January 8, 2006

Box Score

Virginia Tech 67, BC 62

 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The No. 25 Virginia Tech Hokies rallied from an eight-point second half deficit, then surrendered an eight-point lead, but closed the game on a 9-2 run to defeat the No. 19 Boston College Eagles 67-62 in front of 3,728 fans on Jan. 8. Despite getting outshot and outrebounded, the Hokies played tough defense and got some key Eagles in foul trouble to improve to 14-1 on the season and 1-1 in the ACC. BC fell to 12-4 and 0-2 with the loss.

"I thought it was a great team effort tonight," head coach Beth Dunkenberger said. "When our team needed to step up and make stops, they made stops, got rebounds and did the little things. We were able to pull off the upset and it was a nice one."

The first half was one of stark contrasts between the two squads, but they all added up to a relatively close game at halftime, 36-30 in favor of BC. The Eagles shot an unbelievable 69.6 percent from the floor in the first half, hitting 16 of 23 shots. Conversely, the Hokies shot just 37.9 percent from the field, 11 of 29. Tech was also outrebounded 18-7.

Those two factors, when combined, usually spell blowout for a team. However, the Hokies were able stay close by forcing 15 BC turnovers. The Hokies committed just six themselves and outscored the Eagles 10-4 in points off of turnovers in the first half.

Freshman guard Brittany Cook and senior center Megan Finnerty buoyed Tech in the first half, combining for 14 points. Tech's top three scorers, seniors Carrie Mason, Dawn Chriss and Kerri Gardin, mustered just eight points prior to intermission.

The Hokies came into the game with two keys to victory - run in transition and get the Eagles in foul trouble. They weren't able to do the first thanks to BC's hot shooting and the fact that many of the Eagles' turnovers resulted in dead balls in the first half. But the Hokies were able to get the Eagles in foul trouble. BC's leading scorer, Brooke Queenan, picked up her third foul with just under nine minutes to play in the first half and spent the rest of the time before halftime on the bench. Then both Queenan and Aja Parham, who came in averaging just under 10 points a game, picked up their fourth fouls early in the second half.

The second half began with BC extending its advantage to 40-32 before the Hokies went on a 15-3 run to take a 47-43 lead. Tech eventually took an eight-point lead at 58-50 before stalling. The home team went scoreless for the next 4:25, while BC took advantage with a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead, 60-58.

At that point, Tech stiffened and closed the game on a 9-2 run to secure the big ACC victory. Tech's final surge began by attacking the offensive glass. After a Gardin miss, Finnerty secured the offensive rebound and was fouled. She made the front end of her one-and-one, but missed the second. Gardin skied for the rebound and the Hokies eventually settled for a Mason 3-point attempt that came up short. But Gardin was fouled going for another rebound and made both of her free throws to give Tech the lead once again, 61-60.

Boston College called a timeout to set up a play, but Queenan double-dribbled, committing BC's 30^th and final turnover of the game. On Tech's ensuing possession, Gardin missed a layup but Finnerty once again cleaned up the offensive glass and stuck it back to give the Hokies a 63-60 lead.

Kathrin Ress, BC's junior center and one-time Tech recruit, scored an uncontested layup with 47 seconds remaining to slice the lead back to one point. The Eagles elected to play defense instead of foul and Chriss made them pay with a runner from the right side of the lane, making the score 65-62. Queenan pulled up for a quick jumper on the other end that came up short and Gardin secured the rebound. She kicked it out to Mason who was immediately fouled with 12.4 seconds remaining. She sank both of her free throws to put the game on ice and provide the final score, 67-62.

"The big story line tonight was our post defense, and I'm not just talking about our post players but our guards helping out in the paint," Dunkenberger said. "They've got some great outside shooters, but they've got some tremendous post players and we really did a nice job of shutting down that paint area today."

For the game, BC outshot the Hokies 56.5 percent to 40 percent and outrebounded the Hokies 35-21, though 12 of Tech's rebounds were offensive. But the turnovers proved to be a bigger factor as the Eagles committed 30, compared to Tech's 13. The Hokies parlayed those turnovers into a 27-12 advantage in points off of turnovers.

Tech's defense also improved in the second half, allowing the Hokies to erase the halftime deficit and ultimately prevail. BC had 12 assists at halftime, but managed just one in the second half. Tech's interior also got stronger as the game went along. Ress had five rebounds in the first four minutes but managed just four for the rest of the game.

The Hokies, who have not been a consistent free-throw shooting team thus far in the season, finally managed to put forth a solid effort from the line as well, converting 16 of 17 opportunities.

Finnerty and Kirby Copeland scored 13 apiece to lead the Hokies, while Gardin scored 10 and led the team with seven rebounds. BC placed four players in double figures. Despite the foul trouble, Queenan and the smooth-shooting Kindyll Dorsey led the Eagles with 13 points apiece. Brittany Johnson registered 11 and Ress chipped in with 10.

The Hokies now have a week off to prepare for the University of Virginia, which comes to Blacksburg on Monday, Jan. 16 for a 7 p.m. showdown.