Boston College Athletics
Boston College
Tennessee Tech
Women's Basketball Wins Season Opener
November 17, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2000
East Lansing, Mich.-The 22nd-ranked Boston College women's basketball team defeated Tennessee Tech, 80-64, to win the second game of the Chevrolet Classic on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.
The host Michigan State Spartans defeated Arkansas State 76-50 to move on to the championship game against the Eagles.
Leading the Eagles was junior Rachel Byars with the first double-double of her career. Byars netted a team-high and career-high 21 points and collected a career-high 11 rebounds in her 40 minutes of play. Joining Byars with a double-double was junior Nicole Conway. Coming off the bench, Conway was the second leading scorer with 16 points, while adding a team-high and career-high 12 rebounds.
The Eagles opened up a 10-2 lead to start the game, but Tennessee Tech fought back to tie the score at 16-16 with 10:02 left in the first half. From there, the Eagles gained control and extended a 20-point lead by halftime. Both Byars and Conway had posted 11 points at the break.
Tennessee Tech tried to cut the BC lead during the second half and was able curb the advantage to 10 points with :49 left to play, but two Byars free throws and lay up and a two Alicia Shields free throws in the closing seconds brough the final margin of victory to 16 for Boston College.
Shields was the third leading scorer for the Eagles with 15 points. Freshman Janelle McManus, in her first regular-season collegiate game, finished with 12 points.
Leading Tennessee Tech (0-1) was Janet Holt with 17 points and a team-high five rebounds. Crystal Andrews finished with 10 points for Tech.
The Eagles (1-0) will return to action Saturday night when they play Michigan State in the championship game of the Chevrolet Classic at MSU's Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich. Game time is 7 p.m. They return home on Nov. 22 for the season's home opener against the fourth-ranked Duke Blue Devils in a 7 p.m. contest at Conte Forum.
