Some players get hot. Some players catch on fire. And then, there’s T’yana Todd.
After a neck-and-neck first half that saw Boston College women’s basketball and Miami tied at 39, Todd decided to take things into her own hands. In the third quarter alone, Todd shot 5 of 6 from beyond the arc, and ended the game with a career-high 29 points on 8-of-11 shooting from deep.
Todd’s performance, paired with a program-record 16 assists from Kaylah Ivey, led the Eagles (11–8, 2–4 Atlantic Coast) to an 83–79 conference win over the Hurricanes (11–6, 1–5).
The win snapped BC’s four-game losing streak.
“For me, just seeing them smile in the locker room—we’ve been waiting for it,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “We needed it, we’ve been waiting for it, so the celebration was amazing.”
The game was back-and-forth from the opening tip. Savannah Samuel hit a three to open the scoring, and Darrione Rogers hit one at the other end to tie it up. The two teams tied twice more before the quarter ended with a one-point Miami lead.
A late 8–2 BC run late in the second quarter allowed the Eagles to tie the game at 39 going into the half.
The Eagles’ ball movement and second-chance opportunities defined the first half offensively. They put up 11 assists on 15 baskets in the half compared to Miami’s 9 on 17, and outscored the Hurricanes 12–0 on second-chance buckets.
As the whistle blew to signal the start of the second half, it also signaled the start of the Ivey and Todd show.
“[Todd] was on fire shooting the ball,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “[Ivey] was on fire finding her. I think they made for a recipe of greatness as far as getting us easy baskets.”
Todd had 15 third-quarter points, 12 of which came off Ivey assists. Baskets from Dontavia Waggoner and Andrea Daley, who both finished with 14 points, also helped to give BC a 61–59 lead heading into the final quarter.
Miami’s Cameron Williams started the quarter with a layup to tie the game at 61, but Daley scored on the following possession to put the Eagles back in front.
BC eventually pulled out to a seven-point lead after a 3-pointer from Teya Sidberry. But with less than two minutes left, the Hurricanes were back within one.
Todd held the ball with the shot clock ticking down. This time, rather than letting it fly herself, she swung the rock to Ivey for a three.
“The way [Todd] was shooting the ball—it was like two or three running at her—I was like, ‘One more Toddy,’” Ivey said. “I was calling for the ball. Thankfully, she heard me.”
Without hesitation, Ivey spotted up, got into her shooting motion, and buried the three ball, putting the Eagles up by four and helping BC to an 83–79 road win over Miami.
“We always talked about this the whole week, ‘Everybody get their feet set, ready to shoot the ball,’” Ivey said. “So, it came in handy today.”
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