ACC Tournament Play Begins Wednesday in Greensboro
March 01, 2021 | Women's Basketball
Eagles and Pitt meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. on NESN+
BC, Pitt Meet Again in 2021 ACC Tournament
• Boston College and Pitt meet for the second time in just over two weeks in the first round of the 2021 ACC Tournament on Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
• ACC RSNs will broadcast the game across the country, including NESN+ in Boston. Tom Werme and LaChina Robinson are on the call for Wednesday's game.
• The winner of Wednesday's game faces fifth-seeded Syracuse Thursday at 2:30 p.m.
• BC closed out the regular season with a 92-75 loss at Syracuse last Thursday.
• Pitt finished the ACC regular season with a 65-60 loss in Atlanta to Georgia Tech on Sunday.
• The 2020-21 campaign is the 49th season of Boston College women's basketball. The program made its debut during the 1972-73 season on January 9, 1973 versus Eastern Nazarene.
Boston College in the ACC Tournament
• Boston College is 8-14 all-time in the ACC Tournament. The 2021 ACC Tournament marks the 16th time BC has played in the ACC Tournament.
• BC has made the ACC Tournament semifinals twice. The Eagles have never played in the ACC Tournament finals.
• BC is 5-8 all-time in the ACC Tournament first round.
• BC is 1-1 all-time in the ACC Tournament second round.
• BC is 2-3 all-time in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.
• BC is 0-2 all-time in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
• BC is 0-1 all-time in ACC Tournament overtime games.
• BC is 8-13 all-time in ACC Tournament games played in Greensboro.
• Wednesday's game marks the first ACC Tournament game between BC and Pitt.
• Four Eagles have earned All-ACC Tournament honors in school history, including Taylor Soule collecting All-ACC Tournament Second-Team honors in 2020.
• Three BC players have recorded a double-double in ACC Tournament play in school history (Carolyn Swords twice, Ella Awobajo and Emma Guy).
Last Time Out
• Junior Taylor Soule scored 23 points and fellow classmate Makayla Dickens scored 20 points but it was not enough as Syracuse earned a 92-75 victory over visiting Boston College Thursday night inside the Carrier Dome.
• The Orange dominated in the paint, outscoring BC 48-22.
• Dickens was red-hot to lead the Eagles in the opening 20 minutes as she finished the half with 14 points, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
• Syracuse opened its largest lead of the game just before halftime as the Orange used a 10-1 run to push its cushion to 41-27 before heading into the locker room with a 43-31 halftime advantage.
• The Orange shot 47.1 percent in the first 20 minutes, including six three-point field goals while holding Boston College to just 10-of-34 shooting (29.4%).
• Syracuse continued its hot shooting from the field in the third quarter as the Orange connected on 68.8 percent of their shots to carry a 74-58 lead into the fourth.
• BC's offense came alive in the third quarter as the Eagles scored 27 points.
• The Orange outscored BC 18-17 in the fourth to complete the 92-75 victory.
• Cameron Swartz finished with 17 points and seven rebounds while Soule finished with a double-double adding 12 rebounds to her 23-point night. Dickens nailed six three-point field goals and made 7-of-12 from the field for the Eagles.
Last Time vs. Pitt
• Junior forward Taylor Soule finished with a game-high 27 points but it was not quite enough as the visiting Pitt Panthers captured an 83-80 victory over Boston College on Feb. 16 inside Conte Forum. Pitt used an 11-0 run in the third quarter for its first lead of the game and the Panthers held on for the three-point victory.
• The game was the first for the Eagles since Feb. 4 due to COVID-19 protocols.
• Boston College sprinted out to a quick start as the Eagles started the contest on an 8-0 run. The Eagles shot 80 percent from behind the arc in the opening 10 minutes, connecting on 4-of-5 from downtown. A 10-0 spurt to end the first quarter gave BC a 29-16 advantage.
• BC continued its strong first half as the lead grew to 15 in the second quarter. The Eagles shot 44 percent in the half and 57 percent from three-point range to lead 44-34 at halftime.
• The Eagles dressed just eight players for the game and seven scored in the first half, led by freshman Allie Palmieri, junior Taylor Soule and sophomore Jaelyn Batts with nine points each.
• Pitt fought back into the game in the third quarter fueled by a 9-0 run to give the Panthers their first lead of the game, 59-58, with 2:26 left in the third quarter. The Panthers' outscored BC 30-18 in the quarter to gain control of the contest.
• Both teams battled in the fourth quarter and BC had the ball with 10 seconds left with a chance to tie, but Makayla Dickens' three-point attempt was off the mark.
• Soule finished with her third double-double of the year with 27 points and 12 rebounds. Dickens totaled 13 points, including three, three-point field goals while Cameron Swartz chipped in with 10 points.
Back in Greensboro
• Boston College advanced to the ACC Tournament semifinals for just the second time in school history in last year's ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
• The Eagles defeated Clemson and upset third-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals before losing to second-seeded NC State in the semifinals, 82-75.
• Taylor Soule became just the fourth Eagle in school history to be named to the All-ACC Tournament second team last season. She averaged 17.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and shot 47 percent from the field in the three games for the Eagles.
• In last season's ACC Tournament, BC outscored the opposition 77-52 in the fourth quarter. The Eagles' averaged 81.3 points per game, shot 49.7 from the field and a whopping 51.0 percent from three-point range.
Black History is Our History
• Boston College hosted its first annual game celebrating Black History Month at Conte Forum on Feb. 21 vs. Georgia Tech. The Eagles won 49-43 over the Yellow Jackets as they featured the team and staff wearing warm-up shirts that say "Black History is Our History".
• The program recognized LaVerne Mosley, BC's first black female student-athlete who played for the women's basketball program from 1973-77. BC also recognized Rita Roach, the women's basketball team's first black scholarship athlete who played for the Eagles from 1982-86..
Make Way For Allie
• True freshman guard Allie Palmieri was scheduled to join the Boston College program in the fall of 2021. The Trumbull, Conn. native decided to graduate from high school early and joined the BC program for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
• She is the second freshmen on the roster to join the team after graduating from high school early, joining fellow rookie Ally VanTimmeren.
• Named the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Connecticut … averaged 24.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 steals, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks as a junior … finalist for the Gatorade National Player of the Year … scored 22 points in the NEPSAC Class C quarterfinal win over Ethel Walker School, giving GFA a berth in the semifinals against Dexter Southfield … ranked 87th nationally in the class of 2021 by Dan Olson Collegiate Report … rated the No. 94 prospect nationally by Blue Star Basketball … No. 80 prospect in the nation according to All Star Girls Report … played shooting guard and small forward for GFA as a junior … first-team NEPSAC class C selection … played her freshman and sophomore season at Trumbull High School, where she averaged 18 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game as a sophomore en route to all-state honors.
Trending Up
• Boston College is in year three of the Joanna Bernabei-McNamee era and the Eagles are trending way up after a strong 2019-20 campaign.
• The Eagles are on the national radar after advancing to the ACC Tournament semifinals last season.
• Boston College was picked to finish 13th in the ACC prior to the start of last season. The Eagles crushed the low expectations with a 20-12 overall record and a record setting 11-7 conference mark. The 20 wins were the most for BC since the 2010-11 team went 20-13. The 11 ACC wins was a new program record since joining the ACC in 2006.
• Joanna Bernabei-McNamee was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year last season. Bernabei-McNamee earned the honor from both the ACC coaches and Blue Ribbon Panel.
• Bernabei-McNamee was the first BC women's head coach to earn conference Coach of the Year accolades since Cathy Inglese won the honor in the Big East in the 1998-99 season.
• The 20 wins were the most victories since 2010-11 when BC finished the season at 20-13. The 11-7 conference record set a new program record for most ACC wins. It was also the most conference victories since BC went 11-5 in 2003-04 in the Big East.
• The Eagles' fourth place finish was the best in program history since BC joined the ACC in 2005-06. Bernabei-McNamee also led the team to six ACC road wins, a new program record. One of the road wins was her first victory over a ranked team, No. 14 Florida State on Jan. 30.
Inside the Pitt Series
• BC and Pitt meet for the 50th time in series history on Wednesday. The only other ACC team BC has played more than Pitt is Syracuse.
• BC leads the series 30-19 against Pitt. The Eagles have won three of the previous four meetings between the two schools.
• The two long-time rivals first met in 1983 as Pitt captured a 70-62 victory.
• BC has several Pittsburgh ties on its coaching staff. Assistant coach AJ Cohen is a native of Pittsburgh, while Joanna Bernabei-McNamee is a native of nearby Weirton, W. Va. Video coordinator Raegan Moore is a 2014 graduate of Duquesne. While at Duquesne, Moore was a guard for a program that won 88 games and advanced to the postseason four consecutive years.
From High School to the Heights (Part II)
• Freshman forward Ally VanTimmeren was set to play her senior year of high school in 2020-21 before COVID-19 cancelled her high school season.
• VanTimmeren made the decision to graduate early from Jenison High School in Michigan and enroll early at Boston College for the second semester. With just two practices under her belt after arriving at BC on Dec. 26, VanTimmeren had an impressive debut in her collegiate debut Jan. 3 at No. 3 NC State.
• VanTimmeren is the second youngest player in the ACC this season after she just turned 18 in November.
• She finished with 10 points, six rebounds and connected on two three-point field goals against the third-ranked Wolfpack.
• Against No. 2 Louisville, VanTimmeren finished with a career-high 17 points.
• VanTimmeren was rated a four-star prospect according to ESPN. She ranked 17th nationally at her position in the ESPN rankings.
• A 1,000-point scorer, she was a three-year varsity starter for the Wildcats. She averaged 20.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and four blocked shots per game as a junior.
News and Notes
• Boston College is 19th in the nation and second in the ACC in free throw percentage (77.3 percent).
• The Eagles rank first in the ACC and 62nd nationally with 9.1 steals per game.
• BC's 155 steals on the season rank third in the ACC.
• Boston College leads the ACC in turnovers forced per game (18.4) and rank 57th nationally.
• The Eagles rank second in the ACC in turnover margin (+2.18).
• BC is fourth in the ACC in three-point field goal defense, holding opponents to shooting 29.1 percent.
• The Eagles rank fourth in the ACC with 15.0 offensive rebounds per game.
• Taylor Soule is fifth in the ACC in free throws made (69). She is fourth in the ACC in free throws attempted (91).
• Soule is fifth in the conference averaging 16.6 points per game. The New Hampshire native is also 12th in the league in field goal percentage (44.7%).
• Soule ranks second in the ACC and 23rd in the country with 3.8 offensive rebounds per game.
• Marnelle Garraud is second in the ACC with 36 steals this season.
• Garraud leads the ACC with 2.12 steals per game.
• Makayla Dickens is second in the conference shooting 45.2 percent from behind the arc. Her 2.76 made three-point field goals per game are good for fourth-best in the ACC.
From Way Downtown, Bang
• Junior guard Makayla Dickens has been one of the ACC's best shooters in 2020-21. She is second on the team averaging 12.6 points per game along with 3.9 rebounds per game.
• Dickens leads BC with 47 three-point field goals this season and is shooting 45.2 percent from behind the arc.
• She is seventh in Boston College history with 171 made three-point field goals.
• Dickens ranks 15th in BC career history with 277 assists.
• Against No. 3 NC State on Dec. 13, Dickens led the Eagles with 20 points and connected on six three-pointers against the Wolfpack.
• In the 64-61 win versus Notre Dame on Jan. 7, she caught fire in the second half, leading BC with 15 points in the comeback victory.
Doing it All
• Junior point guard Marnelle Garraud has become one of the elite defenders in the country. The Lynn native leads the ACC with 36 steals this season.
• Her 147 career steals rank 12th in BC history and she is just two steals shy of joining the top 10 in school history.
• Her 243 career assists rank 24th in BC history.
Preseason All-ACC
• Taylor Soule was named Preseason All-ACC according to separate polls of the league's 15 head coaches and the Blue Ribbon Panel.
• Soule is coming off a breakout sophomore season and was named the 2019-20 ACC's Most Improved Player.
• She was instrumental in Boston College's turnaround last season, as she averaged 7.9 points per game as a freshman and has taken her game to the next level in her sophomore year, nearly doubling that total with 14.5 points a game.
• Soule scored a career-high 29 points in the Eagles' win against North Carolina, which ranked among the ACC's top individual scoring performances in a game last season.
• An All-ACC Tournament second-team honoree, Soule was named to the All-ACC Blue Ribbon second-team and All-ACC Honorable Mention following the 2019-20 campaign.
• The Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Nov. 30 that Soule was named the conference's women's basketball player of the week. Soule was sensational in BC's two victories, averaging 25.5 points per game in wins over New Hampshire and UMass.
• It marked the third time in Soule's career she has been named the ACC Player of the Week. The last time a BC player was named ACC Player of the Week was Soule on Feb. 24, 2020.
• Soule finished with the best performance of the season vs. Pitt on Feb. 16 with game-highs in points (27) and rebounds (12).
Watch List SZN ...
• Taylor Soule was named to the 2021 Women's Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Watch List, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.
Watch List SZN Continues ...
• Taylor Soule was one of 20 players to be named to the watch list for the 2021 Cheryl Miller Award.
Numero Uno
• Cameron Swartz has been a mainstay in the lineup for BC in 2020-21. She has started all 17 games for Boston College this season.
• She had a season-high 23 points in the win over Georgia Tech.
• Earlier in the season, she hit the game-winning layup in the victory over Notre Dame.
• The Georgia native is third on the team in scoring with 12.4 points per game.
From Long Distance
• Boston College drained 13 three-point field goals at Notre Dame on Jan. 17, the most this season for the Eagles and tied for the fifth-best single-game performance in school history.
three-point field goals made in a game
Rk. Total Opponent Date
1. Â 15 at North Carolina 2/9/17
2. 14 Rider 12/25/18
14 New Hampshire 12/15/13
14 North Carolina 1/9/11
5. 13 at Notre Dame 1/17/21
13 VCU 11/23/19
13 at Rhode Island 11/8/18
13 Holy Cross 11/15/18
13 Duke 1/31/19
13 Virginia Tech 2/3/19
13 at Notre Dame 1/14/18
13 NC State 1/23/14
