Photo by: Courtesy of NC State Athletics
Eagles Sting Yellow Jackets With Trademark Grit
January 21, 2020 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Georgia Tech's undefeated record at home absorbed its first blemish thanks to BC.
Georgia Tech entered Sunday's game against Boston College sporting one of the hottest teams in women's college basketball. The Yellow Jackets owned a three-game winning streak with a victory over No. 11 Florida State and started to turn heads atop the ACC. Their name poked its head into the national rankings picture with a number of votes, and the Boston College game would be a fine tune-up at home before a key stretch ended January with games against North Carolina, Duke and Miami.
The message apparently never made its way to Chestnut Hill.Â
BC opened Sunday on a 7-0 run and completely dismantled the Georgia Tech offense, beating the Yellow Jackets, 55-48.
"We always have a game plan going into these games," head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "Sometimes it doesn't always work, but in this game, we were banking that (Georgia Tech) would be uncomfortable shooting the three. And when they shot the three, they missed shots. We've seen multiple times where you try to do that, and the other team wind up hitting those shots. So we were happy - and our team was really excited - to see everyone stick to a game plan and have it work."
Georgia Tech entered the game with the only ACC defense allowing less than 50 points per game. Its unit ranked among the nation's elite in shooting percentage and compounded its success by allowing the least amount of shots taken. It stemmed from an ability to both guard and rebound, both of which ranked at or near the top of the league. Everything scouted good to elite, yielding an immense challenge for the BC offense.
That premier unit, though, paved a direct path to victory if BC maintained premium shot selection and efficiency. Georgia Tech needed struggle in the areas where it struggled this year if the Eagles dominated the post to force outside shots. A little luck wouldn't hurt, either.
"We knew Georgia Tech was well-balanced," McNamee said. "They really like the high-low offense, and they play some good on-ball screens. So we had our guards help out our post with coverage of that high-low."
The result saw BC's preparation pony up and shock the Yellow Jackets early. The Eagles shot 7-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter, and the defense held the hosts to 0-for-8 shooting threes. The trends advanced into the second quarter when Georgia Tech missed another three three-pointers, but the regression to the mean against the elite defense compensated with some free throws.Â
It knocked the Yellow Jackets off-kilter, and the uncomfortableness continued well into the third and fourth quarters. Georgia Tech hit five shots in the entire second half, resulting in the Eagles grabbing more rebounds. The only disparity came on free throws, but the team barely hit 50 percent, while BC went 6-of-12 from the floor in the third without taking a single shot from the stripe.
"I would have never thought we would've missed free throws," McNamee said. "But they also didn't shoot well (at the line). It was great for us that they missed those opportunities."
BC's now-trademark grit transitioned the game from performance into art. Emma Guy uncharacteristically fouled out, but she still scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in under 17 minutes of floor time. She went plus-11 on the floor and grabbed four rebounds, including two on the offensive window.
Taylor Soule played 39 minutes and finished with another double-double, scoring a team-high 13 points with 11 rebounds. She finished with four fouls but drew five, a team high next to Georgia Pineau, who rallied off the bench to shoot 3-of-4 from the floor in relief of Guy.
And Cameron Swartz returned home to Georgia for her first game since a lower leg injury caused her to miss some time. She scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds and used her defense to display a full-court presence in her first game back in the Peach State.
"Cam is unique," McNamee said. "She has an ability to create her own offense, and if she has the ball on the wing, she can change direction and finish. She can come off an on-ball screen, hesitate, then stop for a pull-up jumper. Plus she can shoot the three, which makes her a multi-level scorer with height. She's been working on her defense, and I thought she did some really good things. She was coming off of an injury, but she stayed light on her feet."
Everything flowed, and the win shocked the McCamish Pavilion crowd into pure silence. It was BC's first win over Georgia Tech since 2013, but it was the first Yellow Jacket loss on home hardwood all season. Georgia Tech entered the game tied with NC State for second place in the conference, one game behind Louisville, and the unexpected loss leaves it more vulnerable and susceptible to Florida State and North Carolina.
"I was happy with how confident we played," McNamee said. "Nobody looked at Georgia Tech as a team that was bigger or stronger. Every shot we took was a good shot, and we worked for every possession. We didn't let foul trouble or turnovers rattle us. We stayed focused and together, and that showed a lot of growth and maturity.
The victory did not, however, unearth some unexpected revelation in Chestnut Hill. BC absorbed a two-game losing streak but felt better than its record indicated. By winning, the Eagles pushed themselves back into the middle tier of the ACC, a half-game behind Syracuse and Virginia Tech, which hosts the New Englanders later this week in a huge confrontation in Blacksburg.
"I think the Louisville game gave us (some of that) confidence," she added. "That's a top five team, and we played right with them, with the exception of giving a top three-point shooter three open looks in transition. You erase those three plays, and that's a one-point game. So we can play with a top-ranked team. We talked about that going into Georgia Tech, and it made us feel like we needed to win this game. Coming off of two losses in a row, we wanted to take care of business."
The message apparently never made its way to Chestnut Hill.Â
BC opened Sunday on a 7-0 run and completely dismantled the Georgia Tech offense, beating the Yellow Jackets, 55-48.
"We always have a game plan going into these games," head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. "Sometimes it doesn't always work, but in this game, we were banking that (Georgia Tech) would be uncomfortable shooting the three. And when they shot the three, they missed shots. We've seen multiple times where you try to do that, and the other team wind up hitting those shots. So we were happy - and our team was really excited - to see everyone stick to a game plan and have it work."
Georgia Tech entered the game with the only ACC defense allowing less than 50 points per game. Its unit ranked among the nation's elite in shooting percentage and compounded its success by allowing the least amount of shots taken. It stemmed from an ability to both guard and rebound, both of which ranked at or near the top of the league. Everything scouted good to elite, yielding an immense challenge for the BC offense.
That premier unit, though, paved a direct path to victory if BC maintained premium shot selection and efficiency. Georgia Tech needed struggle in the areas where it struggled this year if the Eagles dominated the post to force outside shots. A little luck wouldn't hurt, either.
"We knew Georgia Tech was well-balanced," McNamee said. "They really like the high-low offense, and they play some good on-ball screens. So we had our guards help out our post with coverage of that high-low."
The result saw BC's preparation pony up and shock the Yellow Jackets early. The Eagles shot 7-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter, and the defense held the hosts to 0-for-8 shooting threes. The trends advanced into the second quarter when Georgia Tech missed another three three-pointers, but the regression to the mean against the elite defense compensated with some free throws.Â
It knocked the Yellow Jackets off-kilter, and the uncomfortableness continued well into the third and fourth quarters. Georgia Tech hit five shots in the entire second half, resulting in the Eagles grabbing more rebounds. The only disparity came on free throws, but the team barely hit 50 percent, while BC went 6-of-12 from the floor in the third without taking a single shot from the stripe.
"I would have never thought we would've missed free throws," McNamee said. "But they also didn't shoot well (at the line). It was great for us that they missed those opportunities."
BC's now-trademark grit transitioned the game from performance into art. Emma Guy uncharacteristically fouled out, but she still scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting in under 17 minutes of floor time. She went plus-11 on the floor and grabbed four rebounds, including two on the offensive window.
Taylor Soule played 39 minutes and finished with another double-double, scoring a team-high 13 points with 11 rebounds. She finished with four fouls but drew five, a team high next to Georgia Pineau, who rallied off the bench to shoot 3-of-4 from the floor in relief of Guy.
And Cameron Swartz returned home to Georgia for her first game since a lower leg injury caused her to miss some time. She scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds and used her defense to display a full-court presence in her first game back in the Peach State.
"Cam is unique," McNamee said. "She has an ability to create her own offense, and if she has the ball on the wing, she can change direction and finish. She can come off an on-ball screen, hesitate, then stop for a pull-up jumper. Plus she can shoot the three, which makes her a multi-level scorer with height. She's been working on her defense, and I thought she did some really good things. She was coming off of an injury, but she stayed light on her feet."
Everything flowed, and the win shocked the McCamish Pavilion crowd into pure silence. It was BC's first win over Georgia Tech since 2013, but it was the first Yellow Jacket loss on home hardwood all season. Georgia Tech entered the game tied with NC State for second place in the conference, one game behind Louisville, and the unexpected loss leaves it more vulnerable and susceptible to Florida State and North Carolina.
"I was happy with how confident we played," McNamee said. "Nobody looked at Georgia Tech as a team that was bigger or stronger. Every shot we took was a good shot, and we worked for every possession. We didn't let foul trouble or turnovers rattle us. We stayed focused and together, and that showed a lot of growth and maturity.
The victory did not, however, unearth some unexpected revelation in Chestnut Hill. BC absorbed a two-game losing streak but felt better than its record indicated. By winning, the Eagles pushed themselves back into the middle tier of the ACC, a half-game behind Syracuse and Virginia Tech, which hosts the New Englanders later this week in a huge confrontation in Blacksburg.
"I think the Louisville game gave us (some of that) confidence," she added. "That's a top five team, and we played right with them, with the exception of giving a top three-point shooter three open looks in transition. You erase those three plays, and that's a one-point game. So we can play with a top-ranked team. We talked about that going into Georgia Tech, and it made us feel like we needed to win this game. Coming off of two losses in a row, we wanted to take care of business."
Players Mentioned
F
/ Women's Basketball
F
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballFootball: Head Coach Bill O'Brien Media Availability (October 21, 2025)
Tuesday, October 21
Football: Kaelan Chudzinski Media Availability (October 21, 2025)
Tuesday, October 21
Football: KP Price Media Availability (October 21, 2025)
Tuesday, October 21
Football: Grayson James Postgame Press Conference (Oct. 18, 2025)
Saturday, October 18
