It seemed as though Boston College women’s basketball never stood a chance on Thursday night.
BC (4–14, 0–5 Atlantic Coast) fell to ACC opponent Notre Dame (11–4, 3–2) 94–60 marking the Eagles’ tenth consecutive loss. BC’s win drought has persisted since late November when it earned a victory over Merrimack.
The loss continued a lopsided history between the two programs, as Notre Dame dominates the all-time series 94-60. For BC, the defeat also aligned with a long-standing struggle in South Bend, where the Eagles now sit at 1–17 all-time in Indiana.
From the opening tip, the Irish were in control. Senior Guard Cassandre Prosper wasted no time in setting the tone, converting on a layup mere seconds after Notre Dame won the opening jump ball. Prosper dominated the first quarter, scoring 11 points as the Irish overwhelmed BC early.
BC got on the board with Kayla Rolph hitting a three-point jumper, cutting a 6–0 Notre Dame lead in half. BC shot just 23 percent from the field in the first quarter, though, while ND carved up the Eagles’ defense at a 64 percent clip.
The opening period ended 24–7 Notre Dame, a lead the Eagles never seriously threatened to erase.
“I just didn’t think we did a very good job in the first quarter, on either end of the floor,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “And that’s a shame, because you can’t get that quarter back.”
Freshman Amirah Anderson secured the Eagles’ first point of the second quarter off of a free throw 2:16 into the period, standing tall against the jeering ND crowd. The Irish quickly responded, though, continuing to capitalize on second-chance opportunities.
BC stepped up the defensive intensity midway through the quarter. The Irish got stuck on the perimeter as BC’s defense caused a shot clock violation with 3:44 left in the half, briefly disrupting Notre Dame’s dominance. Over the final five minutes of the quarter, BC forced five Notre Dame turnovers.
“When we played together on the defensive end and really focused on being there for help without overhelping—so the guards couldn’t take advantage of us on the perimeter—that gave us confidence,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “As an undersized team, that confidence allowed us to play a little bit harder on the defensive end.”
Still, the teams went into halftime with the Irish up double digits at 42–20.
BC opened the third quarter with heightened energy, scoring five of the first eight points as Lily Carmody notched a layup and Erin Houpt knocked down a three to trim the deficit to 17.
The momentum was short lived, however, as Prosper and Malaya Cowles found success in the paint and helped Notre Dame to a 69–44 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Irish didn’t stop there, however, and scored 25 more points before the final buzzer sounded.
The final frame concluded with a 94–60 victory for the Irish, who shot 65 percent from the field and made seven of their 10 attempts from three.
Jocelyne Grier’s performance was a bright spot for the Eagles. The freshman guard ended the game with a career-high 18 points on 50 percent shooting from the field.
“You could see she had that look in her eye where she felt like she could be unstoppable on the offensive end,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “I thought she had some good defensive possessions as well. This is a game I think she can really build on.”