Boston College Athletics
Women's Hoops - UConn Game Notes
February 08, 2001 | Women's Basketball
Complete Boston College - Connecticut Game Notes in PDF Format
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The Game
Boston College enters Sunday's game after losing its conference game against top-ranked Notre Dame last Saturday, 81-66, at home. Currently the Eagles are 8-13 overall and 2-8 in BIG EAST play. The team is currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak, its second of the season.
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 but snapped the streak with a win over Providence. Its last games were losses to Syracuse, Villanova, Seton Hall and Notre Dame.
Two Eagles are scoring in double-figures, led by Becky Gottstein's 15.5 points per game average. Freshman Amber Jacobs is second with a 12.2 average. Gottstein is also the team's leading rebounder with a 8.3 boards per game average. Senior Nicole Conway follows, averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.
Connecticut enters the game as the nation's third ranked tean with a 19-2 overall record and a 9-1 mark in BIG EAST play. The Huskies arrive at Conte Forum on the heels of a 90-38 victory at Virginia Tech on Wednesday. UConn's only two losses have come to top five opponents Notre Dame and Tennessee.
UConn will play this game, and the rest of the season, without its leading scorer Svetlana Abrosimova, who is out with torn ligaments in her left foot. She was averaging 14.1 points per game. The Huskies still bring in two players who are averaging double figures in scoring with Swin Cash (11.8 points per game) and Tamika Williams (10.2 points per game). Cash is also the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 7.0 boards per game. Williams is third, after Abrosimova, averaging 5.7 boards per game.
Against Connecticut
Connecticut leads the all-time series with Boston College, 27-12. The Huskies have won three meetings in a row, including one in the semifinals of the BIG EAST tournament last season. Boston College last win came on Jan. 23, 1999 in the program's biggest win over when the Eagles upset No. 2 ranked UConn, 78-66, in Conte Forum. Prior to that win, UConn had won 16 in a row over BC.
Boston College earned the edge early in the series, winning nine of the first 14 meetings, beginning in 1981. Connecticut then went on to win all but one of the next 20 meetings.
Overall, BC is 7-9 against UConn at home and 3-16 away. The two teams have split the four neutral meetings.
Last Time Out
The Eagles hosted top-ranked Notre Dame, falling 81-65. BC had four players score in double figures, led by Becky Gottstein and Nicole Conway's 16 points each, but the difference was the Irish's Ruth Riley who scored 24 points, including a 10-for-12 peformance from the free throw line, and added 13 rebounds. The two teams traded baskets early on and the Eagles took their only lead of the game on two Gottstein free throws to make it 6-4. ND took a 39-30 half time lead, but then went on a 14-4 run late in the second half to go onto the victory.
The Last Game Against Connecticut- March 6, 2000
Boston College's 12-game winning streak was snapped on Jan. 26, when No. 1 Connecticut defeated the Eagles, 84-77, at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. Tamika Williams led the Huskies with 24 points, one shy of her career high, and seven rebounds. Cal Bouchard scored 25 points for Boston College, Brianne Stepherson netted 18, and Alissa Murphy added 16.
Connecticut shot 73 percent in the first half, but had 15 turnovers and were out-rebounded 10-2 on the offensive boards. Boston College led 42-39 at intermission.
The Huskies opened the second half with a 21-8 run. Williams capped the spurt by converting a three-point play to give UConn a 60-50 lead with 11:44 remaining. Her layup a minute later increased the lead to 62-50, the Huskies' largest of the game.
Boston College cut the Connecticut lead to four on a three-pointer by Murphy with 6:17 left. With less than four minutes remaining and UConn up 78-73, Williams made a steal, then forced BC into a turnover on the Eagles' next possession. Shea Ralph, who had nine assists for the Huskies, passed to Williams under the basket with 2:08 left for an 80-73 lead.
BC pulled to within three with 42 seconds left, but Connecticut connected on all four free throw attempts to secure the win. The Huskies outrebounded the Eagles 29-23. Svetlana Abrosimova had 20 points for UConn and Sue Bird added 12.
