The last time Boston College women’s basketball started a season this well, it was as if the team was on one long dream vacation. In fact, the Eagles’ first loss in the 2015-16 season came in late November against Oklahoma in the Bahamas. While BC doesn’t currently have any destination games on the rest of its schedule—a flight to Coral Gables, Fla. in January should be nice, though—it appears to be playing much better than the 2015-16 team that started off hot with five-straight wins but eventually found itself crawling toward the finish line with a 15-16 record.
A win at Houston last Sunday is certainly a resume-booster for the Eagles, and makes a game against Rider in the Hawk Classic Final seem like a walk in the park. The Broncos are spotted a whole 17 slots behind Loyola Maryland—a team BC beat by 26 on Saturday—in the most recent RPI rankings.
Who is BC playing?
Rider
Where is BC playing?
H&PE Arena, Houston, Texas
When is BC playing?
Sunday, Nov. 25, 12 p.m.
How to watch:
Fans can follow via live stats or a radio stream.
By the numbers:
BC:
1) Taylor Soule is shooting just 46.2 percent from the free throw line, and other teams have started to take notice. She is being sent to the charity stripe more than twice as much as anyone else on the team with 26 attempts.
2) The Eagles pull down 48 rebounds per game, tied for 13th most in the country. Emma Guy and Georgia Pineau have led the charge with 38 and 35 rebounds this season, respectively.
3) Guy has scored at least 13 points in four-consecutive games. She averaged just 8.9 points per game over 30 games last season, scoring 143 points. In only six games this year, Guy has already surpassed half of that total with 75 points.
Rider:
1) The Broncos are on a two-game winning streak after losing their first three games by an average of 13 points.
2) Stella Johnson is scoring 23.0 points per game, good for 13th in the nation. She is also, however, hoisting up a remarkable 18 shots per game as Rider’s number one option.
3) The Broncos haven’t played west of Pennsylvania all season and traveled just 40 miles from home to play at St. Joseph’s in the Hawk Classic.
Last Meeting:
The two teams have never met.
Outlook:
While the Eagles strolled into the Hawk Classic final—outscoring Loyola Maryland by 19 in the game’s second half—the Broncos required some last-minute heroics to elude St. Joseph’s, including a fortunate backcourt violation call with under a minute to play. This all bodes well for BC, which—perhaps due to fiery first year head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee—has been playing with tremendous energy and intensity during the team’s hot start.
Johnson and Amari Johnson (no relation) have shown themselves to be a dynamic scoring and rebounding duo for Rider, and it’s uncertain if they can be stopped Sunday afternoon. This means limiting the offensive and defensive opportunities from all other key players should be paramount in the BC gameplan.
Featured Image by Celine Lim / Heights Editor
