Boston College women’s basketball remains winless on the road following Friday’s matchup against James Madison, which started well for the Eagles but ended disastrously.
BC (4–4) fell flat in the paint against the Dukes (5–3) at the Dayton Beach Classic, and dreams of an Eagles’ win were sharply shattered as JMU staged a commanding comeback, racking up a 20-point surplus and winning the game 73–53.
James Madison’s success came primarily from its control of the key as it outscored BC 44–16, incinerating the Eagles’ attempts to rally an efficient offense.
Senior forward Kayla Rolph came out flying for the Eagles, sinking back-to-back 3-point jumpers in the first two minutes. Her shots set the pace for the rest of the quarter, giving BC’s offensive line the fire they needed to dominate.
Sophomore guard Athena Tomlinson pocketed five of her own points in the first quarter, following her career-high game against Merrimack on Tuesday. Consecutive jumpers from Tomlinson, including a make from deep, gave BC a 19–0 lead with 5:03 remaining in the first quarter.
JMU’s biggest enemy was itself. The players missed shot after shot, only managing to score twice in the last three minutes of the period. Meanwhile, six different players chipped in for BC in the first, giving the Eagles a 22–4 lead at the end of the quarter.
The second quarter saw a resurgence from the Dukes as their offense secured four offensive rebounds. Following a missed jumper from Grace McDonough, Peyton McDaniel took control with a second-chance layup. Grace McDonough followed suit with a clean tip-in after a missed layup with 3:39 remaining, cutting BC’s lead to 24–20.
McDaniel led the JMU charge with seven points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer in the last minute that rounded out the half with BC in front 30–23.
After halftime, things couldn’t have gone any worse for the Eagles as the Dukes managed to turn their seven-point deficit to a 17-point lead over BC. The rapid turnaround was dictated by quick offensive surges in the paint. JMU seemed to make every shot in the book, from post finishes to fast breaks.
Their success was enabled by BC’s 10 turnovers. The Eagles couldn’t break through JMU’s half-court defense, causing panic and leading to collapses late in the shotclock. Late quarter threes made by Delilah Soltys and McDaniel blew the game open, giving JMU a definitive 53–36 lead.
The fourth quarter solidified the Dukes’ victory, as BC gave up 20 points in the final period of the blowout loss, ultimately falling 73–53.
BC was 9-for-21 from three, but just 17-of-51 from the floor and 10-of-17 from the free-throw line. Freshman Jocelyne Grier secured a new career-high in points, putting up 14 on 5-of-8 shooting and 3-of-5 shooting from three.