After a sluggish middle stretch that saw the early lead it had built up vanish, Boston College women’s basketball found its rhythm when it mattered most.
Powered by clutch 3-point shooting and composed late-game execution, the Eagles (1–1) pulled away in the fourth quarter for their first win of the season, defeating New Hampshire (1–1) 69–57 on Thursday afternoon at Conte Forum.
After heading into the fourth quarter tied 39–39, the Eagles outscored the Wildcats 30–18 in the final frame to pull away. BC hit four 3-pointers in the fourth alone—three during a crucial five-minute stretch that turned a back-and-forth contest into a 12-point BC win.
“We didn’t look like what I see every day in practice,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “So I’m glad they were able to pick that up and really end the game strong.”
BC opened the game strong, holding UNH to 13 points in the first quarter behind disciplined half-court defense and active rotations.
But the offense stagnated through the middle quarters, as turnovers and missed looks allowed the Wildcats to claw back. By the end of the third period, UNH had tied the game, and the outcome hung in the balance.
Then the Eagles found their composure.
Sophomore guard Lily Carmody came alive, draining consecutive threes and adding free throws to swing the lead back in BC’s favor. The Butler transfer finished with 21 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including going 3 of 3 from beyond the arc.
Fellow guard Teionni McDaniel added 20 points and six rebounds, while Amirah Anderson also poured in 10 points.
“My offense definitely feeds off my defense,” Carmody said. “As long as I can do what I can on the defensive end, everything else follows.”
Bernabei-McNamee praised her guards’ resilience after her team’s narrow loss to Holy Cross on Monday, mentioning their bounce-back mentality and improved efficiency at the line. The Eagles shot 82.6 percent from the free-throw line in Thursday’s win, compared to 55 percent against the Crusaders.
“If we were like that last game, we would have been fine,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “You can’t be a team that’s scared to make mistakes. Hopefully, we learn from this.”
Point guard Athena Tomlinson anchored the offense with six assists, orchestrating a balanced attack that saw four players in double figures.
