Lifted To Another Level
February 12, 2022 | Women's Basketball, #ForBoston Files
BC pushed No. 5 NC State to the brink thanks to a frenzied, crazed hometown crowd.
When Joanna Bernabei-McNamee accepted the women's basketball head coaching position at Boston College, she did so with the desire to build a program. She built winners at previous schools and won a national championship as an assistant coach at Maryland, but the mission of restoring the Eagles to their previous heights required a year-over-year improvement capable of sustaining annual success.Â
Building a program meant more than just qualifying for the national tournament. Her teams, she knew, would eventually contend for spots among the country's elite if she could recruit the right players while simultaneously developing her existing talent, but she wanted fans to latch onto her firebrand of gritty, blue collar basketball as a rooting influence for the entire Massachusetts community.
Constantly building would eventually lay that foundation, and on Thursday, Boston College battled No. 5 N.C. State for national seeding before 2,500 screaming fans. That crowd, a staple for other teams but an emerging presence in Chestnut Hill, built a true home atmosphere for the Eagles, one that nearly helped them topple the Wolfpack in an 85-78 overtime loss.
"That crowd was amazing," Bernabei-McNamee said after the game. "That's what a sixth man truly is, and when you have that kind of atmosphere, that is home court advantage. N.C. State has that kind of crowd for every game, so they were used to it. But for us to have it, I wondered how we would respond, and I thought our players stepped up and really fed off the energy."
Armed with Conte Forum at its back, the Eagles dominated the Wolfpack from the opening tip-off and immediately launched into a 13-2 run before holding a 23-12 lead after the first quarter. N.C. State, never a team held down for long, launched into a natural run in the second, and as the first half drew to a close, the game offered a potential postseason preview in next month's ACC Tournament.
Neither team was willing to give in to the other, and signature performances emerged on both sides of the ball. For BC, Cameron Swartz shot the lights out of the gym with 18 points in the first half, and both Maria Gakdeng and Taylor Soule bottled Elissa Cunane in the paint. The Wolfpack, robbed of their superstar forward, shifted the ball outside to an emerging Diamond Johnson, who came off the bench for 10 points and four rebounds with two assists.
"The last game ended with three assists and 16 turnovers," Soule said, "so in practice this week, we got back to basics and moved the ball more. I think we can get great open shots, but [there are different parts] of offense. One is getting great shots, but with a team like N.C. State, which scores really well, limiting the chances on [defense] was really important for us."
N.C. State was left to play catchup, and even though the second quarter ended with a 20-12 advantage for the Wolfpack, BC still led when the teams retreated to their respective locker rooms. When they returned, a heavyweight bout saw both teams land blows against one another as the scoreboard teetered between eight ties and 15 lead changes.
The chess match included moves against one another to adjust and react to both offensive and defensive switches. N.C. State adjusted to Swartz's outside shooting, but Soule, largely bottled in the first half, exploded for 11 points in the second half. She finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds while dishing three assists and continuing to draw tough assignments on defense. The breakout by Johnson, meanwhile, opened Cunane for eight points while Kayla Jones grabbed five rebounds along with Cunane's four in the second half alone.
Answers seemed to rain into the basket from every corner. Raina Perez scored 11 points for N.C. State, and Kaylah Ivey came off the bench to score eight points on 3-for-4 shooting over 14 minutes in the third and fourth quarter. Marnelle Garraud forced the Wolfpack's hand defensively, while Kai Crutchfield seemingly never left the floor in order to facilitate N.C. State's offense.
Those ties and lead changes kept the crowd engaged throughout, and as the final seconds ticked off the fourth quarter, it took the Eagles to another level in an attempt to either win or force overtime. Trailing by three, Swartz went one-on-one to score a layup, and after the ensuing foul forced N.C. State to the line, a crazed, loud student section helped force Cunane to miss a free throw that would have likely iced the game.
Even after she hit the second shot, a door remained open for BC, and the Eagles embraced the flair for the dramatic when Garraud forced the Wolfpack to overcommit to the right side. It left Ally VanTimmeren wide open, and the freshman, who debuted against N.C. State as a midyear acquisition in what would have been her senior year of high school, hit a layup that sent both the game and the crowd into a frenzy.
"We are good," Swartz said, "and we have a great team. We have that potential, and the fans really do have a total effect on us on the court. I think that showed because we didn't let [N.C. State] get out to any crazy leads. The whole time, those fans gave the extra energy and that second wind. That turnout was awesome, and maybe it gave them a little taste of what it is to watch our games. We're a good team, and we're really fun to watch."
The overtime period wound up being too much for BC to overcome, and N.C. State, the determined, nationally-ranked team bidding for a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, walked out of Conte Forum with its win. There aren't moral victories in defeat, and Bernabei-McNamee acknowledged as much, but it drew more attention to Chestnut Hill on a night where the Eagles wounded the Wolfpack after a string of losses segmented only by a come-from-behind win over last place Virginia.
"We're good, we work hard, and we bring energy," Soule said. "It feels good to have people supporting you, so that turnout was great. I wish we could have gotten the win for them, but the season isn't done yet."
"We were playing really hard," Bernabei-McNamee said, "but we looked a little more gassed at the end. Defensively we just didn't have enough in the tank to finish a block or complete a play, but at the end of the day, I'm super proud of our team. That's a really good program with a good coach that has them moving and shaking. They're a top team for a reason, but I hope this game gives us confidence to realize that we can also compete and be a top team in the country."
BC returns to the court on Tuesday when it hosts Pittsburgh for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game can be seen via the ACC Network Extra online streaming platform with access available for cable subscribers with access to the channel.
Building a program meant more than just qualifying for the national tournament. Her teams, she knew, would eventually contend for spots among the country's elite if she could recruit the right players while simultaneously developing her existing talent, but she wanted fans to latch onto her firebrand of gritty, blue collar basketball as a rooting influence for the entire Massachusetts community.
Constantly building would eventually lay that foundation, and on Thursday, Boston College battled No. 5 N.C. State for national seeding before 2,500 screaming fans. That crowd, a staple for other teams but an emerging presence in Chestnut Hill, built a true home atmosphere for the Eagles, one that nearly helped them topple the Wolfpack in an 85-78 overtime loss.
"That crowd was amazing," Bernabei-McNamee said after the game. "That's what a sixth man truly is, and when you have that kind of atmosphere, that is home court advantage. N.C. State has that kind of crowd for every game, so they were used to it. But for us to have it, I wondered how we would respond, and I thought our players stepped up and really fed off the energy."
Armed with Conte Forum at its back, the Eagles dominated the Wolfpack from the opening tip-off and immediately launched into a 13-2 run before holding a 23-12 lead after the first quarter. N.C. State, never a team held down for long, launched into a natural run in the second, and as the first half drew to a close, the game offered a potential postseason preview in next month's ACC Tournament.
Neither team was willing to give in to the other, and signature performances emerged on both sides of the ball. For BC, Cameron Swartz shot the lights out of the gym with 18 points in the first half, and both Maria Gakdeng and Taylor Soule bottled Elissa Cunane in the paint. The Wolfpack, robbed of their superstar forward, shifted the ball outside to an emerging Diamond Johnson, who came off the bench for 10 points and four rebounds with two assists.
"The last game ended with three assists and 16 turnovers," Soule said, "so in practice this week, we got back to basics and moved the ball more. I think we can get great open shots, but [there are different parts] of offense. One is getting great shots, but with a team like N.C. State, which scores really well, limiting the chances on [defense] was really important for us."
N.C. State was left to play catchup, and even though the second quarter ended with a 20-12 advantage for the Wolfpack, BC still led when the teams retreated to their respective locker rooms. When they returned, a heavyweight bout saw both teams land blows against one another as the scoreboard teetered between eight ties and 15 lead changes.
The chess match included moves against one another to adjust and react to both offensive and defensive switches. N.C. State adjusted to Swartz's outside shooting, but Soule, largely bottled in the first half, exploded for 11 points in the second half. She finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds while dishing three assists and continuing to draw tough assignments on defense. The breakout by Johnson, meanwhile, opened Cunane for eight points while Kayla Jones grabbed five rebounds along with Cunane's four in the second half alone.
Answers seemed to rain into the basket from every corner. Raina Perez scored 11 points for N.C. State, and Kaylah Ivey came off the bench to score eight points on 3-for-4 shooting over 14 minutes in the third and fourth quarter. Marnelle Garraud forced the Wolfpack's hand defensively, while Kai Crutchfield seemingly never left the floor in order to facilitate N.C. State's offense.
Those ties and lead changes kept the crowd engaged throughout, and as the final seconds ticked off the fourth quarter, it took the Eagles to another level in an attempt to either win or force overtime. Trailing by three, Swartz went one-on-one to score a layup, and after the ensuing foul forced N.C. State to the line, a crazed, loud student section helped force Cunane to miss a free throw that would have likely iced the game.
Even after she hit the second shot, a door remained open for BC, and the Eagles embraced the flair for the dramatic when Garraud forced the Wolfpack to overcommit to the right side. It left Ally VanTimmeren wide open, and the freshman, who debuted against N.C. State as a midyear acquisition in what would have been her senior year of high school, hit a layup that sent both the game and the crowd into a frenzy.
"We are good," Swartz said, "and we have a great team. We have that potential, and the fans really do have a total effect on us on the court. I think that showed because we didn't let [N.C. State] get out to any crazy leads. The whole time, those fans gave the extra energy and that second wind. That turnout was awesome, and maybe it gave them a little taste of what it is to watch our games. We're a good team, and we're really fun to watch."
The overtime period wound up being too much for BC to overcome, and N.C. State, the determined, nationally-ranked team bidding for a No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, walked out of Conte Forum with its win. There aren't moral victories in defeat, and Bernabei-McNamee acknowledged as much, but it drew more attention to Chestnut Hill on a night where the Eagles wounded the Wolfpack after a string of losses segmented only by a come-from-behind win over last place Virginia.
"We're good, we work hard, and we bring energy," Soule said. "It feels good to have people supporting you, so that turnout was great. I wish we could have gotten the win for them, but the season isn't done yet."
"We were playing really hard," Bernabei-McNamee said, "but we looked a little more gassed at the end. Defensively we just didn't have enough in the tank to finish a block or complete a play, but at the end of the day, I'm super proud of our team. That's a really good program with a good coach that has them moving and shaking. They're a top team for a reason, but I hope this game gives us confidence to realize that we can also compete and be a top team in the country."
BC returns to the court on Tuesday when it hosts Pittsburgh for a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game can be seen via the ACC Network Extra online streaming platform with access available for cable subscribers with access to the channel.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
F
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