With 30 seconds left to play in Sunday’s matchup between Boston College women’s basketball and Wake Forest, friends, family, teammates, and staff inside Conte Forum stood up to show their appreciation for the five seniors on BC’s squad.
The closing five consisted of co-captains Taylor Soule and Marnelle Garraud, Makayla Dickens, Clara Ford, and Cameron Swartz.
“I love all my teammates I’ve ever had, but this group right here I’ve always leaned on,” Soule said. “And I hope they knew they could always lean on me.”
The five seniors were honored with highlight reel videos and individual ovations throughout the game, as they guided BC (17–10, 8–8 Atlantic Coast) to an 82–70 win over Wake Forest (13–14, 3–13) on Senior Day.
After trading baskets with Wake Forest in the game’s first two minutes, BC held a lead for the duration of the game Saturday. Garraud started the Eagles’ hot streak with back-to-back 3-pointers.
BC’s energy was high to start the game, as all of its first nine points came from beyond the arc—six points from Garraud and three from a Swartz 3-pointer.
Swartz was first to be honored in Sunday’s game. A mid-year transfer from Colorado in 2019, she quickly became a core piece of head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee’s team. Swartz leads the Eagles in scoring this season, averaging 15.8 points per game on 34.3 percent shooting from three.
On Sunday, she finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. She broke out in the second period and had 16 points heading into the second half.
Ford was next. Though Ford’s playing time decreased this year, her highlight reel has plenty to show, as she started 17 games her junior year and finished second on the team in rebounds that season with 107.
On Sunday, Ford contributed four points and four rebounds in nine minutes of action.
Then came Dickens. Dickens joined the 1000-point club earlier this season and has seen significant minutes all four years at BC. A career 37.3 percent shooter from three, Dickens has made 190 three pointers in her collegiate career so far.
Dickens finished with 11 points, six rebounds, five assists, and went 2-of-4 from 3-point range on Sunday.
Dickens’ back-court counterpart Garraud was next. As a junior, Garraud was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and led the conference with 1.9 steals per game. Garraud has totaled 762 points, 282 assists, and 170 steals at BC.
On Sunday, Garraud totaled eight points, six assists, seven boards, and two steals.
“We came in with each other and built this from the ground, through the ups and downs,” Garraud said.
Last to be honored was Soule. Soule has scored 1111 points and has grabbed 520 rebounds on over 50 percent career shooting. Earlier this month, Soule was named to the Cheryl Miller Award Top 10 Watch List. This season, she is one of 35 players in the country to average at least 15.7 points, seven rebounds, 1.5 assists, and one steal.
Sunday was no different for Soule, as she scored 17 points on 50 percent shooting. She was seemingly everywhere, diving on loose balls and drawing offensive fouls.
The Eagles remained in control the entire game, leading by as many as 22 points in the third quarter. They scored 17 points off nine Wake Forest turnovers.
BC shot 90 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, executing on nine of its 10 attempts.
The win over Wake Forest brings the Eagles back to .500 in the ACC with games against Duke and Syracuse left in the regular season. As of now, ESPN has BC as one of the “last four in,” meaning it is on the bubble of making it into March Madness.
“We have to go dancing,” Soule said. “It’s not even a question of if. We have to do it.”
Featured Image by Nicole Wei / Heights Staff
