Dontavia Waggoner dove to grab the ball, falling to the ground and losing a shoe in the process. Boston College women’s basketball capitalized on Waggoner’s effort and recovered the ball, leading to a made jumper from T’yana Todd.
Thirteen seconds later, Waggoner stole the ball again, leading to a 3-pointer from Teya Sidberry that put BC up 37–24, its largest lead in the first half.
Sidberry scored a season-high 20 points and Waggoner added 16 points and four steals as the Eagles (4–1) beat Providence (2–2) 67–60 on Sunday afternoon.
Boston College women’s basketball maintained its early-season momentum with a gritty victory over Providence. Defensive effort and standout performances from Waggoner and Sidberry sealed the Eagles’ win despite a late surge from the Friars.
“We forced turnovers and we were up aggressively, playing both our man-to-man, our press, our rule zone,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “We can improve on our obvious things—blocking out, grabbing rebounds, being a little bit more aggressive on the 50/50 balls, taking care of the ball, closing games.”
BC took an early 11–2 lead behind a jumper in the paint from Waggoner and a layup from Andrea Daley. But the Eagles struggled to pull away, and Providence remained within reach.
The Friars exploited gaps in the Eagles’ rebound game. Providence grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first quarter alone, and was able to close the first quarter down just three, 18–15.
“We’re not really happy with our performance, because we know the potential is higher, so it’s kind of just working towards that,” Sidberry said.
BC went into halftime with a 10-point lead, but the Eagles came out in the third quarter with an energy that made their first half look lethargic in comparison.
“I think we’re about grit, and those hustle plays, and really attacking boards and then pushing pace on offense, but not being too out of control and having discipline,” Sidberry said.
BC put of its effort into scrappy defense, grabbing four steals in the third quarter. Sidberry splashed in a shot from beyond the arc that put BC up 55–38. The Eagles shot 50 percent from three in the third quarter, taking a 17-point lead before the start of the fourth.
The fourth quarter is when things started to come apart for the Eagles.
BC looked fatigued and was missing shots, shooting 3–11 from the floor in the period. Providence chipped away at the 17-point deficit primarily in the paint, scoring eight points off turnovers.
With 31 seconds left, the Friars had brought the game within six points of the Eagles 60–66.
Sidberry went 3–4 from the free throw line late in the game, though, and BC walked away with a win.
We just keep sitting down, working on our court defense, also working on our switch out,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “But you know, for us, I think the good news is we all feel like what we need to correct in this game, we are very capable of correcting it and fixing it.”
