory over Seton Hall on February 11. All of the points were scored in the first half of the contest.
STREAKS: Cal Bouchard has scored in double figures in the last three games. The sophomore guard has netted double figures in scoring in 13 of the last 15 games...Whitney Steele has registered double figures in scoring in 10 of the last 11 games...The Eagles have shot 70 percent or higher from the line in the last three games. Against Seton Hall on February 11, Boston College shot a season-high 90 percent (18-20). The Eagles shot 72.4 percent (21-29) against Georgetown on February 7, and 84.2 percent (16-19) at Providence on February 4.
VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: This season the Eagles are 1-1 against teams ranked in the Top 25. On November 23, the Eagles defeated No. 25 Texas, 82-68, at the Reebok Classic. The win marked only the second time in Boston College history that the Eagles had defeated a ranked team. Boston College lost to No. 2 Connecticut, 86-53, at the Hartford Civic Center on January 25. Boston College's first win ever over a ranked opponent was on January 4, 1995, when the Eagles defeated No. 20 Seton Hall, 53-49.
EAGLE CAPTAIN: Senior Aimee McGuire will serve as the captain for the Boston College women's basketball team during the 1997-98 campaign. McGuire was a co-captain with Holly Porter last season.
OVERTIME: The Eagles are 0-1 in overtime games this season. Boston College's 79-70 loss to Alabama on December 28 was the only overtime game of the season for the Eagles. Prior to that loss, the last time that the Eagles played an overtime game was on December 29, 1995, when George Washington defeated Boston College, 70-67, at the Nationwide Lady Gator Classic in Gainesville, Florida. Boston College has an all-time record of 4-4 in overtime games.
HONORS CANDIDATE: Cal Bouchard has been the Eagles' top scoring threat throughout the season and has earned numerous awards for her performances. The sophomore guard has earned BIG EAST Player of the Week twice (Nov. 24 and Jan. 19) and was named to the All-Tournament teams at the Comfort Inn Downtown Classic and Corestates Hawk Classic.
EAGLES ON CAREER CHARTS: Aimee McGuire and Cal Bouchard are both ranked among the top 10 on the Boston College career charts in three-point field goals made and three-point field goals attempted. Bouchard is fifth (84) in three-point field goals made, and McGuire is sixth (82). In career three-point field goals attempted, McGuire is fifth (222) and Bouchard is sixth (212).
STEELE'S SOLID IN FRONTCOURT: Whitney Steele has developed into a major force at center for the Eagles and is currently first on the team in rebounding (6.0) and second in scoring (15.0). The junior center has led the team in scoring in nine games and has scored in double figures in 20 games. Steele has been the team's top rebounder in 10 games. She is currently among the top 10 in four BIG EAST statistical categories. Steele is seventh in scoring (15.0 ppg), sixth in field goal percentage (48.5), fifth in blocked shots (1.17), and ninth in rebounding (6.0).
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cal Bouchard has earned BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week honors twice during the 1997-98 season. The sophomore guard was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on January 19, after leading the Eagles to victories over Rutgers and Notre Dame. Bouchard averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, in the two conference games. In the 74-65 win over Rutgers on January 14, the sophomore guard netted 28 points, including six three-pointers, and led the team with six rebounds. She led the Eagles to a 78-76 victory over Notre Dame on January 17, scoring a driving layup with five seconds remaining in the game. Bouchard finished the game with 19 points and six assists. In two games, she shot 61.5 percent (16-26) from the field.
Bouchard was named BIG EAST Conference Co-Player of the Week on November 24, after averaging 21.5 points in Boston College's two wins over Marist and Texas. In the 104-60 win over Marist on November 20, the sophomore guard netted 11 points (4-5 FG, 1-2 3-pt., 2-2 FT), pulled down four rebounds, and dished out a career-high eight assists. She led the Eagles to a 82-68 victory over No. 25 Texas at the Reebok Classic on November 23, scoring a career-high 32 points (9-17 FG, 2-6 3-pt., 12-14 FT), and added four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES: Juniors Paula Bacso, Allison Booth, and Whitney Steele, and sophomore Alissa Murphy have each registered double-doubles this season. Bacso turned in the top performance of her collegiate career at Georgetown on December 2, scoring a career-high 18 points and pulling down a career-high 11 rebounds in the Eagles' victory. Booth registered her only double-double of the season at Villanova on January 3, netting 13 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. Steele scored 22 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in the win over Hartford on December 11. Murphy scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the loss to Villanova on January 31.
HEAD COACH CATHY INGLESE: Head coach Cathy Inglese is currently in her fifth 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 five seasons she has registered a record of 61-71, and has a career record of 181-145. 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 (5 Years) 61-71 Career Record (12 Years) 181-145 BIG EAST Regular Season Record (4 Years) 41-46 BIG EAST Tournament Record (4 Years) 1-4 BIG EAST Overall Record (4 Years) 42-50 NCAA Record (2 appearances) 0-2
TIED BEST START: The Eagles' 5-1 record in their first six games tied the best start in school history. A loss to Holy Cross on December 9 ended the Eagles' bid to register the best start in school history. Boston College had started the season with a 5-1 record three other times (1995-96, 1984-85, and 1975-76). The last time that the Eagles opened with a 5-1 record was the 1995-96 season, but the team finished with a 10-17 overall record.
TOURNAMENT HONORS: Boston College participated in two tournaments during the season and Cal Bouchard and Whitney Steele both earned all-tournament honors. Both players were named to the Comfort Inn Downtown Classic All-Tournament team. Bouchard scored 27 points and handed out seven assists in the loss to Georgia Tech in the championship game. The sophomore guard registered 11 points in the win over Towson. Steele led the Eagles in scoring against Towson with 24 points, connecting on 11 of 16 attempts from the field. The junior center scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds in the 81-79 loss to Georgia Tech.
Bouchard earned Corestates Hawk Classic All-Tournament honors after scoring 31 points and recording nine assists and five steals in two games. The sophomore guard led Boston College in scoring against Alabama, netting 20 points, including three three-point field goals, in the overtime loss. Bouchard scored 11 points and added five assists and three steals in the consolation game against Yale.
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE: The 104-point performance in the season opener tied the most points ever by a Boston College women's basketball team in a single game. The only other time that the Eagles scored 104 points was on December 12, 1990 when Boston College defeated New Hampshire, 104-76.
BACKCOURT TANDEM: The backcourt tandem of Cal Bouchard and Aimee McGuire have started all 23 games for Boston College this season. Bouchard is currently leading the team in scoring with an average of 16.3 points per game. The sophomore guard has scored in double figures in 19 games, and was named to the Comfort Inn Downtown Classic and Corestates Hawk Classic All-Tournament Teams. McGuire is averaging 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds and has connected on 42.0 percent (29-69) of her three-point field goal attempts. The senior captain netted a season-high 16 points in the victories over Providence (January 8) and Georgetown (February 7). She grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Seton Hall on February 11.
OFF THE BENCH: Four players off the bench have played major roles in the Eagles success this season. Alissa Murphy started 27 games as a freshman a year ago, but this season she plays a key role in the backcourt coming off the bench. The sophomore guard is currently third on the team in scoring with an average of 8.5 points per game. Murphy netted a career-high 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Providence on January 8.
Junior Allison Booth is averaging 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 22 games. After missing the game against Rutgers on January 14 with an ankle injury suffered at Miami, the 6-4 center returned to action against Notre Dame and scored 14 points. She is averaging 15.3 minutes per game. Booth registered a double-double at Villanova on January 3, scoring 13 points and grabbing a career-high 14 rebounds. Freshman Jamie Cournoyer has played in 20 games and is averaging 3.2 points and 2.2 rebounds. The 6-3 center netted 12 points and grabbed six rebounds in 17 minutes of play against Towson on November 28. Danielle O'Banion has played in 14 games and is averaging 2.8 points per game. The freshman guard scored a season-high 11 points in the victory at St. John's on December 31.
CENTURY MARK: When Boston College scored 104 points on November 20 in the victory over Marist, it marked only the third time in school history that the women's basketball team scored over 100 points in a single game. The other two times were during the 1990-91 season when the Eagles defeated New Hampshire, 104-76, on December 12, 1990, and St. John's, 101-75, on February 6, 1991.
