Photo by: Cassie Baker
Flying High, Even In Defeat
December 09, 2022 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
Defeat Offers Window Into The Growth And Transition of BC Basketball
Anyone tuning into the third quarter of Wednesday night's game between Boston College and Virginia Tech might have mistaken the score for a second half tie. The Eagles were clamping down on the undefeated, seventh-ranked Hokies for the better part of three minutes, and the defense successfully boxed reigning ACC Player of the Year Elizabeth Kitley into a phone booth to the tune of three shot attempts. The BC frontcourt felt rejuvenated behind Maria Gakdeng and JoJo Lacey, and the energy rippling through Conte Forum staggered the shifting momentum.
The reality, though, was that the Eagles had started a little too slow, and they trailed Virginia Tech by 19 points before halftime. The third quarter run was electric, but it couldn't close the gap between BC and a team bent on maintaining its top-10, national contender status. There were feisty body blows, but any attention was temporarily lost amidst a 73-58 defeat in a conference opener that featured the returns of Taylor Soule and Clara Ford to BC.
"It was a tale of two halves for us," said head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. "In the first half, I thought we came out a little tentative and a little nervous, and we didn't play to the best of our abilities. But I never questioned how hard we were playing, and I thought the third quarter came out with a lot of fire and that's the team we had to channel for the fourth quarter. If there's growth, it showed that we can play with big teams, but we can't have mental lapses, so from here on out, we're just going to really focus on how we can get better and grow and continue to mature."
BC's prior game against Boston University offered the first real see-saw of the season, but the sharpshooting from Sunday wasn't required in a matchup against a grittier, more experienced Virginia Tech team. A rough-and-tumble style built around Kitley and Soule replaced the fun-and-gun from the 170 combined points with the Terriers, but the complementary outside shot offered from Cayla King built a 10-point lead when the Eagles were stuck in first gear through the first 10 minutes.Â
A smothering defense forced three turnovers, and BC's tendency to run the floor failed to break out from its seven defensive rebounds. The fast break points disappeared, and a more wild shooting percentage rooted itself for a 3-for-17 frame. The only outside shot came from Taina Mair, and though Gakdeng was battling with Kitley, the senior center still went 3-for-5 with six rebounds, including five on the defensive end.
BC needed to buoy its efforts in the second quarter, but where the offense finally found its groove, the defense struggled to hold the Hokies at bay after Soule scored a quarter-high nine points. She had finally relaxed after amping up her start to the first quarter, and with the defense doubling down on Kitley, the former 1,000-point scorer for BC went 4-for-4 with two rebounds and an assist. She even stopped and buried a three-pointer that led to her holding three fingers aloft as a stinging groove erupted from the Virginia Tech bench.
"Our team is a tough team," said Bernabei-McNamee, "and something I knew was that Virginia Tech was also going to be a really tough team. They do a really good job on the boards, but I feel like we do a really good job on the boards. That's the first team that really rebounded that way, and I would venture that we're the first team that rebounds the way that we do. I would have liked to see the battle that occurred in the fourth quarter go a little bit better in the first half, but I thought we shied away from beating into [the paint] to get offensive rebounds."
The coach delivered that message at halftime without knowing that the second half effort would slice into Virginia Tech's lead, which is why it was a pleasant experience to watch the Eagles rally like they did. They sliced into the lead enough to send that current of electricity through Conte Forum, and after surrendering first half totals of 13 points to King, 11 points to Kitley, and nine points to Soule, Kitley was the only player to hit double figures in the second half.
King would be limited to 1-for-3 shooting on the rest of the afternoon, and though all of her attempts were from outside, Soule wouldn't take another shot. She made one additional rebound, but the BC team that felt humbled by its former leader rose up against a mighty Virginia Tech megalith with its own brand of basketball. With a young roster constructed almost entirely by players who hadn't played with either Soule or Ford - but had been recruited by watching them - the next generation grabbed its sword and shield by taking the attack to the seventh-ranked team in the nation.Â
Sophomore Andrea Daley was a little-used weapon from a season ago, but she exploded in the second half for 12 points in the third and fourth quarters, and both Gakdeng, Waggoner, and Mair scored six points apiece. Lacey went 2-for-2 from the floor, and Gakdeng and Waggoner grabbed seven rebounds against arguably the best defense in the nation.
"Any coach that you talk to, at this level, doesn't believe in moral victories," said Bernabei-McNamee, "so we're all mad [that we lost]. And when I show them film, I guarantee you that I'm going to make them even madder. But what I loved is that I think the entire team, in the second half, believed it could win. Every timeout, we had the focus and played with a purpose. That's what I want to build on because belief is a big thing."
That it came against a national championship contender is no small accomplishment, and while BC absorbed its first conference loss of the season in its only league game played, the Eagles left Conte Forum with a sense that their team is starting to gel. They aren't peaking, but they also fully transitioned into a new era defined by new heroes and players. Their old heroes and legends were in a different uniform, and while it was great to celebrate them and honor that relationship, they also had to do right by the current iteration that's moving forward, which itself is a part of the unique college sports experience.
"Now it's a matter of making those shots," Bernabei-McNamee emphasized. "We missed a lot of easy shots, and I felt we had shots that we wanted to create an offense. I thought we defended really well, but every time that we had a little bit of a mishap in communication on the defensive end, Virginia Tech made us pay. That's a credit to how good their team is and that's the team we want to be. There's a lot for us to grow and learn from."
BC returns to the court on Saturday when the Eagles host Albany in a non-conference game at Conte Forum. The game tips off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on the ACC Network Extra as part of the ESPN online platform for cable subscribers with access to the ACC Network.
The reality, though, was that the Eagles had started a little too slow, and they trailed Virginia Tech by 19 points before halftime. The third quarter run was electric, but it couldn't close the gap between BC and a team bent on maintaining its top-10, national contender status. There were feisty body blows, but any attention was temporarily lost amidst a 73-58 defeat in a conference opener that featured the returns of Taylor Soule and Clara Ford to BC.
"It was a tale of two halves for us," said head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. "In the first half, I thought we came out a little tentative and a little nervous, and we didn't play to the best of our abilities. But I never questioned how hard we were playing, and I thought the third quarter came out with a lot of fire and that's the team we had to channel for the fourth quarter. If there's growth, it showed that we can play with big teams, but we can't have mental lapses, so from here on out, we're just going to really focus on how we can get better and grow and continue to mature."
BC's prior game against Boston University offered the first real see-saw of the season, but the sharpshooting from Sunday wasn't required in a matchup against a grittier, more experienced Virginia Tech team. A rough-and-tumble style built around Kitley and Soule replaced the fun-and-gun from the 170 combined points with the Terriers, but the complementary outside shot offered from Cayla King built a 10-point lead when the Eagles were stuck in first gear through the first 10 minutes.Â
A smothering defense forced three turnovers, and BC's tendency to run the floor failed to break out from its seven defensive rebounds. The fast break points disappeared, and a more wild shooting percentage rooted itself for a 3-for-17 frame. The only outside shot came from Taina Mair, and though Gakdeng was battling with Kitley, the senior center still went 3-for-5 with six rebounds, including five on the defensive end.
BC needed to buoy its efforts in the second quarter, but where the offense finally found its groove, the defense struggled to hold the Hokies at bay after Soule scored a quarter-high nine points. She had finally relaxed after amping up her start to the first quarter, and with the defense doubling down on Kitley, the former 1,000-point scorer for BC went 4-for-4 with two rebounds and an assist. She even stopped and buried a three-pointer that led to her holding three fingers aloft as a stinging groove erupted from the Virginia Tech bench.
"Our team is a tough team," said Bernabei-McNamee, "and something I knew was that Virginia Tech was also going to be a really tough team. They do a really good job on the boards, but I feel like we do a really good job on the boards. That's the first team that really rebounded that way, and I would venture that we're the first team that rebounds the way that we do. I would have liked to see the battle that occurred in the fourth quarter go a little bit better in the first half, but I thought we shied away from beating into [the paint] to get offensive rebounds."
The coach delivered that message at halftime without knowing that the second half effort would slice into Virginia Tech's lead, which is why it was a pleasant experience to watch the Eagles rally like they did. They sliced into the lead enough to send that current of electricity through Conte Forum, and after surrendering first half totals of 13 points to King, 11 points to Kitley, and nine points to Soule, Kitley was the only player to hit double figures in the second half.
King would be limited to 1-for-3 shooting on the rest of the afternoon, and though all of her attempts were from outside, Soule wouldn't take another shot. She made one additional rebound, but the BC team that felt humbled by its former leader rose up against a mighty Virginia Tech megalith with its own brand of basketball. With a young roster constructed almost entirely by players who hadn't played with either Soule or Ford - but had been recruited by watching them - the next generation grabbed its sword and shield by taking the attack to the seventh-ranked team in the nation.Â
Sophomore Andrea Daley was a little-used weapon from a season ago, but she exploded in the second half for 12 points in the third and fourth quarters, and both Gakdeng, Waggoner, and Mair scored six points apiece. Lacey went 2-for-2 from the floor, and Gakdeng and Waggoner grabbed seven rebounds against arguably the best defense in the nation.
"Any coach that you talk to, at this level, doesn't believe in moral victories," said Bernabei-McNamee, "so we're all mad [that we lost]. And when I show them film, I guarantee you that I'm going to make them even madder. But what I loved is that I think the entire team, in the second half, believed it could win. Every timeout, we had the focus and played with a purpose. That's what I want to build on because belief is a big thing."
That it came against a national championship contender is no small accomplishment, and while BC absorbed its first conference loss of the season in its only league game played, the Eagles left Conte Forum with a sense that their team is starting to gel. They aren't peaking, but they also fully transitioned into a new era defined by new heroes and players. Their old heroes and legends were in a different uniform, and while it was great to celebrate them and honor that relationship, they also had to do right by the current iteration that's moving forward, which itself is a part of the unique college sports experience.
"Now it's a matter of making those shots," Bernabei-McNamee emphasized. "We missed a lot of easy shots, and I felt we had shots that we wanted to create an offense. I thought we defended really well, but every time that we had a little bit of a mishap in communication on the defensive end, Virginia Tech made us pay. That's a credit to how good their team is and that's the team we want to be. There's a lot for us to grow and learn from."
BC returns to the court on Saturday when the Eagles host Albany in a non-conference game at Conte Forum. The game tips off at 2 p.m. and can be seen on the ACC Network Extra as part of the ESPN online platform for cable subscribers with access to the ACC Network.
Players Mentioned
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