Despite a third-quarter rally, Boston College women’s basketball fell to Duke University at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Sunday night. The Blue Devils (13-6, 2-3 Atlantic Coast) took advantage of sloppy play and stifled the Eagles’ comeback efforts to earn a 71-51 victory.
The Eagles (12-5, 0-4) trailed Duke 30-18 at halftime, but refused to quit. Kelley Hughes and Martina Mosetti provided a spark with five quick points to open the second half. Mariella Fasoula then exploded for eight consecutive points, bringing the score to 35-31 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. The Eagles went 10-for-14 shooting throughout the quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, Duke led 47-41. The team thwarted any opportunity for a BC comeback with a 10-2 run to start the final quarter of play. Duke earned its second victory against an ACC opponent with a 71-51 victory over the Eagles.
BC sealed its own fate with sloppy play throughout the game. The Eagles did not start strong, scoring just eight points in the first quarter on 25 percent shooting from the floor. In contrast, the Blue Devils scored 11 points off of seven BC turnovers en route to 17 first-quarter points. In the second quarter, the careless play continued as the Eagles turned the ball over nine times. Throughout the entire game, BC allowed Duke to score 30 points off of 25 turnovers. These 30 points would prove to be too much for the Eagles to overcome.
If there was a bright spot in the game for BC, it was Hughes. She went 5-for-9 behind the arc on her way to 23 points. Her 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter marked the beginning of the rally. Another third-quarter three marked Hughes’ 1,000th career point at BC. She sank all five of her free throw attempts and recorded four rebounds in 35 minutes of play.
Fasoula led the team in rebounds, grabbing five to accompany her 11 points over 32 minutes of play. She could not outmuscle Duke’s Azura Stevens, who recorded 14 rebounds in the game. Mosetti led the team with five assists.
The third-quarter rally did not undo the costly turnovers for BC. Even with explosive offensive performances from Hughes and Fasoula, the Eagles’ loss to Duke marks their fifth this year. BC remains winless in the ACC.
Featured Image by Arthur Bailin / Heights Staff
