Three minutes into Boston College women’s basketball’s game against Bryant, Teya Sidberry raced to collect an errant pass.
The Eagles’ subsequent offensive possession ended without a score, but BC’s defense showed its strength. Sidberry had already logged three steals en route to an 8–0 BC run, and when Bryant came down the court again seconds later, Sidberry corralled the rebound.
BC (9–4, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) capitalized on offensive rebounds and steals, which led the Eagles to 54 points off turnovers along with 33 second-chance points. BC’s 94–46 win over Bryant (7–4) marks its third straight victory.
BC’s defensive showing ended with Bryant turning the ball over 31 times. BC too, though, turned the ball over seven times in the second quarter alone. Despite more than doubling Bryant’s point total, BC still tallied 19 turnovers.
Contributions from the bench included a career-high 13 points from Savannah Samuel, who also grabbed four offensive boards.
“I feel like lately I’ve kinda been focusing on getting rebounds and thinking, like in my head, that offense will come,” Samuel said. “Being able to do that really helps.”
In the final minute of the first quarter, Dontavia Waggoner secured a rebound and scored it herself from 7 feet away.
Waggoner got the rebound on the next defensive possession too, giving BC a chance to get off a buzzer-beater before the quarter ended.
BC got the buzzer beater they were looking for and in emphatic fashion.
Kaylah Ivey held the ball at the top of the 3-point arc. She surveyed as the clock ran down and fired a pass to Andrea Daley. Daley caught the pass in stride, banked in an and-1 shot, then drained her free throw to cap off a 24–4 first-quarter lead for the Eagles.
Three Bryant turnovers aided BC’s 14–0 run in the second quarter to extend the lead. T’yana Todd led the offense during the Eagles’ run—she began with two shots from beyond the arc and got an additional three-point play with an and-1.
BC held a 31-point lead at the end of the second quarter but had no intention of slowing down, eventually winning the game by 48.
Sidberry finished with five steals and a team-leading 14 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting clip.
“I think it kinda energized me, and it was nice cause I had like all my teammates, like, communicating, so it makes it easier to feel like you can go for a steal and that kinda thing,” Sidberry said.
