If there’s any time for Boston College women’s basketball to snap its month-long losing streak and string together a couple of wins, it’s now. With Pittsburgh—another ACC bottomfeeder—on tap this weekend, the Eagles (6-17, 1-9 Atlantic Coast) will travel to Atlanta, Ga. on Thursday night to face off against Georgia Tech (14-10, 3-8), a group that prior to Saturday had dropped three games in a row.
That said, getting past the Yellow Jackets will be an uphill battle for an offensively challenged BC team, especially considering that GT has the fourth-best defense in the conference. Not to mention the Eagles have lost five straight and eight of their last nine games against the Yellow Jackets. A BC victory would not only halt that streak, but it would also end the program’s nine-year drought in Atlanta.
Who is BC playing?
Georgia Tech
When is BC playing?
Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where is BC playing?
McCamish Pavilion, Atlanta, Ga.
How to Watch:
The game will be aired on ACC Network Extra and livestreamed on WatchESPN.
By the Numbers:
BC:
1) The Eagles have failed to eclipse the 60-point mark in each of their past five games, averaging a mere 52.6 points per game during that span.
2) BC’s eight-game losing streak rivals that of the team’s 10-game slide last year—one in which head coach Erik Johnson’s crew suffered seven double-digit defeats.
3) Milan Bolden-Morris—the Eagles’ primary offensive weapon and the second-leading scorer among ACC rookies—has only posted 8.6 points per game over the course of the last two and a half weeks.
GT:
1) The Yellow Jackets have two players in double figures on the year: Francesca Pan (13.2 points per game) and Zaire O’Neil (10.7 points per game).
2) Out of GT’s top three scorers, Pan, who ranks ninth in the ACC in 3-point conversions, is the only one to have recorded more than one triple this season.
3) The Yellow Jackets have the best turnover margin (+ 4.92) in the conference and, on average, force their opponents to cough up the ball 20.8 times per game.
Last Meeting:
Despite ending last year’s regular season losing four in a row and 14 of its last 15 games, BC gave GT fits in the first round of the ACC Tournament. Back-and-forth the two teams went, as the game saw eight lead changes. In the waning minutes of the third quarter, the Yellow Jackets orchestrated a 9-3 run—a stretch that created enough separation for GT to hold off Mariella Fasoula and the Eagles in the final frame. When all was said and done, BC lost by the final score of 71-67—the exact same outcome as the last time the schools played, just seven weeks earlier.
BC wins if…
Its guards rise to the occasion. First and foremost, Taylor Ortlepp, Andie Anastos, and Martina Mosetti will have to take care of the ball. Turnovers have haunted the Eagles all season, and they certainly will on Thursday night if BC starts coughing up the rock on a regular basis. The Yellow Jackets have a knack for picking guards’ pockets, racking up 10.25 steals per game, the second-best mark in the ACC. Aside from ball security, Ortlepp, Anastos, and even Mosetti have to get their fair share of jumpers to fall, particularly those beyond the 3-point line. Georgia Pineau and Bolden-Morris can’t carry the team on their own.
BC loses if…
It once again falls short of the 60-point barrier. The Eagles are as inconsistent as any team in the ACC, showing flashes of offensive prowess in one quarter and collapsing in the next. With Ortlepp at the point, BC will need to be at its best for all 40 minutes of play—something that it hasn’t done since it took down North Carolina on Jan. 5. If Emma Guy sits out her second-consecutive game due to injury, the Eagles will have to rely on their streaky, but potent perimeter shooting to keep pace with GT.
Featured Image by Keith Carroll / Heights Editor
