Boston College Athletics
Boston College - Buffalo Women's Basketball Game Notes
December 27, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 27, 2000
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Game -
Boston College enters Thursday's game against Buffalo with a 5-4 record after dropping a non-conference game at Kent State, 72-68, on Dec. 21. The team opened the season by winning the Chevrolet Classic in East Lansing, Mich. with victories over Tennessee Tech (80-64) and Michigan State (63-61) on Nov. 17-18. The Eagles dropped their home opener against third-ranked Duke, 67-49, to break a 16-game home undefeated streak on Nov. 22. The Eagles posted a 38-point road victory over Holy Cross (95-57) on Nov. 29, before falling to fifth-ranked Purdue, 73-61, at the FleetCenter on Dec. 3 and No. 2 Tennessee, 72-57, in Knoxvile, Tenn. on Dec. 6. The Eagles got back on the winning track with a 70-47 victory over La Salle on Dec. 9 and then won a home game against Dartmouth on Dec. 12, 84-56.
Three Eagles are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Amber Jacobs' 13.0 points per game. Rachel Byars is second with a 11.7 average, followed by Becky Gottstein (11.5). Byars is the team's leading rebounder with a 7.9 rebounds per game average, while Gottstein has a 6.3 boards per game mark.
Buffalo enters the game after dropping its first game of the season in its last outing against Seton Hall, 73-64, on Dec. 22. The Bulls opened the season with eight straight wins over North Carolina (95-89), Niagara (72-67), Canisius (73-59), Albany (71-56), Wisconsin-Milwaukee (81-52), Youngstown State (74-54), St. Bonaventure (72-51) and St. John's (55-48).
Against Buffalo - Boston College and Buffalo have never met and the game will mark the first in the series. Buffalo has already played two BIG EAST teams this season, earning a 1-1 mark. The Bulls won against St. John's in Jamaica, N.Y. and then dropped a road game at Seton Hall.
Against the Mid-American Athletic Conference - Boston College has a 3-8 record against teams affiliated with the Mid-American Athletic Conference, including a 1-1 mark against Kent State, the Eagles' last opponent. The Eagles are 1-0 against Western Michigan and 1-1 against Toledo. BC is 0-1 against Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Eagles are 0-3 against Miami (Ohio).
Last Time Out -
Boston College hit the road for a final game before the Christmas break, traveling to Kent State in a non-league match-up. Facing a Golden Flash 34-game home winning streak, the Eagles fell 72-68 after falling short in a late game rally.
After taking an eight-point lead in the first half, Kent State closed the first on a run to bring the Eagle lead to only three at the intermission. Kent State took the lead on their second basket in the second half and then went on to open up a 10-point lead midway through the second. The Eagles fought back and brought the game within one point with four minutes to play, but Kent State staved off the rally and won the game on late-game free throws.
The Coach -
Head coach Cathy Inglese is in her eighth 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 tenure at BC, she has registered a record of 117-94, and has a career record of 237-168. She recorded her 100th victory at Boston College on January 12, 2000, with a 67-50 win over St. John's. In 1999-2000, Inglese led the Eagles to the best-ever season in school history with a 26-9 record and a second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. Inglese led the 1998-99 team to a 22-8 record 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 and 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.
Consistency Breeds Success -
The Boston College coaching staff is in its fourth season on the bench together. Associate head coach Pam Borton and assistant coaches Kelly Cole and Bill Gould have helped head coach Cathy Inglese bring the program to new "Heights" with the unparalleled success of the Boston College women's basketball program.
Through the first three years and the first nine games of the 2000-2001 season, the team acheived an overall record of 70-34. The 1998-99 squad was selected for the school's first NCAA tournament and advanced to the second round, a feat the 1999-2000 team duplicated. Last year, the team posted a school record 26-win season and went undefeated at home, 14-0.
Lineup Shuffling -
In nine games this season, head coach Cathy Inglese has used four different starting fives. In the opening game of the season, Rachel Byars, Becky Gottstein, Jamie Cournoyer, Brianne Stepherson and Amber Jacobs started the game. Then, after an ankle sprain sidelined Gottstein, Alicia Shields was inserted as a third guard against Michigan State.
Gottstein came back against Duke, but then Stepherson re-injured her right knee and has missed six games. Shields has rejoined the starting lineup for the last six games as the shooting guard as Jacobs moved over to the point.
For the last four games, with Gottstein back out of the lineup with a broken hand, Nicole Conway joined the ranks of the starters at forward. Inglese has used the same starting lineup (Byars, Conway, Cournoyer, Shields and Jacobs) for four games this season, marking the longest a unit has been together this season.
Eagles In The National Polls -
Boston College is currently not ranked in either of the two national polls after dropping four of its last seven games. The Eagles are an also receiving votes team in both polls.
Earlier this season, The ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll had the Eagles ranked as high as 19 after earning a preseason ranking of 22.
In the Associated Press poll, the Eagles are in the also receiving votes category for the third-consecutive week. They were an also receiving votes team in the preseason poll and were ranked as high as 24th after their two wins in the Chevrolet Classic to open the season.
Five other polls had Boston College ranked in their preseason top 25 polls. Basketball News put the Eagles at 18th in the nation, Lindy's had them listed in 25th, Preview Sports had BC ranked 22, as did Women's Basketball Journal. Full Court Press had Boston College 21st.
Three Point Threats -
Once again in 2000-2001, the Eagles are a three-point threat. As a team, Boston College is shooting 42.9 percent from behind the arch and is ranked third in nation and the BIG EAST behind Notre Dame (56.8 percent) as of the Dec. 18 release.
Leading the way is sophomore Alicia Shields, who has scored 11 times from behind the line, including a career-high three baskets against La Salle. She is currently shooting 52.4 percent on 11-for-21 shooting. Freshman Janelle McManus has netted 15-of-31 attempts (48.4 percent), including a career-high four baskets against Michigan State and La Salle. McManus was ranked eighth in the nation with her 57.7 average as of Dec. 11.
Freshman Amber Jacobs has recorded 11 three pointers on 11-of-31 shooting. Danielle O'Banion has hit seven baskets and has a 43.8 percent average. Nicole Conway is shooting 50.0 percent from behind the arc (four-for-eight shooting) and Rachel Byars has also hit three baskets this season (three-for-nine).
Twice this season the Boston College has hit nine three pointers in a game: against Michigan State on Nov. 18 and against Holy Cross on Nov. 29.
During the 1999-2000 season, the Eagles were one of the best three-point shooting teams in the nation, averaging 38.1 percent over the season, good for 14th nationally.
Charity Stripe -
Some aspects of the Eagle program do not change from year to year, including excellent free throw shooting. This year, the Eagles are averaging 77.1 percent shooting from the free throw line, connecting on 128-of-166 shots in nine games. Currently, the team ranks first in the BIG EAST and was third in the nation in the Dec. 18 NCAA release.
Sophomore Maureen Magarity (four-for-four) and freshman Maureen Leahy (two-for-two) are perfect on the season with a 1.00 averages from the charity stripe. Freshman Janelle McManus has missed only one of her attempts this season (19-for-20) for a 95.0 clip. Junior Nicole Conway is shooting 84.2 percent (16-for-19) and Rachel Byars is 26-for-31 (83.9 percent) from the line, including two eight-for-nine perfomances in the Chevrolet Classic. Freshman Amber Jacobs is shooting 20-for-25 from the line (80.0 percent).
Last season, the Eagles were ranked 15th nationally, making 514-of-685 free throws for a 75.0 percent average.
Eagles Among the Nation's Best -
Beside being considered one of the nation's best teams by the coaches and media, the Eagles are ranked among the country's leaders in several statistical categories in the first NCAA statistics report released on Dec. 18.
As a team, the Eagles are third in the nation in both three-point field goal shooting (42.9 percent) and free throw shooting (77.1 percent). Last season, the team was also nationally ranked in both categories. One individual also appeared on the release. Senior Jamie Cournoyer is tied for 19th in blocked shots per game with a 2.0 per game mark.
Captains Named - The two seniors, Jamie Cournoyer and Danielle O'Banion, will serve as team captains this season. Cournoyer, a center, was named BIG EAST most improved player last season while O'Banion is one of the team's most potent long-distance threats in the backcourt.
Double Delight -
Several players have opened the 2000-2001 season with double-doubles. Juniors Rachel Byars and Nicole Conway each put up double figures in both points and rebounds against Tennessee Tech in the first round of the Chevrolet Classic, while classmate Becky Gottstein notched her first two double-doubles of the season against top-five opponents Duke and Purdue. Byars added two more double-doubles against Michigan State and Kent State.
Byars notched her first-career double with a then career-high 21-point, 11-rebound effort while Conway had a career-high 12 rebounds and 16 points off the bench for her second career double-double. Byars followed up her opening performance with her second career double-double against host Michigan State with a new career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds. In the team's ninth game, she posted 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double against Kent State.
Gottstein's first feat came in her first full game action of the season. In 37 minutes of play against the Blue Devils, she posted 15 points and 11 rebounds marking her 15th double-double of her career. Against fifth-ranked Purdue, she led all Eagle scorers with 16 points and also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds in the full 40 minutes.
The Tennessee Tech game marked the first time since Dec. 4, 1999 - against Kent State - that two Eagles have notched double-doubles in the same game.
Changing of the Guards -
With the graduation of all-BIG EAST senior guards Cal Bouchard and Alissa Murphy, two new faces have joined the Eagle backcourt and ushered in a new era of top guard play.
Freshman Amber Jacobs has already made her mark on the backcourt. Starting all nine of the Eagles' games so far this year, Jacobs leads the team with 13.0 points per game, including a career-high 23-point performance against Dartmouth on Dec. 12. A week earlier, she set a then career-high with 16 points against the second-ranked Lady Vols at Tennessee on Dec. 9. In the final of the Chevrolet Classic against Michigan State, she came out with a 14-point performance and was named to the all-tournament team for her play. She also leads the team with 33 assists for a 3.7 per game average, including a career-high seven-assist game against Purdue.
Classmate Janelle McManus has already showed how she broke former Tennessee star Chamique Holdsclaw's conference scoring record in high school.
In Boston College's first two games, she averaged 13 points per game and two assists per game. Playing 24 minutes against Tennessee Tech and 23 minutes against Michigan State, she came off the bench in both games to be one of the Eagle leaders. She led all scorers against Holy Cross, coming off the bench to score 17 points in 20 minutes of play. She also added three assists.
For the third time in four games, she led all scorers against La Salle with 16 points, including four-of-five shooting from three-point land, in 35 minutes adding four assists. She also led all scorers against Tennessee, coming off the bench to score 18 points in 32 minutes of play. She also grabbed a career-high six rebounds and added two steals and two assists.
40-Minute Warriors - Boston College players have played a full 40-minute game several times this season. Rachel Byars played the entire 80 minutes of the Chevrolet Classic (two games), while Becky Gottstein never left the court against fifth-ranked Purdue. In the three games, both players were the team's leading scorers. Byars netted 21 and 27 points in the two games she played all 40 minutes and Gottstein recorded 16 in her full outing.
30-Minute Madness -
Due to a very short bench caused by injuries, five players were forced to play 32 minutes or more against second-ranked Tennessee on Dec. 6. Forwards Nicole Conway and Rachel Byars led the Eagles with 39 minutes apiece, while Amber Jacobs played 38 at guard. Center Jamie Cournoyer played 36 minutes before fouling out in the game's final minute. Guard Janelle McManus came off the bench to play 32 minutes when Alicia Shields was forced out due to illness.
At the half in that game, three players had played the entire 20 minutes: Byars, Conway and Jacobs.
Against Dartmouth, Cathy Inglese went to her bench, but still three players were called on to play 34-plus minutes. Conway led the way with 39 and Byars logged 38. Jacobs played 34 minutes at the point.
This season, two players are averaging 30+ minutes a game. Byars leads the team with a 36.1 minutes per game average, while Jacobs is second with a 33.9 average.
Gottstein's Preseason Honors - Junior Becky Gottstein was named to the preseason all-BIG EAST second team, voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. She was one of two juniors named to the preseason first and second teams, joining UConn's Sue Bird as the only two juniors on a BIG EAST preseason team. Notre Dame's Alicia Ratay, the 2000 BIG EAST rookie of the year, was the only sophomore selected. Seven seniors were chosen between the first and second teams. Gottstein was also a preseason Street & Smith honorable mention All-America pick.
At Home Away From Home -
The Buffalo game game will be the Eagles' 10th game of the season, but only their third game at Conte Fourm this season. Away from Conte Forum, the Eagles have amassed a 4-3 record.
In the two opening games of the season, the team won both its in the Chevrolet Classic at Michigan State. The team won against Tennessee Tech and Michigan State in away and neutral games. Then, in a game at Holy Cross, the Eagles took another victory. They added a fourth victory away from home against La Salle.
The only blemishes away from Conte Forum came with a loss against Purdue in the FleetCenter and a losses against Tennessee in Knoxville and Kent State in Kent, Ohio.
Career Nights -
Several Eagles have already had career outings in the young 2000-2001 season.
Junior Nicole Conway, set a new career-high in points against Dartmouth with 19, while tying a career-high in minutes with 39. She also tied a career high with three steals. She led all rebounders in the game with nine, just missing a double-double. Earlier this season against Tennessee Tech, she recorded her second-career double-double with 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Classmate Rachel Byars had career nights in her first two official games as an Eagle after transferring from Western Kentucky. She notched back-to-back double doubles against Tennessee Tech and Michigan State, scoring 21, then 27 points in the two games of the Chevrolet Classic. She pulled down 11 rebounds in both games.
The freshman class has also done its fair share of setting new career highs. Amber Jacobs had her latest best-effort on Dec. 12 against Dartmouth, picking up 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting. She previously set her high mark against Tennessee with 16 points. Janelle McManus paced herself against the Lady Vols, notching 18 points while grabbing six rebounds - as the shortest player on the court at 5-6. She led all scorers in that game.
Most Valuable Player - Junior Rachel Byars was named the most valuable player of the Chevrolet Classic as she averaged a double-double in the two games of the season-opening tournament. In the first game against Tennessee Tech, she netted 21 points (on six-for-nine shooting, eight-for-nine free throws) and grabbed 11 rebounds. She also had two steals. In the finals against Michigan State, she netted a career-high 27 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. She had a career-high six steals in the game, playing all 40 minutes for the second night in a row.
All-Tournament Team - Freshman Amber Jacobs was selected to the all-tournament team at the Chevrolet Classic after she she scored a career-high 14 points in the finals against Michigan State. She also added three assists in 33 minutes of the final game.
Sparks off the Bench -
Several Eagles have provided an added jump off the bench in the Eagles' opening games this season.
Freshman Janelle McManus has come into the game in all nine contests this season and is fourth on the team in scoring with an 9.6 points per game average and is 19-for-20 on the season from the free throw line. She also has a team-high 15 three point baskets this season, while adding 20 assists. She has led all scorers in four games this season, including in a road loss at No. 2 Tennessee.
In the Tennessee Tech game, junior Nicole Conway came off the bench to score 14 points and pull down a career-high 12 rebounds in 29 minutes. Against Holy Cross, she pulled down eight rebounds and added three assists in 24 minutes of game time. Against the Boilermakers of Purdue, she scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds. She was inserted into the starting lineup against Tennessee when Becky Gottstein went down with a broken hand.
Before joining the starting lineup in the last two games, sophomore Alicia Shields came into two games from the bench. In the season's first game against Tennessee Tech, she netted 15 points for a new career high.
Records Watch -
Two BC players will have the opportunity to crack the all-time records lists at BC this season. Juniors Becky Gottstein and Brianne Stepherson will soon move among the leaders in several categories.
Gottstein already holds the single-season record for field goal percentage with a 57.5 percent performance in her freshman campaign and is ninth in the single-season rebounding records with last season's 9.6 rebounds per game average.
Gottstein should also break into the career marks this season in both scoring and rebounding. She is 70 rebounds shy of the all-time top 10, having 452 boards. On the points list, she needs just 403 points to move into 10th place in the record books with her 672 points. Last season, she scored 325 points despite missing twelve games with a stress fracture in her ankle.
Stepherson could position herself among the leaders in two categories: steals and assists. In assists, Stepherson is already 8th all-time with 247. Last year, she had 130 assists. Stepherson has 74 career steals through her first two years of play and only needs 34 more to crack the top 10. Joanie Gallagher `95 is 10th with 108 steals. Last season, Stepherson stole 47 balls from the opponents.
Climbing Jacobs' Scoring Ladder -
Freshman Amber Jacobs has continued to out-do herself this season. She has set three new career-highs in scoring this season and is looking to continue to reset the mark.
She most recently set the bar at 23 points when she shot nine-for-14 from the floor against Dartmouth. Before that, she picked the nation's second best team to light up, scoring 16 points on six-for-10 shooting against Tennessee in Knoxville. In just her second collegiate game, she initially set her career high with 14 points on four-for-six shooting (three-for-four from three point range) against Michigan State in the finals of the Chevrolet Classic. She has scored in double figures in seven of the Eagles' nine games this season.
Oh Nelly -
Janelle McManus had several career nights coming off the bench this season and was honored for her recent play with the BIG EAST rookie of the week award on Dec. 11.
On Nov. 29 against Holy Cross, she scored a game and then career-high 17 points on six-of-seven shooting, including three-of-four from three point land and two-of-two from the free throw line. She also added three assists in 20 minutes. Then, in her best offensive game of the season, she played 32 minutes against second-ranked Tennessee and scored a game-high 18 points, while also pulling down six assists as the shortest player on the court (5-6). In that game, she added two assists and two steals.
In the Eagles next game against La Salle, she co-led all scorers with Rachel Byars, netting 16 points on five-for-nine shooting and four-for-five from three-point land. She added a career-high four assists and played a season-high 35 minutes at point guard.
She initially had set her career high against Michigan State in her second game as an Eagles with 14 points in 23 minutes.
O'Banion Lights Up -
Senior co-captain Danielle O'Banion had a career night off the bench against Holy Cross. The guard entered the game in the first half and sunk her only shot attempt of the half.
Re-entering in the second half, the Arlington, Va., native went three-for-three from behind the three-point line, including back-to-back baskets on consecutive trips down court. The 11 points tied a career-high as did the three three-pointers.
Sister Act - Boston College boasts two sisters on the roster this year. No. 54, Becky Gottstein returns for her junior year, while she is joined by her sister, freshman Carolyn, who will wear number 55 this season.
Gottstein(s) in the Paint -
The Holy Cross game marked the first time that both Gottsteins, sisters Becky and Carolyn, played in the same game at Boston College. Though they did not see time on the floor at the same time, both players saw significant game action.
Becky played 29 minutes and scored 15 points, while grabbing four rebounds. Carolyn checked into the game in the second half, and in seven minutes of time, scored six points and grabbed four rebounds.
The sisters, both forwards, played at Albany High School in Albany, N.Y. Carolyn, a 2000 graduate, broke Becky's (Class of 1998) school scoring records and now holds the top spot in the record books with 2,020 points and is the only player to score over 2,000 points at Albany.
Ranked Opponents -
Six of the Eagles' 2000-2001 opponets are ranked in the top eight of the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls.
Connecticut occupies the top spot in both polls, followed by Tennessee. Notre Dame is third. Duke is fifth in the coaches' poll and sixth in the AP poll. Rutgers si seventh in both polls, while Purdue is eighth in both.
So far this season, the Eagles are 0-3 against ranked teams. BC fell to No. 3 Duke, 67-49, at home on Nov. 22 and then dropped a 73-61 contest to No. 5 Purdue at the FleetCenter. At No. 2 Tennessee on Dec. 6, the Eagles fell, 72-57, in a contest closer than the score would indicate.
Last season, the Eagles were 1-7 against ranked opponets with the lone win coming against No. 22 Duke in the second round of the Preseason WNIT. In that same tournament, Boston College faced No. 3 Georgia in the semifinals, falling 78-70, and No. 15 Illinois in the consolation game, falling 73-42. Later in the season, No. 1 Connecticut topped BC, 84-77, and No. 5 Notre Dame defeated the Eagles 72-59. Boston College also fell to No. 8 Rutgers, 73-51. In the BIG EAST tournament, the Eagles faced top-ranked UConn again, dropping a 79-54 decision. In the second round of the NCAA tournament, No. 19 Virginia downed BC, 74-70.
Home Court Advantage - Until Duke defeated the Eagles at Conte Forum on Nov. 22, Boston College had a 16-game winning streak on their home court in Conte Forum. The streak began on Feb. 17, 1999 with a win over Villanova and lasted through the last game of the 1999-2000 season against Syracuse on Feb. 29, 2000. Over last season, the Eagles were a perfect 14-0 at home and defeated their opponents by an average of 21.8 points.
Eagles Chosen Fourth in BIG EAST -
In the second toughest women's basketball conference in America according to the RPI ratings for the 1999-2000 season, Boston College was selected fourth in the BIG EAST in the annual preseason coaches' poll. National champion Connecticut was chosen first with 13 first-place votes, followed by 2000 Final Four participant Rutgers (with the final first-place vote) and Notre Dame. Georgetown and Virgina Tech followed the Eagles tied for fifth, followed by Villanova in seventh. Pittsburgh was selected ninth, followed by Miami in ninth, Syracuse in 10th, and St. John's 11th. Providence was chosen 12th, while Seton Hall and West Virginia rounded out the 14-team poll.
Last season, the Eagles were chosen fourth, but finished tied with Rutgers for third in the league with a 12-4 record.
Miscellaneous Notes From The La Salle Game - Dec. 9, 2000 - The Eagles committed a season-low nine turnovers ... Jamie Cournoyer tied a season-high with four blocked shots, while Andriana Spears added two ... together the two gave the Eagles a season-high six blocks ... the Eagles held La Salle to 30.2 percent shooting from the field, a season-low for BC opponents ... the Explorers' 47 total points were the least allowed by the Eagles this season ... Boston College had five players score in double figures for the second time this season ... Janelle McManus led all scorers for the second-straight game (16 points) ... she also had a career-high four assists in a career-high 35 minutes of play.
Miscellaneous Notes From The Holy Cross Win - Nov. 29, 2000 - The team's 95 points marked the most points scored by an Eagles team since Nov. 20, 1997 when it posted 104 in a win over Marist at home ... the 57 points allowed was the Eagles lowest since Georgetown netted 52 in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST tournament last year (Mar. 5, 2000) ... Janelle McManus' 17 points off the bench were a career high for the freshman ... Danielle O'Banion tied career highs with 11 points and three three-pointers ... O'Banion was also perfect from the floor, going 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from behind the arch ... all 10 available players played and everyone scored at least four points ... BC had five players score in double figures ... Alicia Shields tied a career high with five assists in her third career start ... Becky Gottstein scored 15 points for the second-consecutive game after returning to the lineup against Duke from two sprained ankles ... BC shot a season-high 57.1 percent (on 36-for-63 shooting) from the field, including 69.2 percent from three point land (nine-for-13) ... the team shot 64.5 percent in the second half (20-for-31) ... point guard Brianne Stepherson snapped her streak of 19 consecutive starts as she missed the game with a muscle strain in her right knee.
1999-2000 Season Recap -
Last season, the Eagles registered the best season in school history with their 26-9 overall record. To start the season, the team advance to the semifinals of the Preseason WNIT before falling to third-ranked Georgia in the semifinals. A 12-game win streak highlighted the midseason, which included a championship at the State Farm Classic at the University of Florida. BC advanced to the semifinals of the BIG EAST tournament for the first time since 1990 before falling to eventual league and national champion Connecticut. The team advanced to its second NCAA tournament in two years before falling to Virginia in the second round of the annual event.
Senior Cal Bouchard was named to the all-BIG EAST First Team while junior Jamie Cournoyer was named the league's most improved player. Cournoyer joined senior Alissa Murphy on the all-BIG EAST third team. After the conclusion of the season, Bouchard was named BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete and also earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. She was also the first Boston College player to play in the Olympics when she was named to the Canadian Olympic team that played in Sydney, Australia.
New Look Eagles -
Boston College underwent an image makeover during the summer of 2000, resulting in a fresh, new look for the athletic department. A new set of logos was introduced in July, including an updated version of the interlocking BC logo.
In conjunction with the retooling of the look, the athletic teams, including the women's basketball team, have new uniforms with the new designs.
Summer Tour -
Junior Nicole Conway was a member of the 2000 BIG EAST women's basketball all-star team this summer that toured Canada at the beginning of June. The team, comprised of one member from each of the league's 13 teams last season, went 5-1 on the goodwill tour. Conway averaged 8.2 points per game in the six contests and 2.7 rebounds per game. She scored a game-high 16 points in the BIG EAST's first win of the tour, a 64-46 victory over Simon Fraser in the second game on the road.
During the summer of 1999, head coach Cathy Inglese, assistants Kelly Cole and Bill Gould, center Jamie Cournoyer and trainer Donna Bennett all represented Boston College on the trip through Europe with a 4-1 record.
Future Eagles -
Head Coach Cathy Inglese has announced that two players have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at BC starting next season. Clare Droesch and Jessalyn Deveny will enter Boston College as freshmen in the fall of 2001.
Droesch, a 5-11 small forward from Belle Harbor, N.Y., was named USA Today New York Player of the Year as a junior at Christ the King High School last season. She averaged 24 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, 7.6 assists per game and 6.1 steals per game in her junior season. She was selected by Street & Smith as a fourth team All-American and was also named the Brooklyn/Queens Player of the Year, as well as the New York City Player of the Year. Droesch also received first team all-state and tri-state first team honors.
Deveny, a 5-8 guard from Westford, Mass., was named Gatorade Massachusetts Player of the Year after her junior season at Westford Academy. She also received USA Today All-America honorable mention accolades. The Boston Herald named her to its scholastic Dream Team and she was selected to the All-Massachusetts first team. She averaged 21 points per game and eight rebounds per game last season.
Injury Bug -
Two players did not dress for the Kent State game on Dec. 21, while two others - Maureen Magairty and Brianne Stepherson - dressed for the first time since November.
Junior forward Kim Mackie will miss the whole season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee suffered in a preseason practice on Oct. 5. She is currently undergoing rehab on the knee and is expected to rejoin the team on its summer trip to Europe.
Junior Becky Gottstein suffered a broken third metacarpal bone in her right hand in practice on incidental contact on Dec. 5. She has missed the last four games and had a hard cast put on her hand on Dec. 12.
Stepherson dressed for the Kent State game for the first time since the Duke game, but did not play. She missed five games with a muscle strain and weakness in her right knee evidenced in the Duke game on Nov. 22.
Magarity sat out six games with a stress fracture in her left foot. She had a similar injury during early season workouts, but recovered and returned to the lineup in the Chevrolet Classic. She checked into the game in the first half and scored two points while grabbing three rebounds in six minutes of play.
Eagles on the Air -
Most Boston College women's basketball home games and several road games will be carried over the Internet by www.bceagles.com, the athletic department's official Web site.
Listeners can connect to the broadcast by entering the URL into their browsers and clicking on the link on the right side of the school's front page. Ricky Doyle will handle the play-by-play duties. During the University's winter break, the women's basketball games (Buffalo, Fairfield, Miami) will not be aired.
Eagles Sports Hotline -
For recent scores and highlights, call the Eagles Sports Hotline at (617) 552-2000. Updated regularly, the hotline keeps all Eagles fans abreast of the latest happenings at the Heights.
bceagles.com -
For all the latest news and results on all 34 athletic teams at Boston College, log onto www.bceagles.com. The Web site is update with scores, highlights, features and audio clips daily and is the best source for up-to-the-minute information on Boston College Athletics.
Up Next -
The Eagles will play their second game in three days when they face Fairfield on Saturday, Dec. 30, in a 7 p.m. game at Conte Forum. The BC men will play earlier in the day against Vanderbilt at 2 p.m.
On the Horizon -
After the Fairfield game, BC ends its non-conference schedule and will start its BIG EAST schedule on Tuesday, Jan.2, in a game at St. John's at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles will play six road league contests in January and three at home.
