Boston College Athletics
Women's Basketball - Rutgers Game Notes
January 12, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2001
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The Game:
Boston College enters Saturday's game amid a two-game losing streak after falling 65-59 at home to Miami on Wednesday. Currently, BC is 7-7 overall and 1-2 in BIG EAST play.
The Eagles opened the season with two wins in the Chevrolet Classic before dropping a game to No. 3 Duke at home. BC improved to 3-1 with a road win over Holy Cross, but dropped its next two to No. 5 Purdue and No. 2 Tennessee. The Eagles earned two wins over La Salle and Dartmouth. BC lost to Kent State on the road, before defeating Buffalo at home. BC fell to Fairfield in overtime at home to end the millenium, but then opened the BIG EAST season with a 75-36 win over St. John's on Jan. 2, but now has lost its last two to Georgetown and Miami.
Two Eagles are averaging double figures in scoring, led by freshman Amber Jacobs' 14.6 points per game. Junior Becky Gottstein is second with a 13.1 points per game mark. Gottstein is also the team's leading rebounder with a 7.4 boards per game average. Classmate Nicole Conway is second with a 6.7 average.
Rutgers enters the game with a 9-4 overall mark and 2-1 record in BIG EAST play. The Scarlet Knights are ranked 12th in the Associated Press poll and 13th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll.
Rutgers went 3-0 in November with a win over California and two wins at its Rutgers Coca-Cola Classic over Vermont and George Washington. It lost its first game if the season to No. 7 Georgia in the Honda Elite Classic. The Scarlet Knights strung together five straight wins over Virginia Tech, Northeastern, Massachusetts, St. Joseph's and Ohio, before falling to No. 19 Florida in the finals of the University of Florida Holiday Classic. Rutgers opened the New Year with losses at No. 2 Tennessee and No. 3 Notre Dame, before winning its last game over Providence in overtime.
Three Scarlet Knights are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Karlita Washington's 12.7 points per game average. Tammy Sutton-Brown is second with an 11.4 average and Tasha Pointer follows with an 11.1 mark. Pointer is also the team's leading rebounder with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Against Rutgers:
Boston College has a 3-9 all-time mark against Rutgers, including losses in each of its last four meetings. The Eagles' last win came at home on Jan. 14, 1998, when they took a 74-65 contests. Rutgers has won the last two regular season meetings and the last meeting in the BIG EAST tournament. BC is 1-6 in games played at the Louis Brown Athletic Center and 2-2 in games played at Conte Forum. Rutgers won the only game played at a neutral court.
So far this season, the teams share one common opponent, Tennessee. On Dec. 6, the Eagles fell 72-57 in Knoxville, while Rutges lost 58-51 on Jan. 2.
The Last Time Game Against Rutgers - February 23, 2000:
Shawnetta Stewart scored 15 of her 27 points in the opening 11 minutes as the No. 8 Scarlet Knights defeated No. 17 Boston College, 73-51, on Feb. 23, 2000 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Stewart hit 5-of-7 three-pointers as the Scarlet Knights moved into a tie for third place in the BIG EAST Conference (10-4) with the Eagles.
Davalyn Cunningham added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Rutgers, which used Stewart's quick start and an all-senior starting lineup on Senior Night to jump to an early 16-point lead. Boston College hit its first two shots but Rutgers scored the next 11 points with Stewart hitting a 3-pointer and capping the spurt with a layup. Rutgers led 16-11 when head coach C. Vivian Stringer went back to the usual starting lineup. The result was a 12-2 run that featured another five points by Stewart, including an NBA-range 3-pointer.
Cal Bouchard scored 21 points and Kim Mackie added 15 for Boston College. Jamie Cournoyer, who averaged 14.2 points in conference games, was in foul trouble early in the game and played only eight minutes and did not score.
Stewart hit all three of her 3-pointers in the first half as Rutgers took control. The 27 points were one shy of her season high and two shy of her career high. Rutgers led 33-24 at halftime, as the Eagles shot 34.6 percent and were outrebounded, 22-12. The Scarlet Knights added to their lead early in the second half with a 7-1 run that Stewart capped with her second long 3-pointer for a 45-30 lead with 12:16 to go. Boston College never cut the deficit under 11 points.
Last Time Out:
The University of Miami won its first game on the road since Mar. 4, 2000, defeating Boston College, 65-59, in front of 1,054 fans at Conte Forum.
The Hurricanes opened with the game's first basket and never surrendered the lead for the rest of the game. Midway through the first half, Miami went on a 10-0 run to take a 27-16 lead with 6:23 left in the half. The first half saw 18 steals between the two teams (12 for Miami and six for BC) and 26 total turnovers (nine for Miami and 17 for BC).
Though holding the Hurricanes to only 35.3 percent shooting (12-for-34) during the first 20 minutes, BC still trailed 29-21 at the intermission. Senior Dalia Clark had 15 first-half points to lead Miami as the Eagles' Becky Gottstein had 10.
The Eagles quickly fell behind 43-28 to start the second half, but a Nicole Conway three-pointer keyed a 9-0 run that brought the team back within six points with 12:35 to play. The two teams continued to play evenly as the second progressed, but then Miami's Sheila James hit two three pointers that opened the Hurricane lead to 10, 53-43, with 6:20 remaining.
Baskets by Gottstein and Jamie Cournoyer, as well as a three-pointer by Janelle McManus, helped the Eagles get back within three with 4:34 to go. But, Clark added five points and the Hurricanes connected on eight-of-ten free throws down the stretch to put the game out of reach, 65-56. Conway connected on a final three-pointer as time wound down for the final six-point margin.
Clark led all scorers with 24 points and also grabbed 13 rebounds. Broussard finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and four blocks. Gottstein led the Eagles with 19 points and eight rebounds. Conway also scored in double figures with 10 and pulled down six boards.
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 119-97, and has a career record of 239-171. 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 14 games of the 2000-2001 season, the team acheived an overall record of 72-37. 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 14 games this season, head coach Cathy Inglese has used six 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, then Stepherson re-injured her right knee and has missed 11 games. Shields has rejoined the starting lineup as the shooting guard as Jacobs moved over to the point.
For five games, with Gottstein back out of the lineup with a broken hand, Nicole Conway joined the ranks of the starters at forward. Gottstein returned in the Buffalo game, but did not start. Inglese used the same starting lineup (Byars, Conway, Cournoyer, Shields and Jacobs) for five games this season, marking the longest a unit has been together this season. Against Fairfield, Gottstein was inserted back in at center, joining Jacobs, Shields, Byars and Conway at tip-off and the five stayed together for the St. John's win as well.
Against Georgetown, Cournoyer rejoined the starting ranks, replacing Gottstein. In the last game against Miami, Byars was replaced in the four spot by Gottstein.
Eagles In The National Polls:
Boston College is currently not ranked in either of the two national polls after dropping six of its last nine games. The Eagles are an also receiving votes team in the coaches' poll. Three weeks ago, the Eagles were ranked 24th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, but fell out after their road loss at Kent State.
Earlier this season, the Coaches' Poll had the Eagles ranked as high as 19 after earning a preseason ranking of 22.
In the Associated Press poll, the Eagles have stopped receiving votes after garning votes in each of the nine polls. 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.
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 75.6 percent shooting from the free throw line, connecting on 208-of-275 shots in 14 games. Currently, the team ranks first in the BIG EAST and was seventh in the nation in the Jan. 8 NCAA release.
Junior Rachel Byars is 29-for-35 (82.9 percent) from the line, including two eight-for-nine perfomances in the Chevrolet Classic. Freshman Janelle McManus is shooting a 82.8 clip on 24-for-29 shooting. Junior Nicole Conway is a 79.2 percent shooter, connecting on 19-of-24 shots, while freshman Amber Jacobs has netted 37-of-47 shots this season for an 78.7 mark. Junior Becky Gottstein (31-for-41) is shooting 78.0 percent, including a 12-for-14 performance against Georgetown.
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 Jan. 8.
As a team, the Eagles are 17th in the nation in three-point field goal shooting (39.3 percent) and seventh in free throw shooting (76.9 percent). Last season, the team was also nationally ranked in both categories. Earlier this season, two individuals also appeared on the release. Senior Jamie Cournoyer is tied for 19th in blocked shots per game with a 2.0 per game mark as of the Dec. 18 release, while freshman Janelle McManus was eighth in the nation in three-point shooting as of Dec. 11 (57.7 percent).
Streak Snapped: Freshman Amber Jacobs had her consecutive games with double-figure streak snapped in the Eagles' last game against Maimi. She was held to just nine points on three-for-11 shooting. She had scored double-digits in the previous eight games.
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.
Who's Hot: Nicole Conway has averaged 10.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game in the last five games. She's shot 46.7 percent from the floor (21-for-45) and 50.0 percent from behind the three-point arc (eight-for-16) in those games ... Amber Jacobs snapped her eight-game double-digit scoring steak in the Miami game when she was held to only eight points. Over the past nine games, she has averaged 17.2 points per game in that span while hitting for double-figures in 11 of 14 games this season.
Double Delight:
Several players have opened the 2000-2001 season with double-doubles. The Eagles front court has registered 10 double-doubles this season, the most by a BIG EAST school this season.
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. 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. Byars' third double-double came agaist Kent State on 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Conway added her second double-double against Fairfield, grabbing 17 points (her second-highest career total) and 10 rebounds. She flirted with a triple-double as she had seven assists on the night, a career-high.
Junior Becky Gottstein notched her first two double-doubles of the season against top-five opponents Duke and Purdue, then added her third in her return to action from a broken hand. 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. After sitting the first three minutes on the bench, Gottsein checked into the game against Buffalo and proceeded to score a game and season-high 23 points and 12 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. She notched her fourth double-double of the season at Georgetown with 16 points (12-for-14 from the free throw line) and 11 rebounds.
Senior Jamie Cournoyer recorded her first double-double of the season, coming off the bench against Fairfield to net 13 points and grab 12 rebounds.
The Fairfield game marked the second time this season two Eagles have had double-doubles in the same game.
Frontcourt Scoring:
In 10 of the Eagles' 14 games this season, at least two players in the frontcourt have scored in double-figures. In the first game of the season, Nicole Conway (16) and Rachel Byars (21) each netted double-figures in scoring on thier way to double-doubles. Against No. 3 Duke, Becky Gottstein returned from a sprained ankle to net 15 and Jamie Cournoyer added 12. In the next game against Holy Cross, Gottstein again chipped in 15, while Byars scored 10. In the game against No. 5 Purdue, Gottstein netted 16, marking her third-straight game with double-figure scoring, while Conway netted 10.
At La Salle, Byars (16) and Cournoyer (11) both scored in double-figures, while in the next game against Dartmouth three players were in double digits: Cournoyer (15), Conway (19) and Byars (10). At Kent State, Cournoyer had 12 and Byars added 11. Against Fairfield, Conway added 17, while Cournoyer netted 13. Both also had double-doubles in the game, grabbing 10 and 12 rebounds, respectively. At St. John's, both Conway and Byars added 10 points. In their last game against Miami, Conway added another 10 points and Gottstein led the Eagles with 19 points.
The Guards Have Changed:
With the graduation of all-BIG EAST 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 14 of the Eagles' games so far this year, Jacobs leads the team with 14.6 points per game, including a career-high 29-point performance against Fairfield on Dec. 30. Her previous high was 23, set against Dartmouth on Dec. 12. A week earlier, she scored 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 46 assists for a 3.8 per game average, including a career-high seven-assist game against Purdue.
She has scored in double-figures in 11 of the team's 14 games this season.
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. In her return home at St. John's, she netted seven points while coming off the bench, and also posted a career-high five assists.
Not So Home Sweet Home: After snapping a 16-game winning streak at home on Nov. 22 against No. 3 Duke, the Eagles have struggled at Conte Forum. So far this season, BC is 2-3 in games played at Conte and 2-4 overall at home (the Purdue game was played at the FleetCenter). The Eagles have lost their last two at home in contests against Fairfield and Miami. Their only wins have come against Dartmouth and Buffalo.
40-Minute Warriors:
Boston College players have played a full game, both 40-minute and 45-minute games, 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. Amber Jacobs and Nicole Conway were both called on to play the entire 45 minutes of the overtime loss to Fairfield. Jacobs played the whole game against Georgetown on Jan. 6.
Each time an Eagles has played the whole game, she has been the team's leading scorer. Byars netted 21 and 27 points in the two games she played all 40 minutes and Gottstein recorded 16 in her full outing. Jacobs netted 29 points, while Conway was the second-leading scorer with 17, against Fairfield. At Georgetown, again Jacobs led all scorers with 21 points.
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. In the Buffalo game, four players played 34 or more minutes, even though all 12 available players checked into the game. Shields led the way with 37, followed by Jacobs with 35 and Conway and Gottstein with 34 each.
This season, two players are averaging 30+ minutes a game. Jacobs leads the team, playing an average of 35.2 minutes per game, while Byars averages 30.4 minutes an outing.
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 selection.
Climbing Jacobs' Scoring Ladder:
Freshman Amber Jacobs has continued to out do herself this season. She has set four new career-highs in scoring this season and is looking to continue to reset the mark.
She most recently set the bar at 29 points when she shot 10-for-15 (three-for-six three-pointers and six-for-six free throws) against Fairfield on Dec. 30. She also added five assists. Her 29 points is the highest point total by a BIG EAST women's player this season. Previously, she was nine-for-14 from the floor against Dartmouth on Dec. 12 for 23 points. She was named BIG EAST rookie of the week on Dec. 18 for her perfomance against the Big Green.
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.
The rookie from Clarks Summit, Pa. has scored in double-figures in 11 of 14 games this season and snapped her eight-game double-fgure scoring streak against Miami when she was helf to nine points. Over that stretch, she has averaged 18.3 points per contest.
Records Watch:
Several BC players will have the opportunity to crack the all-time records lists at BC this season. Senior Jamie Cournoyer and juniors Becky Gottstein, Brianne Stepherson and Nicole Conway will soon move among the leaders in several categories.
Cournoyer needs 290 points for 1,000 and her 414 career rebounds leave her 86 short of 500 and the all-time list.
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 six rebounds shy of the all-time top 10, having 494 boards. On the points list, she needs just 331 points to move into 10th place in the record books (and only 256 more for 1,000 points) with her 744 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.
Sneaking up on the steals list is Conway who currently has 72 career picks. She is 27 shy of 12th-place all time.
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 then career-high in minutes with 39. She also tied a then 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. She came very close to a triple-double against Fairfield with 17 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. She also added five steals in the full 45 minutes of play, a new career high.
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. 30 against Fairfield, picking up 29 points on 10-for-15 shooting. She previously set her high mark against Dartmouth with 23. Janelle McManus paced herself against the Tennessee 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.
Tough Eagle "D":
In two recent Eagle games, Boston College has had outstanding defense efforts. On Dec. 28 against Buffalo, the Eagles held the Bulls to 28.3 percent shooting in the game and forced them into 17 turnovers. BC also out-rebounded Buffalo 40-31 and had five steals in the game.
Two games later against St. John's, the Eagles had a record night, allowing just six points in the first half. Their six points allowed is a BIG EAST record for least points in a half. The Red Storm shot 22.6 percent for the game after going 3-for-23 in the first half (13.0 percent). BC also dominted on the glass, pulling down 53 boards to St. John's 31.
Three Point Threats:
Once again in 2000-2001, the Eagles are a three-point threat. As a team, Boston College is shooting 39.3 percent from behind the arc and is ranked third in nation and the BIG EAST behind Notre Dame (56.8 percent) as of the Dec. 18 release.
The two freshman guards have led the team in the category this season. Amber Jacobs has hit on 34.5 percent of her attempts, going 19-for 55 over the first 13 games. She has hit three pointers in a game three times this season, connecting against Michigan State, Fairfield and Georgetown. Janelle McManus has gone 16-for-41 (39.0 percent) on the season and was ranked eighth in the nation in the Dec. 11 NCAA release with her 57.7 percent average. She has twice hit four three pointers in a game this season (Michigan State and La Salle).
Alicia Shields has netted 13 of her 28 attempts (46.4 percent) and hit a career high three treys at La Salle. She has hit a three pointer in all but two games this season after not connecting from beyond the arc at all in her freshman campaign. Nicole Conway has hit 41.1 percent of her shots this season, going 10-for-22. She tied a career high with four three pointers in the Fairfield game.
Danielle O'Banion, a sharp shooter off the bench, has hit eight three pointers on eight-for 18 shooting (44.4 percent). Rachel Byars has also hit four three pointers this season for a 36.4 percent mark (four-for-11).
Three times this season the Boston College has hit nine three pointers in a game: against Michigan State on Nov. 18, Holy Cross on Nov. 29 and Fairfield on Dec. 30. 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.
Conway's Emergence:
Junior Nicole Conway has made a strong impact this season, especially since joining the starting lineup in the Tennessee game.
This season, she is averaging 8.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in 14 contests. She has started the last nine games at the three-guard spot, and in those games, has been a force all over the court. She has averaged 9.1 points and 7.3 rebounds, but her contributions in other places have been key to the Eagles' play. She has put up 33 assists in those games, for a 3.7 average. She has also recorded 15 steals, almost two per game.
In the Eagles' last five contests, she has had great games. Against Buffalo, she pulled down 10 rebounds and added three assists, two steals and seven points. In the Fairfield game, she came close to a triple-double with 17 points (the second-highest total of her career), 10 rebounds and a career-high seven assists. She also made a career-high five steals while playing the entire 45 minutes of the overtime contest. Against St. John's, she just missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while adding five assists and one block in only 29 minutes. She repeated the just-missed double-double at Georgetown with nine points and 10 rebounds. In the Miami game, she put up 10 points and grabbed six rebounds. She also made two blocks and two steals, while drawing the assignment of drawing the Huricane's top player.
In her freshman campaign in 1998-99, she was a third-team all-freshman selection by the Women's Basketball News Service.
Oh Nelly:
Janelle McManus had several career nights coming off the bench this season and was honored for her 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 sank 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. The feat was repeated when Carolyn checked in for Becky in the game's final minutes against Buffalo and then again in the St. John's game.
Against Holy Cross, 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.
Posts Up:
With several injuries to the forwards this season, all of the team's younger posts have been able to see playing time early on.
Sophomore Adriana Spears has appeared in 10 games and is averaging 2.9 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game. An athletic player, she also has four blocks and four steals this season. Her best outing of the season game at St. John's when she scored eight points. Earlier in the season, she pulled down five rebounds and had two blocks at La Salle.
The freshman class has two promissing posts. Forward Caroyln Gottstein, Becky's sister, has appeared in seven games and is averaging 1.7 points per game and 1.3 rebounds per game. In seven minutes at Holy Cross earlier this season, she netted six points and pulled down four rebounds. At St. John's, she also added five points in four minutes.
Maureen Leahy has seen the majority of her playing time recently. She played a career-high 20 minutes at Georgetown and pulled down four rebounds. She has appeared in six games after recovering from an early season illness and tendinitis in her foot.
Ranked Opponents:
Six of the Eagles' 2000-2001 opponets are ranked in the top 13 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 and Purdue are fifth and sixth, respectively, in both polls. Rutgers is 12th in the AP poll and 13th in the coaches' poll.
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 indicated.
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.
Injury Report:
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 guard Brianne Stepherson has missed 11 games with weakness in her right knee, having suffered a torn right ACL in the off-season. She dressed for the Kent State game, but did not play and has returned to street clothes for the last four games. She is out indefinately.
Senior Danielle O'Banion missed the last game with a sprained right ankle, suffered on Jan. 9. She is listed as day-to-day.
Up Next: The Eagles will next face Virginia Tech at home on Wednesday, Jan. 17 in a 7 p.m. contest.
