Boston College women’s basketball outplayed Harvard in the first half of its second game of the season, leading 35–26 after two quarters. But a second half marred by inconsistencies shifted the momentum in favor of the Crimson. Teya Sidberry and T’Yana Todd’s 3-pointers drove the Eagles’ early energy, but it wasn’t enough for BC to secure the victory.
“We came out in the first quarter and were really good,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “That’s what I would like to see for all four quarters, but didn’t.”
Highlighted by its signature aggressiveness, the Eagles’ defense blocked shots, intercepted passes, and forced Harvard players out of bounds.
By the end of the first half, the Eagles (1–1) had grabbed the rebound advantage over Harvard 24–19, giving them a slight advantage on the boards continuing into the second quarter. The Crimson (1–1) bounced back, however, and won the final rebound battle 46–41 and the contest 66–59.
“I thought we forced them into a lot of walks that maybe got missed a little bit, and that’s something that we’re going to keep doing,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “I thought our defense looked really solid.”
As the first half ended, the Eagles’ commanding advantage eroded, as BC fouls and missed opportunities changed the course of the game. After the half, Harvard steadily overtook the Eagles in both shooting and rebounds and prolonged this negative trend on BC’s end.
“The kids that were in there kind of played not to lose the lead, which ended up translating into losing the lead,” Bernabei-McNamee said.
A barrage of Dontavia Waggoner layups momentarily reignited BC’s hopes late in the third quarter. Waggoner finished with a team-high 17 points in the game.
But a 3-pointer from Harvard’s Harmoni Turner’s with 46 seconds left in the third quarter allowed the Crimson to come within six points of the Eagles’ lead at 48–42. Harvard never looked back.
The Eagles couldn’t retain their lead as Harvard snatched it away on an Elena Rodriguez jumper with only two minutes remaining in regulation. Missed shots by BC allowed the Crimson to rebound the ball and expand its lead as the clock winded down.
The last quarter demonstrated the Eagles’ incapacity to adjust to the game’s shifting dynamics. Even with intermittent heroics from players such as Waggoner, the unit was unable to recapture its rhythm from the first half. Harvard’s defensive and scoring consistency was superior to BC’s all-around inconsistency.
“We kept making outside shots, but in the event that we’re not making them, then we have to stop taking them,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “Threes were not successful, so there’s no need to keep taking them.”
Despite a fighting spirit, the Eagles imploded due to multiple fouls, subpar free-throw performance, and being outworked on the glass.
“This team has a lot of good things that we can look forward to,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “All I can say is we’re going to mourn this loss, learn from it, work really hard, and bounce back.”
