With ACC Tournament Loss to FSU, BC Awaits NCAA Tournament Fate
Andy Backstrom (@andybackstrom)Publisher
Boston College women’s basketball was down 13 points with a bit more than four minutes left against a Florida State team that had the Eagles’ number two weeks earlier as well as during Thursday afternoon's second-round ACC Tournament matchup.
Seminoles guard Morgan Jones had limited Cam Swartz—who led the ACC in scoring during conference play and came into the league tournament with six straight 20-plus-point games—to just four points. FSU had forced 18 BC turnovers and capitalized on those giveaways. Where the Seminoles also made the Eagles pay was behind the arc, where they finished 9-of-18.
But Joanna Bernabei-McNamee’s squad, which recorded a meager 36.7% clip in Greensboro, didn’t throw in the towel. Not with the program’s first NCAA Tournament bid since 2005-06 potentially on the line. Led by Taylor Soule and North Carolina State transfer Dontavia Waggoner, the Eagles strung together a 12-1 run.
It was the first of three occasions BC drew within a possession of FSU in the waning minutes. Each time, however, the Seminoles—also a bubble team—had an answer, holding off a postseason-hungry BC, 63-58.
“Like we always say in tournament time, it's hard to win when you're not making shots,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “And we just didn't have our shots falling, even from the free throw line.”
FSU (17-12, 10-8 ACC) came into the game in ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme’s “last four out” category. Meanwhile, BC (19-11, 10-8) was hanging on to a spot in the “last four in.”
The stakes were high, and the Seminoles—who have made eight consecutive NCAA Tournaments—lived up to the moment. Right from the get-go.
FSU got out to an 8-4 lead, while BC endured a 3:49 scoring drought and, at one point, missed nine of its last 10 shots. Swartz, an All-ACC first teamer and the conference’s most improved player, was off her game. She started 0-of-4, including 0-of-3 from deep, and wouldn’t make a field goal until the fourth quarter.
Soule put the Eagles back on the board, but they had already dug themselves a hole. BC was struggling offensively, and it had its fair share of defensive lapses, too. The Eagles gave Auburn transfer Erin Howard space, and she made the most of it. Howard posted a team-high seven points in the opening frame and rounded out the day with 16 points and four 3-pointers.
The Seminoles extended their lead in the second quarter, during which the Eagles’ shooting woes continued. A Howard triple and a Jones transition layup put FSU ahead, 26-16. The Seminoles closed the half with 10 points off nine BC turnovers.
A trio of Swartz free throws cut the Eagles’ deficit to single digits before the break. But it didn’t take long for FSU to take command in the third quarter.
Outside shots from O’Mariah Gordon, Sammie Puisis and Howard helped the Seminoles build a 14-point cushion. Just when things were looking bleak for BC, though, its All-ACC Freshman Team honoree took over.
Maria Gakdeng, who set the program’s single-season blocks record this year, turned it up on both ends of the floor. The first-year center scored her second straight layup, then helped Marnelle Garraud trap Bianca Jackson and nabbed the steal. On the other end, Gakdeng brought down the offensive board and netted a pair of free throws. She capped her self-made 8-0 run with another basket down low to make it a 40-34 game.
But, by the end of the quarter, FSU had restored its double-digit lead. And Swartz, the Eagles’ most potent scorer, was still on lockdown.
“I just told her to keep shooting and that I love her,” Soule said. “And I think in moments when your shot isn't falling, and you feel like there's a million voices in your head, sometimes just a comforting reminder that someone has your back can go a long way with your confidence.”
BC’s next move was the aforementioned 12-1 run late in the final frame. It started after a Puisis 3-pointer and featured four Eagles steals. Waggoner had a pair, and so did Soule.
Waggoner, a reserve guard, got the wheels in motion with back-to-back steals: One led to a Swartz jumper, and the other was the catalyst for her own breakaway layup.
“A lot of times you go, 'Hey, we need an offensive spark coming off the bench,’” Bernabei-McNamee said. “Well, sometimes you need to turn to your defensive spark, and that's what Dontavia provides us.”
Now, 55-53, FSU guard Sara Bejedi knocked down a pair of free throws. Luckily for the Eagles, Swartz was heating up at the right time. She netted another mid-range jumper. Once again, though, the Seminoles responded. Jones was lethal down the stretch.
She drilled a jump shot to maintain FSU’s two-possession lead. Then, shortly after Swartz got the Eagles back within three—courtesy of a deep and contested 3-pointer—Jones milked the shot clock and got to the rack for a game-clinching layup with under eight seconds to go.
It was a gut-wrenching defeat for BC, which made a run to the ACC Tournament semifinals in 2019-20 before COVID-19 wiped its chances at an NCAA Tournament bid.
“We’re a little hurt,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “We’re disappointed. But one thing I know for sure is, I think they solidified a spot in the NCAA Tournament. And that’s really what we wanted to make sure we came here and did.”
BC’s postseason future isn’t that certain, though. The Eagles logged only one top-25 win this season, and, while they have 10 conference victories, their non-conference resume isn’t anything to write home about.
They have a chance to dance. But it’s up to the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
