In Friday’s matchup against Central Connecticut, one Eagle truly ignited Boston College women’s basketball’s offense. To some, she may be an unknown addition to BC’s roster—Savannah Samuel.
Despite being unable to play during the 2023–24 season due to transfer rules, Samuel has quickly become a crucial component of the Eagle’s offense.
And in a quiet Conte Forum against Central Connecticut before the holiday break, Samuel showed just that, tallying a season-high 16 points while shooting 6 of 12 from the field.
“I’m really proud of Sav,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “She works on her shot and she puts in her time—as do all of the players—but she had to spend a lot of time with basketball not in her life and competition not in her life. I think she started to rust off in the beginning of the season, and now she is ready to be here and make a difference, and that is why she chose BC.”
BC’s late-game scoring runs, coupled with Samuel’s playmaking, propelled the Eagles (9–4, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) to an 83–56 win over the Blue Devils (1–12).
But it didn’t start so smoothly for the Eagles, as much of their first quarter was a back-and-forth brawl with Central Connecticut.
With both teams failing to put any points on the board for almost three minutes to start the game, neither team was producing much offensively. The Blue Devils took an early 4–0 lead off a Belle Lanpher layup and two free throws.
But that didn’t last long, as a Samuel jumper with 3:41 left to play in the first frame put BC in front for good.
After a slow start, the Eagles’ offense never looked back.
“I think we could have played a little bit better and a little bit smarter, but overall it was nice to get a win right before we head home for the holidays,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “I think we are all relieved and everyone got a lot of playing time, so it was a fun game for every player on the team.”
BC tallied 20 points in the second quarter compared to just 11 points from the Blue Devils, and headed into the half with a 16-point advantage.
It wasn’t until the third quarter that BC fully took control of the game. Within the last minutes of the third frame, the Eagles went on a 13–0 run, holding the Blue Devils scoreless for almost four minutes.
While Central Connecticut’s offensive production increased in the fourth quarter, it was offset by five points and two blocks from Tatum Greene, as well as 3-pointers from Nene Ndiaye and Kaylah Ivey.
When asked about her team’s performance after the game, Bernabei-McNamee said her team’s dynamic aids its success.
The ability of BC’s bench to produce offensively stood out in Friday’s win as it tallied 33 points.
“I’ve been saying it all year, I think we have a really strong group of players from top to bottom, and it could be anyone’s night,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “Everybody’s rotating in. I don’t have a certain set of starters. It really just depends on who is playing well and what matchups look like. They’re really focusing and concentrating on playing together as one, and not so much focus on who is starting and getting minutes but just trying to stick together as a team.”
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