Thompson's Big Game Moment Stamps BC's Breakout Performance

JaKayla Thompson spent her first two years at Boston College as an unknown commodity throughout college basketball. The reserve guard rarely appeared in games for longer than 10 minutes, and her lack of double-digit scoring prevented her from poking north towards the team's top offensive outputs. For a full two seasons, her hard work and dedication to the game remained in background places unbeknownst to fans or observers, but life on the scout team or in the practice gym was never written in negativity.

The life of a reserve player instead taught her resilience, and the waning moments of Wednesday's Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament brought that perseverance to one of basketball's largest stages. BC had trailed the Orange by as many as 19, but clawing back to within one point for the final 90 seconds created a clutch moment after Tatum Greene grabbed an offensive rebound that kicked to Thompson.

She stood in three-point land but charged towards the painted area as Syracuse spaced its defense. Momentum moved her towards the basket, and as she uncorked a soft and silky left-handed runner, the Kentucky sophomore who still hadn't scored 10 points in a game landed a knockout blow to the hated Orange.

Just three days earlier, a 20-point loss stamped the end of BC's regular season. Now, on the court in one of the ACC's most hallowed home arenas, JaKayla Thompson's moment sent the Eagles into Thursday's second round as the final turnaround of a 76-73 victory over Syracuse.

"Resilience is what comes to mind when thinking about this team and the game today," said head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. "The first half, we looked really disheveled. I thought we weren't seeing the open person, and even though we're really an unselfish team, we didn't look like it. As we moved towards the second half, we rebounded the ball so much better, and we had so many sparks coming off the bench, [Thompson] being one of them. This kid worked her butt off every day in practice, and a lot of times she ended up on the scout team. Her being ready, it should send a message to all kids out there playing basketball to stay ready when you're not the first call."

Bernabei-McNamee took time during her pre-tournament press appearance on Monday to emphasize the need for her team to catalyze togetherness, and Thompson's basket tied nearly all of those core fundamentals together with a neatly-wrapped bow. She played 28 minutes but finished the game with a team-leading plus-17 on the floor while committing just one foul and two turnovers. Her second quarter steal came as part of the late period run that both cut Syracuse's lead from 16 to 12 and underscored the eventual 10-0 run to start the third quarter.

It would have been easy to miss. Syracuse went on a 7-0 run to re-up its advantage to 19 points in the late second quarter, and not even Teya Sidberry's late field goal broke the overall crush from a 17-point disadvantage. Still, Thompson's steal and two other bad-pass turnovers by Syracuse opened holes exploited by the Orange's third quarter giveaways. Having previously had six turnovers in the first two quarters, their seven surrendered possessions converted to six points for the Eagles, who abandoned the three-pointer for a more physical and gritty interior game that continuously chipped away at a deficit severely dented by that early run.

"We stuck to a game plan offensively that looked like it was pickup basketball at the beginning," said Bernabei-McNamee. "We were just running around, but in the second half, we settled down and ran some offense. That's a credit to the players because at the end of the day, when they come out to play, especially this team at BC, they're going to do good things, but they always have to stick five together as one when they're on the floor."

Gallery: (3-5-2025) WBB vs. Syracuse (ACC Tournament)

Individual highlights sprung through the team game, and BC capitalized on Syracuse's inability to crash boards and protect the glass or rim. A decided advantage around the cylinder produced double value against the Orange's overall offense by carrying over into the fourth quarter, and the selfless teamwork away from the ball.

Dontavia Waggoner and Teya Sidberry walked away from the game with a combined 56 points and 26 rebounds, and both owned the Orange by controlling their specified area. They each shot 50 percent or better from the floor while grabbing a combined 15 offensive rebounds, and Waggoner's third quarter block against a fast break offered a resounding statement to Syracuse's shell-shocked second half.

Yet neither were involved on the game's most important play, and BC relied on other players for its trademark shutdown defense. Greene finished with five boards and two steals as part of a plus-15 rating on the floor, and Savannah Samuel went plus-13 in a game where she operated with four fouls. Andrea Daley led BC with three assists while Waggoner, Sidberry and Greene each dished two, and even her four defensive rebounds felt like they came at opportune moments.

Even Thompson, who hadn't scored more than three points since mid-November, finished with seven points to her name.

"Being in practice and going through all of those game reps [makes you] come out and play," said Thompson. "It's just about being ready and staying ready to knock down that shot."

"It says a lot about [her] character," added Bernabei-McNamee. "It's the type of person that she is, that she's never mad about being on the scout team. She understands where she's been needed this year, and when her number was called, she was absolutely ready. As a coach, it's such a good feeling to see a player get her time and shine like she did."

Advancing to a second round game for the fourth consecutive tournament, BC now draws an early matchup against No. 5-seeded North Carolina, which doubles as the No. 14 team in the nation. Game time is slated for 11 a.m. and can be seen on the ACC Network with online streaming through ESPN's family of Internet and mobile device apps.

Thompson's Big Game Moment Stamps BC's Breakout Performance

Players Mentioned

Andrea Daley

Tatum Greene

Savannah Samuel

Teya Sidberry

JaKayla Thompson

Dontavia Waggoner

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