Boston College Athletics
Women's Basketball - Syracuse Game Notes
January 23, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 23, 2001
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Game:
Boston College enters Wednesday's game having won its last game against Providence to snap a four-game losing streak. Currently, BC is 8-9 overall and 2-4 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 win over St. John's on Jan. 2. The team dropped four in a row to Georgetown, Miami, Rutgers and Virginia Tech before its win over the Friars over the weekend.
Two Eagles are scoring in double-figures, led by Becky Gottstein's 15.1 points per game average. Freshman Amber Jacobs is second with a 13.3 average. Gottstein is also the team's leading rebounder with a 8.2 boards per game average. Nicole Conway follows, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game.
Syracuse enters the game with an 8-7 overall mark and 2-3 record in league play. The Orangewomen won their last contest over St. John's.
The Orangewomen opened the season with a win over No. 12 Old Dominion and then went on to win the Carrier Classic with two victories over South Carolina and Akron. SU dropped its next two, but then won two against Dartmouth and Rhode Island to take the Dartmouth Christmas Classic. The team has gone 2-3 in its league schedule this season.
Two players are scoring in double figures, led by Beth Record's 12.8 points per game average. Paula Moore is second with a 11.9 mark. Leigh Aziz leads in rebounding, averaging 7.7 boards per game, while Record is second with a 6.5 average.
Against Syracuse:
Boston College trails the all-time series with SU by one game, 18-17. The Eagles have won the last two games of the series - both during the 1999-2000 season - and six of the last eight dating back to Jan. 31, 1996. Syraucse's last win came on Jan. 13, 1999 when it took a three-point win in Syracuse.
The Eagles are 4-13 in games played in Syracuse, but 11-4 in games played in Chestnut Hill. BC has also won two of the three meetings on neutral courts.
Last Time Out:
Boston College snapped a four-game losing streak with a 10-point win over Providence College in Providence. Five Eagles scored in double figures, led by Becky Gottstein's 19 points. Alicia Shields tied a career-high with 15 points. while Janelle McManus scored 14. Jamie Cournoyer had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds and Amber Jacobs also added 12.
BC opened a 11-point lead in the first half, but the Friars battled back to trail at the half by only four - the closest they got the rest of the game. BC extended the lead to as many as 18 in the second half, but a late run by PC brought the final margin to nine, 76-66.
The Last Game Against Syracuse - February 29, 2000: In the last game of the season at Conte Forum, Alissa Murphy scored a season-high 25 points to lead Boston College to an 80-60 victory over Syracuse on Feb. 29. The team set a school record for wins in a season as the overall record improved to 23-7. Murphy was eight-for-10, including four-for-four on three-pointers. Jamie Cournoyer scored 22 points and Brianne Stepherson added 13 for the Eagles. The Eagles finished the season 14-0 at home, winning by an average margin of 20.8 points. Beth Record led Syracuse with 15 points, and Jaime James added 14. The Eagles, who only trailed in the game's opening 90 seconds, held a 36-29 halftime edge. BC used a 14-0 run early in the second half to take command, pushing its lead to 52-34 with 14:07 left. The Eagles' biggest advantage was 73-49 on Murphy's free throw with just under five minutes left. Notes: Boston College extended its home winning streak to 16 games. The streak dated back to Feb. 17, 1999 when the Eagles defeated Villanova (64-39) ... the Eagles finished the season undefeated at home with a 14-0 record ... Boston College swept the season series with Syracuse, winning both matchups during the regular season ... the game marked the final home appearance for three seniors. Cal Bouchard, Murphy, and Tish Few celebrated senior night at Conte Forum ... Few was in the starting lineup for the first time during her collegiate career and played seven minutes. She collected a career-high four rebounds and added one assist.
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 120-99, and has a career record of 240-179. 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 73-39. 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 17 games this season, head coach Cathy Inglese has used seven 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 13 games. Shields rejoined the starting lineup as the shooting guard as Jacobs moved over to the point in the Holy Cross game.
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. Against Miami, Byars was replaced in the four spot by Gottstein.
In the Eagles' last game, Inglese inserted Janelle McManus into the point guard position and moved Jacobs back over to the shooting guard spot. The lineup of Conway and Gottstein up front, Cournoyer in the middle and McManus and Jacobs in the backcourt, has been together for the last three games.
Eagles In The National Polls:
Boston College is currently not ranked in either of the two national polls after dropping eight of its last 13 games. Five 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 garnering votes in each of the first 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 76.7 percent shooting from the free throw line, connecting on 260-of-339 shots in 17 games. Currently, the team ranks first in the BIG EAST and was 10th in the nation in the Jan. 15 NCAA release.
Freshman Janelle McManus is shooting a 84.4 clip on 38-for-45 shooting, including an 11-for-12 performance against Rutgers. Junior Nicole Conway is an 80.8 percent shooter, connecting on 21-of-26 shots, while classmate Becky Gottstein (53-for-66) is shooting 80.3 percent, including a 12-for-14 performance against Georgetown. Junior Rachel Byars is a 79.5 percent shooter (31-for-39). Amber Jacobs has netted 41-of-52 shots this season for an 78.8 mark.
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 24th in the nation in three-point field goal shooting (37.8 percent) and 10th in free throw shooting (75.8 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 was 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).
Becky's Boards: With her sixth rebound in the Rutgers game, Becky Gottstein reached 500 rebounds for her career. She grabbed 16 total rebounds in the game, matching a career high, and now stands with 525 overall for 10th place all time at BC.
Streak Snapped:
Freshman Amber Jacobs had her consecutive games with double-figure points streak snapped in the Eagles' game against Maimi. She was held to just nine points on three-for-11 shooting. She had scored in double-digits in the previous eight games. She also missed double figures in the Rutgers and Virginia Tech games.
She has now started a new streak with her last double-digit scoring performance against Providence.
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.
Midseason Swoon: After opening the season with a 3-1 record, the Eagles have now dropped eight of their last 13 games and stand at 7-9 overall. The team has dipped below the .500 mark for the first time since the 1996-97 season when it was 2-4 to open the season.
Double Delight:
Several Eagle players have opened the 2000-2001 season with double-doubles as the Eagles' front court has registered 12 so far 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-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 has five double-doubles in the 10 games she has played this season. She 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, Gottstein 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. Her fifth feat of the season came against another ranked opponent, Rutgers, as she tied a career high with 16 rebounds and posted 20 points in 45 minutes of play.
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. Against Providence, she matched her career high with 14 rebounds and added 12 points for her second double-double of the season.
The Fairfield game marked the second time this season two Eagles have had double-doubles in the same game.
Frontcourt Scoring:
In 11 of the Eagles' 17 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 game against Miami, Conway added another 10 points and Gottstein led the Eagles with 19 points. At Providence, Gottstein again led the team with 19 and Cournoyer added 12 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 16 of the Eagles' games so far this year, Jacobs is second on the team with 13.3 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 62 assists for a 3.7 per game average, including a career-high seven-assist game against Purdue. She has scored in double-figures in 12 of the team's 17 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.
In the first collegiate start of her career at Rutgers, she scored a career-high 23 points while playing all 45 minutes in the overtime contest. She sunk the game-tying three pointer with :07 to play to send the game into the extra session. At Providence a week later, she netted 14, including a perfect three-for-three performance from the three point line.
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 2-4 in games played at Conte and 2-5 overall at home (the Purdue game was played at the FleetCenter). The Eagles have lost their last three at home in contests against Fairfield, Miami and Virginia Tech. 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. All five startes played at least 40 minutes in the overtime game against Rutgers. Three players played all 45 minutes (Gottstein, Jacobs and Janelle McManus) while Conway played 44 and Cournoyer was in for 40 minutes.
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. McManus led all scorers against Rutgers with 23, while Gottstein was second with 20 (and 16 rebounds).
30-Minute Madness:
Due to a very short bench caused by injuries, players have been forced to play 32 minutes or more most games this season. At No. 2 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 35.8 minutes per game, while Gottstein is second averaging 31.1 minutes per contest.
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 joined UConn's Sue Bird as the only two juniors on a BIG EAST preseason teams. 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.
What January 31st Means to Becky:
While Jan. 31st might be an ordinary day for most people, it will be special to Becky Gottstein for two reasons. First, the day marks her 21st birthday. Second, the team's game at Seton Hall that night will be the team's 20th and Becky's 15th of the season. She will then have played in 75.0 percent of the team's games and be eligible for the BIG EAST statistical rankings. Due to injury, she has missed five games this season and has not been able to be ranked.
If she were in the rankings now, she would stack up like this: scoring - tied for fourth (15.1 ppg), rebounding - tied for second (8.2 rpg), field goal percentage - sixth (49.6 percent), free throw percentage - fourth (80.3 percent), defensive rebounds - first (5.50 drpg), offensive rebounds - tied for 11th (2.67 orpg).
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 270 points for 1,000 and her 436 career rebounds leave her 64 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 in scoring, after cracking the rebounding list already this season. Against Providence on Jan. 20, she moved into 10th place all-time on the rebounds list and now stands with 525 boards. On the points list, she needs just 268 points to move into 10th place in the record books (and only 193 more for 1,000 points) with her 807 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 73 career picks. She is 26 shy of 12th-place all time.
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. 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 12 of 17 games this season and snapped her eight-game double-figure scoring streak against Miami when she was held to nine points. Over that stretch, she has averaged 18.3 points per contest.
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.
Sophomore Alicia Shields opened the season with a career night, scoring 15 points on perfect shooting against Tennessee Tech. She was five-for-five from the field, one-for-one from three-point land and four-for-four from the free throw line. Later, against Providence, she equaled the 15 points after having suffered a separared shoulder a couple of days earlier.
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. Then, in another televised game against a Top 15 team, she netted 23 points to lead all scorers against No. 12 Rutgers, including the game-tying three pointer to send the game to overtime.
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 37.6 percent from behind the arc and is ranked fourth in the BIG EAST behind Notre Dame (53.1 percent) and 24th in the nation as of the Jan. 15 NCAA release.
The two freshman guards have led the team in the category this season. Amber Jacobs has hit on 29.6 percent of her attempts, going 21-for 71 over the first 17 games. She has hit three pointers in a game three times this season 23-for-58 (39.7 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 15 of her 35 attempts (42.9 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 on one in her freshman campaign. Junior Nicole Conway has hit 48.3 percent of her shots this season, going 14-for-29. 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 33.3 percent mark (four-for-12).
Three times this season 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 7.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in 16 contests. In the Eagles' last several 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 Hurricane'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. In her first career collegiate start, she again made her mark on the boxscore.
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 32 minutes against second-ranked Tennessee, she scored a game-high 18 points, while also pulling down six rebounds 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.
Against Rutgers, she cracked the starting lineup and netted a career high 23 points, including an 11-for-12 performance from the free throw line. She played all 45 minutes of the overtime game and hit the game-tying three pointer to send the game into overtime.
She initially had set her career high against Michigan State in her second game as an Eagles with 14 points in 23 minutes.
Posts Up:
With several injuries to the forwards this season, the team's younger posts have been able to see playing time early on.
Sophomore Adriana Spears has appeared in 12 games and is averaging 2.6 points per game and 1.8 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.
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 seven games after recovering from an early season illness and tendinitis in her foot.
Ranked Opponents:
Seven of the Eagles' 2000-2001 opponents are ranked in the ESPN/USA Today and Associated Press polls.
After its upset win over Connecticut, Notre Dame has moved into the top spot in both polls. Connecticut follows in second, then Tennessee. Duke is fourth and Purdue is sixth in both polls. Rutgers is ranked 14th in both polls. Villanova, the Eagles' next opponent, cracked the Top 25 in the Associated Press poll this week and is currently ranked 24th.
So far this season, the Eagles are 0-4 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. On Jan. 13, the Eagles fell in overtime, 75-66, at No. 12 Rutgers.
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 14 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 eight games. She is out indefinately.
Senior guard Danielle O'Banion missed the last two games with a sprained ankle suffered in practice on Jan. 16. On Dec. 9, she initially sprained the ankle in practice and missed the Miami game. She's listed as day-to-day.
Up Next: The Eagles will next face Villanova at home on Saturday, Jan. 27 in a 1 p.m. game at Conte Forum.
