Boston College Athletics
Boston College
South Florida
Women's Basketball Falls in WNIT Final Four Round
April 01, 2009 | Women's Basketball
April 1, 2009
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - The Boston College women's basketball team (23-12) faced South Florida (26-10) for the first time in program history Wednesday evening at Conte Forum. The Eagles had a chance to advance to the final of the WNIT but fell, 82-65 to the Bulls in front of 702 fans. South Florida will advance to the final and play Kansas on Saturday, April 4 at 2 p.m.
BC was led by its stellar sophomore, Carolyn Swords, who registered a 22 point, 14 rebound performance, her second consecutive double-double and 14th of the season. Junior Mickel Picco joined the 1,000-point club and recorded a double-digit outing as well, tallying 18 points. Sophomore Lauren Whitehurst contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds, her first career double-double.
The Eagles fell behind 7-3 early on in the first half behind three turnovers and a 1-4 shooting effort. Picco notched the Eagles first points with her 83rd three-point shot of the season. Swords dropped in the team's next two baskets, finishing the half with 12 points to lead the squad. Whitehurst added a total of six points in the half, including a clutch basket to tie the score at 11-11 with 10:10 to go. Eight unanswered points boosted the Eagles to a 19-13 advantage at 7:25. The Bulls answered with a run of their own, tying the score at 21-21 with a little over five minutes to play. Boston College finished the half shooting 5-7 and led by the 32-28 score.
Once again, rebounds were a huge factor for the Eagles in the first half. Altogether the Eagles tallied 22 boards to the Bulls' 13. Boston College combined for a 14-31 halftime shooting performance while South Florida went 11-31. Senior center Brittany Denson led the Bulls with 12 points on 4-6 shooting.
Two back-to-back three pointers gave the Bulls a one-point advantage three minutes in to the second half. A three-point play at 13:50 gave South Florida a 45-41 lead. The Bulls had amassed five three-point shots before Picco joined BC's 1,000-point club on her second three-pointer of the game, marking the score at 50-47 South Florida. At 6:47 the Eagles were down 65-50 before regaining some ground. The team was never able to take back the lead, dropping their final contest 82-65.
In the game, the Eagles shot 43 percent while South Florida shot 44 percent. BC won the rebounding battle 41-31 and forced five turnovers. The Bulls compiled 25 points off of Boston College's 15 turnovers and were led by junior Janae Stokes' 22 total points.
The Eagles finish the season with a record of 23-12, including a 5-2 run in the month of March.
Game Notes:
Mickel Picco became the 19th player in the program's history to reach the 1,000 point plateau. Picco needed 14 points for 1,000 and she finished with 18. She now has 1,004 points... Swords finished in double-digits in 30 of 35 games this season...She has a total of 19 double-doubles in two seasons...The Eagles won the battle of the boards against USF, 41-31. It was the 29th time this season in which BC won the battle of the boards.
Story by Meredith Cook.
