Eagles Open 2023-24 Slate Versus Holy Cross

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The 51st season gets underway for Boston College women's basketball on Monday when it hosts Holy Cross at 5 p.m. in Conte Forum on ACCNX.

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About the Eagles
The Eagles' roster displays a mix of youth and experience, as eight letterwinners return with six newcomers (four freshmen, two transfers). BC brings back 65 percent of its scoring, 67 percent of its rebounding and returns four of its top six leading scorers. Boston College is in year six of the Joanna Bernabei-McNamee era after going 16-17 last season, highlighted by a top-10 road win against NC State, a home win over NCAA Tournament participant Florida State and an ACC Tournament victory over Georgia Tech.

A Win Would
- Improve BC's record to 6-0 under coach Mac in season openers.
- Move the Eagles' record to 33-10 against Holy Cross.

Who Returns
- Dontavia Waggoner heads the group for BC after leading the team in scoring (13.2 ppg), rebounding (7.5 rpg) and steals (2.9 spg). The senior guard turned in the highest scoring increase in the ACC from the previous season, while she was one of three players to post three games of at least 20 points and 10 rebounds. Waggoner would have shattered the program's single-season steals record but missed time due to injury.

- JoJo Lacey led the team in 3-pointers last season and also put up career highs across the board, averaging 10.0 points, 4.7 rebound and 2.1 assists. Lacey was one of four players in the ACC last season to average at least 10 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and make at least 50 3-pointers.

- Andrea Daley also made a vast improvement last season, as she put up career numbers. The Miami, Fla. native recorded 16 games in double figures and a pair of double-doubles. She averaged 9.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.

- T'Yana Todd averaged 10.0 points per game and finished third on the team in 3-pointers made, while scoring in double figures in seven of her last 10 appearances.

- Ava McGee played in 27 games last season, seeing more minutes at the end of last season. The sophomore guard played more than her average minutes in five of the last seven games.

- Kayla Lezama played in 19 games in her first season with the Eagles, scoring in six contests. Lezama's two highest scoring outings came in non-conference play against Morgan State and Providence.

- Kaylah Ivey is back after missing 2022-23 due to a knee injury.

Newcomers
- Teya Sidberry is in her first season with BC after transferring from Utah. Sidberry contributed to the Utes' regular-season Pac-12 title and Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Sidberry averaged 4.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. She was named the 2022 Ms. Basketball in Utah and owns the all-time scoring record with 2,534 points.

- Lili Krasovec played for the U16, U19 and U20 Hungarian national teams in the last three summers, averaging 6.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 21 career games. She also played for Radobasket (2012-17) and Csata DSE (2017-20) in Hungary.

- Nene Ndiaye played for Senegal U18 National Team and in 2020 in the Afrobasket Tournament and averaged 16 points per game in 2018. She was the Most Valuable Player for her U14 Spain squad.

By the Numbers
3 - Waggoner was one of three players last season with Elizabeth Kitley (Virginia Tech) and Makayla Timpson (Florida State) to record three games of a least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
14 - BC has 14 players from 14 different states and countries.
37 - The Eagles return 37 percent more of their scoring (65%) heading into this season than last season (28%).
65 - BC is 53-5 under coach Mac when holding opponents to 65 points or less.
80 - The Eagles are 33-2 since 2018-19 when scoring 80 or more points.

What to Watch for
- Watch if the Eagles can get to the line on Monday, as they boasted an 11-2 mark when they attempted at least 20 free throws last season. BC was also 8-1 when Dontavia Waggoner attempted at least eight foul shots.
- The Eagles were successful last season in getting a then-season-high 23 offensive rebounds against Holy Cross. Watch if BC can crash the offensive glass on Monday.
- See if BC can force Holy Cross into turnovers, as the Eagles were 9-6 when forcing at least 20 turnovers in '22-23.
- Watch if the Eagles can take advantage of their opportunities on offense, as HC was 3-8 when teams turned in an offensive rating of 86 or higher.
- Watch if the Eagles can limit the Crusaders' 3-point shooting, as they shot 35 percent or worse from deep in eight of their losses.

Scouting Holy Cross
- Holy Cross is coming off a 24-9 season and 13-5 mark en route to a Patriot League Title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
- HC was picked to win the Patriot League.
- Maureen Magarity is in her fourth season at the helm, boasting a 51-28 mark.
- The Crusaders return four starters, including their top-three leading scorers from last season.
- Holy Cross was one of the top defensive teams in the nation last season, allowing just 56.1 points per game - good for 17th in the country.
- Opponents also shot just 37.5 percent from the field against Holy Cross.
- Bronagh Power-Cassidy led the team in scoring at a 13.6 clip, while Lindsay Berger led the Crusaders averaging 6.6 rpg.
- Holy Cross is one of the 16 teams that BC will face this season who went to the postseason and one of 11 who went to the NCAA Tournament.

Series History
BC holds a 32-10 mark all-time against Holy Cross and has won six of the last seven matchups. The Eagles are 19-3 all-time at home against Holy Cross, claiming the last 12 games on their home floor. The Eagles held off the Crusaders last season in a 52-42 win in Conte Forum. T'Yana Todd paced the team with a career-high 20 points, with 14 coming in the second half.

What's Next
The Eagles will host Harvard on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Conte Forum on the ACC Network

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Andrea Daley

Kaylah Ivey

Lili Krasovec

JoJo Lacey

Kayla Lezama

Ava McGee

Nene Ndiaye

Teya Sidberry

T'yana Todd

Dontavia Waggoner

Boston College Athletics