Despite having just two wins this season, Boston College women’s basketball should have beat Fordham. The game should have at least been a toss-up. Instead, the should-haves turned into missed opportunities, repeating a cycle seen so many times in this young season, as the Eagles lost 56-49.
From the first moments in the opening quarter, Fordham (6-2, 1-0 Atlantic 10) took control and never let go. A mere 12 seconds into the first quarter, Fordham registered its first points, thanks to a smooth layup from star forward G’mrice Davis. Fordham followed this quick score by going on a 10-2 run that left BC (2-6) overwhelmed.The Eagles were forced to play catch-up for the rest of the game. BC recovered somewhat before the end of the quarter, as freshman Emma Guy knocked the Rams lead down to six points by the end of the quarter.
A Mariella Fasoula defensive rebound and successive score got the Eagles off to an auspicious second quarter start. The fact that it took this long for Fasoula to get involved offensively was somewhat troubling, as she averages 17.3 points per game and is the team’s leading scorer. Despite this early BC surge, which brought the deficit to four points, the Davis-led Fordham offense quite easily quelled any Eagles momentum. With five minutes left in the half, Davis had recorded 14 points—already more than her season average of 12.6 points. BC finished up the period in even worse shape than when it started, exhibiting an inability to contain Fordham, which ended the quarter up 29-20.
Fordham continued its dominance into the third quarter as the Rams swiftly put four points on the board to further stretch their lead. The Eagles were left unable to respond—BC did not record its first points until three minutes had transpired in the quarter. Due to the collective work of Kelly Hughes and Fasoula, BC was able to pull within five by the end of the quarter. Nevertheless, the momentum remained with the Rams.
The final quarter was much like the first three. BC showed spurts of control and promise, but the smooth force that is Davis was too much for Fasoula, Guy, and Hughes. The Eagles were able to keep the score relatively close throughout the entire quarter, but they could never steal the lead from Fordham.
The Eagles showed some promise over the course of the game, but the early first quarter lead conceded to the Rams forced the Eagles to claw for a comeback the rest of the way. BC had to adapt its usual playing style, while Fordham was free to play loosely.
This change of play style resulted in the Eagles having a plus 10 rebound margin, which is especially noteworthy considering that BC has averaged a minus 0.1 rebound margin to this point. The Eagles severely underperformed in terms of shooting, as they only got off 57 shot attempts, significantly less than their season average of 73.25 attempts. The Rams, on the other hand, got off 74 shot attempts. While the shooting percentage of the Eagles may have improved this game, the sheer number of attempts by Fordham propelled it to the win. Furthermore, the Eagles struggled with free throws, missing all three, while, the Rams made all 10. The early deficit forced the Eagles to play safe, ultimately spelling their downfall.
Two bright spots for the Eagles were Fasoula and Guy. Together, the underclassman duo recorded 61 percent of BC’s total points for the game and each registered six rebounds. Fasoula has been a strong presence and team leader all season. Guy, on the other hand, had registered just six points in the four games preceding Sunday’s contest. This most recent game showed that the streak of brilliance revealed in the first game of the season is not just a one-time event.
“We’re still sorta in that 50 percent area where half of the plays that we’re making, we’re making the right play,” head coach Erik Johnson told BCEagles.com. “We’re making the right effort play, we’re communicating properly, but unfortunately in half of the plays we’re making mistakes.”
Going into its next matchup against Yale this Wednesday, BC will need to minimize its mistakes and resist retreating to its comfort zone: restricted basketball.
Featured Image by Zoe Fanning / Heights Staff
