Boston College
8-1
Baylor
5-5
Eagles Fall To No. 6 Baylor, 68-55
December 13, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 13, 2009
NEW YORK (AP) Junior Stefanie Murphy notched 18 points to lead Boston College (5-5) in a 68-55 loss to No. 6 Baylor at Madison Square Garden.
"We're starting to turn the corner," Crawley said. "We're getting a little better each game and getting ready for the ACC."
Murphy shot 8-for-11 from the floor and grabbed four boards, while Carolyn Swords finished with six points and 14 rebounds. Baylor was led by freshman Brittney Griner with 25 points and seven rebounds.
Boston College came out cold to start the game and Baylor responded with a 12-2 run in the first six minutes of play. BC battled back and cut it to nine points when Murphy hit a layup at 6:32 in the game. Swords kept BC close with a bucket at 4:06 and BC was down, 28-19. A foul shot by Ashley Field gave Baylor a 29-19 halftime lead.
BC shot just 28 percent from the field, while Baylor went 13-for-31 from the floor (41%).
Eagles senior Mickel Picco opened the second half with a three-pointer and BC was down seven points. Less than a minute later, Murphy hit from beyond the arc and the Baylor lead was cut, 29-25. The two teams exchanged baskets but after a BC turnover and a missed three-pointer Baylor's Meghan Merlock (12 points, five rebounds) gave the Bears a 12 point leadat 14:14 in the game.
Baylor's Griner gave her team a 14 point lead, 43-29, at 12:27. The lead grew to 16 points but BC fought back. Picco hit a three-pointer with just under five minutes to play and the Eagles were down just 10 points. It was the closest BC would get as Baylor pounded the ball down low to Griner.
The host Eagles out rebounded Baylor, 38-36, but the Bears scored 50 points in the paint to the Eagles 20 points.
This was the fourth Maggie Dixon Classic in honor of the former Army coach, who died on April 6, 2006, of arrhythmia, likely caused by an enlarged heart. The inaugural Maggie Dixon Classic was held at Army in 2006 - a men's and women's doubleheader. The Pittsburgh men, coached by Maggie's brother Jamie, beat Western Michigan, while Ohio State routed Army. The last three have been played at Madison Square Garden as women's doubleheaders.
