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Women's Basketball Advances With a 62-49 Victory Over Virginia Tech
Junior Stefanie Murphy leads BC with 18 points and eight boards

Greensboro, NC - Boston College junior Stefanie Murphy scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Eagles past Virginia Tech, 62-49, in a first-round victory in the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. BC is now 16-14 on the season, while Virginia Tech falls to 15-15.

"We came out of the first game feeling like we should have come out with the win," forward Stefanie Murphy said of the 69-64 result in Blacksburg on Feb. 21. "Payback ... It's what was due."

BC senior Brittanny Johnson added 10 points, four rebounds and four assists while holding Virginia Tech's Lindsay Biggs to just 2-for-9 shooting and six points in the game. Junior Carolyn Swords added eight points while sophomore Jasmine Gill added seven points.

Boston College opened on a 19-4 run behind six points from Murphy and four from Swords. The Eagles held the lead through the first half as they shot 33 percent from the floor but held the Hokies to 19 percent. BC led at the half, 29-17.

In the second half the Hokies cut the lead to seven points on a layup from Alyssa Fenyn. With just over 12 minutes to play, Ayla Brown (5 points, 8 rebounds) pushed the Eagles lead to 11 points on a deep three-pointer from the top of the arc. The Eagles lead increased to 15 points on a jumper by Jaclyn Thoman with 8:12 to play.

Johnson put the game away when she hit a driving layup on the baseline and followed it up with a three-pointer as BC's lead went to 20 points with four minutes to play.

"They don't want this to end," said BC Head Coach Sylvia Crawley. "They're hungry for more games. This is a team that can beat any team in the ACC on any given night when we come out ready to play."

Game Notes: Boston College hit seven three-pointers in the game. The Eagles have now hit 174 three-pointers this season, which is now the new program record for most three's made in a single season ... It was Stefanie Murphy's sixth consecutive game reaching double-figures in scoring ... Jaclyn Thoman notched seven assists for the third time this season ... The Eagles played nine players and all nine scored in the win ... BC won the battle of the boards, 37-32. It was the 22nd game in which BC grabbed more rebounds than its opponent. The Eagles are 16-6 when they out-rebound an opponent ... BC will play Florida State on Friday, March 5 at 6 p.m. BC lost to Florida State on Jan. 24 in Tallahassee, 85-64.

BC vs. the Seminoles - -

Stefanie Murphy: Well last year the same situation happened. I believe we played Miami the first round and then played Florida State the second round and Florida State. Having another crack at Florida State is what we want to do and we'll do whatever it takes to win.

Brittanny Johnson: You know, I think this tournament provides us with a great opportunity. A lot of teams that we are facing now are teams we didn't play well against. All we have to do is look at what we did during those games and really focus on those things that helped us to get better. Florida State was a team we didn't play well against, and we are happy to have an opportunity at them.

Sylvia Crawley: Like Brittanny said we are facing teams that we didn't beat in the regular season. And so we're very fortunate to get another opportunity. And I think it's tough to beat a team twice. And we get a chance to look at what didn't work the last time. Florida State is a very physical team. It's going to be a physical game. We'll have to roll up our sleeves and work hard for 40 minutes and our players understand that now. They know what it's going to take to beat a team like Florida State. They are a solid team at every position. And anyone on the floor can hit an open shot. It keeps you on your toes, and you can't play off anyone. It should be a good game tomorrow.

Eagle Soar Past Seminoles in ACC Tournament
Jasmine Gill powered a Boston College onslaught
March 5, 2010

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Jasmine Gill came home and played like she plans on sticking around for a while.

The Greensboro native led Boston College to its most significant upset in a late-season string of them, scoring six of her 13 points during the run that lifted the Eagles past No. 8 Florida State 67-60 on Friday night in an Atlantic Coast Conference quarterfinal.

"Nothing like a home atmosphere," Gill said. "I feel like everybody in the stands was on our side."

Stefanie Murphy had 14 points for seventh-seeded BC (17-14), which shot nearly 49 percent and overcame a huge rebounding deficit by forcing the second-seeded Seminoles to a season-worst 27.6 percent shooting.

Cierra Bravard had 13 points for Florida State (26-5), and her three-point play tied it at 46 with 6:04 to play before Gill took over. She knocked down a jumper with the shot clock winding down, then went coast-to-coast for a layup after a steal to start the 13-3 run that put the Eagles in control.

"I think we faced every situation during the regular season," BC coach Sylvia Crawley said. "We had some games where a team would make a strong run at us, and we would not fight back at that moment. ... We would string together back-to-back negatives. I think our team has learned from that situation. ... They were very, very determined to fight back and stop their momentum."

Ayla Brown and Carolyn Swords had 11 points apiece while Jaclyn Thoman capped the decisive run with a free throw that made it 59-49 with 1:41 left. Murphy, who fouled out with 6:04 left, had an otherwise perfect night for Boston College: She hit all five of her shots, both of her 3s and both of her free throws.

The Eagles, who reached the ACC semifinals for the first time, have won three straight against nationally ranked teams, last month knocking off both Duke and then-ranked North Carolina in consecutive games. Next up: either No. 24 Virginia or North Carolina State on Saturday.
Alysha Harvin had 13 points and Chastity Clayton added 10 for the Seminoles, who had trouble making up for the loss of all-ACC forward Jacinta Monroe, who averages a team-best 13.4 points.

She suffered what team officials said was a sprained right ankle roughly 4 minutes into the game, and she limped off the court with help from trainers, was taken to a hospital for X-rays that coach Sue Semrau said showed no broken bones.

But in Monroe's absence, Florida State turned to its perimeter game with poor results--the Seminoles hoisted a season-high 28 3-pointers and made just four--and lured Swords, Murphy and Brittanny Johnson into foul trouble, but couldn't take full advantage.

"It was very hard to play without one of your leaders on the floor, especially (Monroe)," Clayton said. "She has a big impact for us. Getting them in foul trouble, the coaches kept telling us to attack, attack, attack. Really, that's what we needed to do, especially since Cint was out, to be effective on the floor."

For a while, though, it appeared that they figured out how to play without Monroe, using a 21-5 run that spanned halftime to seemingly take control. The Seminoles, who trailed by nine early, pushed their lead to 36-27 on Clayton's jumper with 16:40 left, before managing just one field goal during the 8 1/2 minutes that followed.

"We just couldn't buy one," Semrau said. "It's not like our team, but it is what it is."

Cold shooting was a frequent problem in this one for the Seminoles, who missed 20 of their first 24 shots. Courtney Ward, whose 11-point scoring average was second only to Monroe on her team, missed her first seven attempts and finished 3 for 20--2 for 17 from 3-point range--while Harvin was 4 for 17.

Florida State attempted 33 more shots than Boston College, but the Eagles made them significantly more often. No team this season shot a higher percentage against the Seminoles than BC, and that more than offset a 44-34 rebounding advantage and the Eagles' 18 turnovers.

"I just don't think we shot the ball well," Semrau said. "I thought Boston College did a great job of giving us tough looks. But we got second-chance shots, so there's really no excuse for that."

They did really good. Too bad it had to end.
NC State 63 - BC 57

Women's Basketball Falls To NC State, 63-57
Despite 24 points, 10 rebounds from Swords, Eagles fall in ACC Semifinal

March 6, 2010

Boston College women's basketball team fell to NC State, 63-57, Saturday afternoon in the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament. It was the first time BC advanced to the semifinal game of the ACC Tournament.

The Eagles seemed in control as they extended a six point lead to 10 points with nine minutes to play. NC State ran off 15 consecutive points, including seven points from freshman Marissa Kastanek. The Eagles tied the game at 56-56 on a Swords layup with 1:47 to play. Nikitta Gartrell hit two foul shots and another jumper with 37 second to play to put the game out of reach for BC.

BC was led by Swords with 24 points and 10 rebounds, four steals and four blocks, while junior point guard Jaclyn Thoman added 16 points, including 4-for-4 from the three-point line. Stefanaie Murphy notched nine points and four rebounds.

Game Notes: Carolyn Swords notched her 30th career double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds. It was her 12th of the season ... She also had four blocks, giving her 10 in three games in the ACC Tournament ... Jaclyn Thoman notched a career-high in three-pointers made as she hit 4-for-4 from the field ... The Eagles won the battle of the boards, 32-26 but threw the ball away 18 times.

BC Coach Sylvia Crawley: It was very disappointing to get this far and not come out with a win tonight. Our players are hurting because they work hard and they deserve to win. However, we did some things that didn't put us in position to win. I thought turnovers hurt us and they had 27 points off our turnovers. Hopefully we still have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. This team has done incredible things this year. We have upset a lot of teams. And I think for the NCAA tournament they go off of how you played lately. And we had a tough schedule this year. And my prayers that it's not over for these players. They get another chance.

March 7, 2010

Boston College junior Carolyn Swords was named to the 2010 ACC All-Tournament team as announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference office today. Swords helped Boston College advance to the semifinal round of the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history.

The Eagles center averaged 14.3 points and 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in three games. She recorded her 12th double-double of the season, 30th of her career vs. Florida State. Swords shot 71.4 percent form the floor and went 13-for-15 from the free throw line (86.7 percent) in the three games.

2010 ACC All-Tournament
First Team
Jasmine Thomas, Duke (MVP)
Karima Christmas, Duke
Joy Cheek, Duke
Bonae Holston, NC State
Nikitta Gartrell, NC State

Second Team
Marissa Kastanek, NC State
Alex Montgomery, Georgia Tech
Carolyn Swords, Boston College
Monica Wright, Virginia
Lynetta Kizer, Maryland


BC Notes:


•The Eagles win over No. 8 FSU was the teams second victory over a Top 10 team this season. BC has also defeated No. 6 Duke, No. 24 Georgia Tech and No. 21 UNC

•BC is 17-15 on the season and is ranked 49th by COLLEGERPI.COM

•BC has a 45 RPI according to RealTimeRPI

•The Eagles strength of schedule is third in the ACC and 13th in the country according to COLLEGERPI.COM

•Senior Ayla Brown sang the national anthem before the ACC Final on Sunday afternoon.

•Junior forward Stefanie Murphy averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 boards in the ACC Tournament. She shot 65.2 percent from the floor, 3-for-4 from the three-point line, and 8-for-9 from the free throw line.

•In the three ACC games, Jaclyn Thoman, a junior point guard, averaged 36 minutes, 5.0 assists per game, shot 47.4 percent from the floor and 6-for-11 from the three-point line. Thoman shot 4-for-4 from the arc vs. NC State in the semifinal game. It was her career-high in three's made in a single game.

•BC became the second No. 7 seed to defeat a No. 2 seed (No. 8 FSU). No. 7 seeds are now 2-28 vs. No. 2 in the quarterfinals and had suffered those 28 defeats by an average of 21 ppg. The only other win by No. 7 is Georgia Tech's 68-67 win over Maryland in 1992 in Rock Hill. The Terrapins were ranked fifth nationally by AP at the time of the game. FSU is No. 6 right now.

•Seniors Ayla Brown and Brittanny Johnson were named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Awesome, I had no idea she was singing the Anthem! Too bad they had to lose, but there's still a chance they'll make it into the NCAA tourney. I think they have a good shot since they actually made it to the semifinals this time around.

Women's Basketball Plays Waiting Game
Eagles hope for NCAA Tournament bid

March 10, 2010

Chestnut Hill, MA - The Boston College women's basketball team is in the waiting mode. The Eagles finished the season 17-15 but advanced to the semifinal of the ACC Tournament for the first time in program history.

The Eagles are hoping the NCAA notices the programs strength of schedule (13th in the country) and key wins this season to earn a tournament bid. If the Eagles do get a big on Monday (March 15) night, it would be the first time BC has made it to the NCAA since the 2005-06 season.

BC's Keys to 2009-10


• BC is 6-4 in the last 10 games with four Top 50 wins - 2 in the Top 10

• Strength of Schedule: - 2nd in ACC according to RealTimeRPI and CollegeRPI.com - 13th in Country according to RealTime RPI

• RPI Information: - 48 according to RealtimeRPI (Power Ranking is 30th) - 48 according to RPI-Ratings - 51 according to CollegeRPI.com


• BC defeated 8 teams with RPI of 50 or lower, including: No. 6 Duke; No. 8 FSU; No. 21 UNC; No. 24 Georgia Tech; RV Maryland ; Fresno State; Iowa ; NC State

• Junior, Carolyn Swords - First BC player ever named to First Team All-ACC - Leads the Nation in FG% for 2nd straight season \ - Led ACC in double-doubles with 12 (30 career) - Leads the ACC in reboudning - 9.0 RPG


• Junior, Stefanie Murphy - Earned honorable mention honors from the ACC - Second on the team in scoring 11.7 ppg. - Averaged 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in the ACC Tournament - 16th in the ACC in scoring (11.7 ppg) and 14th in rebounding (6.4 rpg.)


Team Notes:
Junior Carolyn Swords is one block away from breaking the all-time program record held by Jamie Cournoyer '01. Swords averaged 3.3 blocks in the ACC Tournament ... Swords moved up to eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,450 points, while Mickel Picco is ninth with 1,364 points. Stefanie Murphy is 12th with 1,237 points ... Junior Jaclyn Thoman is now seventh on the all-time list for assists with 352 ... Senior Ayla Brown holds the record for most games played with 128, while teammate Brittanny Johnson is No. 2 with 127 games played ... The Eagles smashed the record for most three-pointers made in a single season with 188. They broke the record held by last year's team of 165 made ... This marks the first season in which BC defeated Duke, North Carolina and FSU in a single season since joining the ACC ... Senior Mickel Picco is the all-time leader in three-pointers made at BC with 237. She also holds the record for most three's taken with 700 ... Boston College is eighth in the country in free throw percentage - 76.7% ... Stefanie Murphy is third in the ACC in FT% (79.5%), while Carolyn Swords is fourth (79.4%).

Something tells me they'll make it

AylaBrown coach declined our invitation to play in the wnit. As a sr it wouldve been nice to kno this earlier that it was my last game. I'm disgusted. 20 minutes ago via web