Boston College Athletics
Women's Basketball Prepares for In-State Showdown
January 03, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2009
Chestnut Hill, MA - Boston College returns to Conte Forum after a four-game road trip in which the Eagles went 4-1. Boston College improved to 10-3 and captured the Blue Sky Classic Championship on Dec. 30 with a win over Fairfield (62-51). The Eagles opened the tournament with a win (85-51) over host Dartmouth on Dec. 29.
Sophomore Stefanie Murphy earned tournament MVP honors, while junior Mickel Picco made the all-tournament team. Murphy finished the tournament with 28 points and 15 rebounds, while Picco had 32 points.
Prior to the Blue Sky Classic in Hanover, New Hampshire, Boston College lost in the final of St. John's - Chartwell Tournament in Jamaica, New York. The Eagles defeated Houston (62-56) on Dec. 20 but fell to host St. John's (63-72) in the final on Dec. 21. Carolyn Swords and Mickel Picco were named to the all-tournament team.
BC vs. MASSACHUSETTS
• BC leads to the head-to-head series vs. Massachusetts, 7-4.
• Last season, Massachusetts defeated Boston College, 69-66, in Amherst, Mass. Carolyn Swords had 14 points and nine rebounds, while Ayla Brown earned a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds).
• Prior to last season, BC had won five consecutive games against Massachusetts.
TEAM NOTES
• The Eagles shot 100 percent from the foul line from the first time this season vs. Fairfield on Dec. 30. The Eagles went 14-for-14.
• Boston College hit 10-of-18 three-pointers (55 percent) vs. Dartmouth on Dec. 29. It was a season-high in three's made and in 3-PTFG percentage by BC. The Eagles also had 22 assists on 33 field goals in the win over Dartmouth on Dec. 29.
• Junior Mickel Picco extended her three-point streak. The Austin, Texas native has hit a three-pointer in 21 consecutive games dating back to the 2007-08 season. She now has 116 career treys and is fifth on the all-time list at BC for three-pointers made behind Kindyll Dorsey. The record is held by Cal Bouchard with 212 from 1996-2002.
• Corey Rusin had seven assists in the win over Houston. It was her career-high in assists. She leads BC in assists (43).
• Three players - Mickel Picco, Carolyn Swords and Stefanie Murphy - are the only three players to have started all 13 games this season.
• Mickel Picco has scored in double figures in 12-of-13 games, while Carolyn Swords has reached double digits in 11-of-13 games.
• Lauren Whitehurst grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over Houston on Dec. 20. The sophomore forward also recorded three blocks.
• Sophomore Stefanie Murphy hit her first career three-pointer at the St. John's Holiday Tournament.
• Ayla Brown had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Houston on Dec. 20. It was Brown's first double-double of the season and the third of her career.
PICCO POWER
In the last four games, Mickel Picco is averaging 34.4 minutes a game, and shooting 43 percent from the field, while averaging 20 points per game. Picco has registered 14 three's, while shooting 43 percent from the three-point arc. The junior guard also went 16-for-18 from the charity stripe (88 percent).
Picco's earned all-tournament team honors at the Blue Sky Classic hosted by Darmouth on Dec. 29-30. Picco scored 14 points including four three's vs. Dartmouth. In the championship game, Picco had 18 points and went 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
At the St. John's Tournament, Picco earned all-tournament honors as she notched 29 points against Houston and had 19 against St. John's in the final.
Picco, who earned the ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 1, is leading BC in scoring (17.5 ppg), minutes played (32.3 mpg.), three pointers made (33) and free throw percentage (86 percent). She has also led BC in scoring eight times this season.
SUPER SUB
Senior Brittanny Johnson has been very productive coming off the bench for Boston College. The Eagles guard supplies the team with a multi-purpose player. In the last four games, Johnson is averaging 17 minutes a game and 4.5 points but it's her ability to set up players on offense and her great instincts on defense. The Chicago native leads the team in steals (15) and is third on the team in assists (27). Johnson is also second on the team in free throw percentage. In the eight games she has been to the line, Johnson has been perfect from the charity stripe in six games.
