Year in Review: Women's Basketball
A Cinderella season ended with a big “What if,” but the 2019-20 campaign will forever be remembered by BC fans and immortalized in the school record books.
Boston College women’s basketball was on the verge of doing something that the program hadn’t accomplished in 14 years. And then a once-in-a-century pandemic took the world by storm. It sounds like a twisted fantasy, but it’s real—and, it’s heartbreaking.
On March 9, ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme tabbed the Eagles as the “last team in” for his projected NCAA Tournament field of 64. At 20-12, BC, which had logged a program-best 11 ACC regular season wins, was listed as a 12 seed matched up to play fifth-seeded Indiana in the first round of the Dallas region. A week remained before Selection Monday, but the Eagles were firmly on the bubble with a legitimate chance to go dancing for the first time since 2005-06.
It would have been a fitting end to a storybook season, one commemorated to the late Cathy Inglese, who suffered a traumatic brain injury and died this summer. Inglese, responsible for all seven of the program’s March Madness appearances, was the last head coach to lead BC to the NCAA Tournament.
Instead, however, the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships on March 12 because of COVID-19, and the Eagles’ Cinderella season ended with a big “What if.” It was an abrupt conclusion to a magical season, especially for seniors Emma Guy, Georgia Pineau, and Taylor Ortlepp, who helped dig BC out of the ACC’s cellar. Still, the 2019-20 campaign will forever be remembered by Eagles fans and immortalized in the school record books.
Best Moment: BC uses a 14-0 game-ending run to beat Duke, advance to the ACC semis
BC entered the ACC Tournament as the sixth seed, needing at least two more victories to make its case for making the dance. To put that in perspective, the Eagles had only won two ACC Tournament games in the same season once before, and that was back in 2009-10. After downing Clemson in the second round of the tourney, BC squared off against third-seeded Duke, which came into the contest fresh off a double bye.
The teams went back and forth throughout the opening three quarters of play. Yet the Eagles took a three-point lead into the final frame. That’s when Duke made its move. Led by Haley Gorecki, the Blue Devils sank seven of their first eight field goal attempts of the period. Down, 77-70, with 4:45 remaining, BC forward Taylor Soule took matters into her own hands. The sophomore singlehandedly stitched together seven straight points, tying the game and jumpstarting a 14-0 Eagles run.
BC held Duke scoreless the rest of the way, at one point turning the Blue Devils over on three consecutive possessions. Soule finished with 26 points and six rebounds, and the Eagles booked their ticket to their second-ever ACC Tournament semifinal matchup.
Worst Moment: Eagles drop back-to-back games to Holy Cross and Providence
Last year, head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee turned heads in non-conference play. In her first year at the helm, Bernabei-McNamee guided the Eagles to a 11-3 record against non-league opponents, surpassing the team’s 2017-18 win total in the process. Although the Eagles didn’t experience nearly the same success in ACC action that year, their hot start was noteworthy to say the least.
Unfortunately for BC, Bernabei-McNamee and Co. couldn’t take care of business again this fall. The Eagles stumbled out of the gates, losing consecutive games to Holy Cross and a 13-win Providence team. In both games, BC failed to shoot higher than 38.6 percent from the floor and averaged just 65.5 points—uncharacteristic of a team that ultimately wrapped up the year ranked first in the ACC in scoring (73.7 points per game).
The Eagles fell behind early and couldn’t catch up. The Crusaders and Friars outscored BC a combined 40-20 in the first quarter. BC’s 2-2 start was head scratching, and the ups and downs only continued. The Eagles rolled up to their ACC opener with a 5-4 record, still searching for a sense of consistency. Those losses to Holy Cross and Providence—as well as a 16-point defeat to Charlotte in the Puerto Rico Classic—undoubtedly damaged BC’s resume.
MVP: Emma Guy
Guy turned in a 20-point, 10-rebound performance in the season opener and didn’t look back. The 6-foot-3 center scored in double figures 25 times this year. She even hit double-digits in nine straight ACC games, en route to earning All-ACC First Team honors. Just like the previous season, Guy was efficient shooting the ball. In fact, she was first in the league and 10th in the country in field goal percentage (59.4 percent). Guy rounded out her BC career ranked 18th in program history in scoring (1,164 points) and 11th in rebounding (635 rebounds).
Breakout Player: Taylor Soule
For most of the season, Guy led the Eagles in scoring. But then Soule shifted gears and took her game to the next level. The West Lebanon, N.H. native posted 20.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in the final six regular season contests, all while shooting 45-of-75 (60 percent) from the floor. Soule kept her foot on the pedal in the ACC Tournament, racking up 18 and 26 points, respectively, in the Eagles’ two wins. When all was said and done, the ACC’s Most Improved Player of the Year averaged a team-leading 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds.
Top Three Storylines:
1) Eagles get off to an uneven start, enter ACC play with cause for concern
Following two decisive victories over UMass Lowell and St. Francis of Brooklyn, BC lost three of its next five games. A three-point defeat at Northwestern put the Eagles at 5-4 ahead of their ACC opener, with little room for comfort heading into the roller coaster that is ACC competition.
2) BC takes down Georgia Tech, then upsets No. 14 FSU a week and a half later
BC suffered back-to-back double-digit losses at home to Virginia and No. 5 Louisville. At 9-8 (2-4 ACC), it appeared as if the Eagles could be in for another downward spiral. Then, they notched a pair of road wins versus a 14-3 Georgia Tech team and No. 14 FSU. In both games, BC’s defense went to work, even holding its opponents to a combined 6-of-40 from 3-point land.
3) Five-game win streak propels BC into NCAA Tournament conversation
BC tied the program record for its most victories in the month of February with six, five of which were consecutive. The win streak began with nail-biting victories over Clemson and Notre Dame. BC won each of the next three games by 10-plus points, placing Bernabei-McNamee—the ACC Coach of the Year—and her team seven games above .500 with one week of the regular season left, while shattering the program’s single-season record for ACC wins (previously was seven).
Top Three Plays:
1) Marnelle Garraud gets a friendly bounce on a fourth-quarter 3-pointer in Tallahassee
This wasn’t the prettiest highlight, but it was one of the Eagles’ most significant plays of the season. Garraud freed herself from her defender, retreated behind the arc, and rattled in a late-game 3-pointer, which extended BC’s lead to nine with under four minutes to go. From that point forward, the Eagles prevented the Seminoles from getting within six points, locking up their biggest win of the year against the eventual ACC Tournament champs.
2) Soule erases seven-point deficit with and-one conversion vs. Duke in the ACC quarters
Soule took over BC’s ACC quarterfinal matchup against Duke. A pair of jumpers and this and-one conversion quickly knotted the game up at 77 points apiece. The Blue Devils coughed up the ball, Makayla Dickens ran the break, and Soule cashed in, finishing at the cup with her left hand, despite being fouled. She made the free throw to cap the old-fashioned 3-point play.
3) With 1.2 seconds left, Guy kisses a buzzer-beating layup off the glass to beat the Irish
Destinee Walker put back her own miss to give the Irish a one-point lead with 1.2 seconds left. Bernabei-McNamee called a timeout and drew up a play—it turned out to be the perfect one. Pineau inbounded the ball, lofting a pass to Guy in the post. Guy caught it, turned, and layed in the game-winner, marking the first time in program history that BC has beaten Notre Dame twice in the same season.
What’s Next?
BC will say goodbye to Guy, Pineau, and Ortlepp—three durable playmakers who bridged the gap between the Erik Johnson and Bernabei-McNamee eras.
Luckily for the Eagles, they will return four of their top-five leading scorers, and they’ll welcome a trio of recruits: Josiah Lacey, Sydney McQuietor, and Kaylah Ivey. Lacey, a four-star guard, headlines the class as a ESPN 100 recruit. BC should be once again in play for a NCAA Tournament appearance next year, but it could see a tougher ACC. Only three teams in the league finished 2019-20 ranked inside the AP Top 25, half the total from the previous year.
Yet if the Eagles—which entered the year 13th in the ACC preseason poll—making a postseason push this winter was any indication, the conference is far from predictable. Perhaps that, however, is what sets the stage for a Cinderella story like BC’s.
All Images by Boston College Athletics