With just over a minute left on the clock, Boston College women’s basketball held onto a 56–53 lead as UMass came down the court with a chance to tie the game.
BC’s leading scorer this season, Dontavia Waggoner, had been absent all game, scoring just four points. But one thing about star players is that they know how to show up in the clutch.
Waggoner got in front of UMass’ Yahmani McKayle, set her feet, and drew a charge. That gave BC (8–4, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) the opportunity to hit the game-sealing three at the other end and ultimately secure a 62–57 win over the Minutewomen (4–6).
I think for everybody this was one of those games where you say, ‘We’re glad that we can learn from an ugly win,’” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said.
The game was a back-and-forth affair right from tipoff. Stefanie Kulesza got the game started by hitting back-to-back threes for the Minutewomen, but the Eagles responded with two layups and a three of their own to go up one.
UMass kept letting it fly from deep. The Minutewomen hit three more 3-pointers by the quarter’s end to go up 21–16 heading into the second.
“It was kind of like a little punch in the mouth,” Andrea Daley said. “So when we came into the huddle, we were just telling each other that we need to pick it up, and just kept instilling confidence in each other. So we just came out strong.”
The Eagles did, in fact, come out strong in the second quarter.
The Eagles held UMass to 1-of-6 shooting from three in the second quarter. BC kept the game close for the entirety of the period, and a pull-up jumper from T’yana Todd cut the Eagles’ deficit to three points going into halftime.
Daley contributed five points of her own in the quarter. She finished the game with seven points and 14 boards.
Bernabei-McNamee said rebounding was the difference in the game, as BC outrebounded its opponent 43–33 in the win.
The second half started much like the first, as both teams traded blows for the first several minutes.
That changed when Nene Ndiaye hit a three with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter, beginning a scoring run that put BC up 49–43 heading into the final quarter.
The Minutewomen ended the Eagles’ run at the start of the fourth quarter thanks to a Kulesza and-1 that proved to be a momentum-shifter. UMass rattled off a 10–4 run of its own and managed to briefly tie the game at 53 with 2:24 remaining.
Kennedi Jackson’s layup on the other end with two minutes left gave the Eagles the lead back on the next possession, though, and they never relinquished it.
The win marked Bernabei-McNamee 100th with the program.
“If this was three years ago and I got my 100th win, that would be something to celebrate.”
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