From the opening minutes of Boston College women’s basketball’s matchup against the Seminoles, it was clear the Eagles were no match for their ACC opponents.
Despite only being down by seven points at the end of the first frame, BC (12–10, 3–6 Atlantic Coast) ultimately fell 104–80 to No. 25 Florida State (16–4, 6–2) in Conte Forum on Thursday night.
Teya Sidberry put the Eagles on her back to start the contest, nailing a 3-pointer about three minutes in to cut the Seminoles’ lead to two points.
Sidberry scored 15 of the Eagles’ 39 first-half points, shooting 7 of 10 from the field and grabbing five boards. She finished the game with 28 points and 10 rebounds, becoming one of only 11 ACC players to record at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in a game this season. Whether it was leaping out of bounds to keep the ball in play or locking in defensively, Sidberry was on a mission.
That playmaking continued into the second frame when two Tatum Greene free throws knotted the game at 30.
It seemed like the Eagles were figuring it out—until they weren’t.
After Greene’s free throws, FSU took the lead on a 7–0 scoring run ended by a T’yana Todd jumper. The Seminoles continued to pull away, though, outscoring BC 21–9 heading into the half.
And they never looked back.
While the Eagles average 10.4 steals a game, good for 34th in the country, they were unable to keep up with the Seminoles’ offensive success.
“Any time when I let my defense fuel me, then it’s a better game for me,” Sidberry said. “I’m trying to focus on letting my defense and rebounds fuel my game and not vice versa.”
FSU’s offense hammered down on BC’s defense, leading to a 48–32 advantage in points in the paint and leaving the Eagles lifeless.
Makayla Timpson and Ta’Niya Latson defined the Seminoles’ offensive control, each scoring 21 points in the matchup.
FSU saw five players tally over 10 points, while BC only had Sidberry, Todd, and Greene in double-digits.
But its three leading-scorers’ performances were not enough for BC to take the game, and the Eagles ultimately crashed and burned.
The result came down to FSU’s success in the areas of the game that BC needed to dominate to walk away victorious. The Eagles were outrebounded on both sides of the court, and FSU outshot BC from the field, maintaining the lead for the majority of the game.
The Eagles’ loss marks a continuation of their three-game losing streak.
Despite the loss, BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee remained optimistic about her team’s performance.
“Just continue to try to get better and improve on the weaknesses,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “It’s that sustained focus. That fourth quarter we just didn’t sustain our competitiveness and sustain our focus on what we need to do to win games.”
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