Boston College women’s basketball entered Wednesday’s cross-city matchup with Harvard on the tails of a close defeat to Providence.
The Eagles (3–3) would ultimately lose their second on the spin to the Crimson (3–3), falling 72–65 in an overtime battle.
As soon as the first tip the game was close, with the lead being tied eight times and changing seven times throughout the game.
At the end of the first quarter, Amirah Anderson beat the buzzer with a mid-range jumpshot to give the Eagles an 18–12 lead. The lead was largely due to sophomore guard Athena Tomlinson’s ability to break the Harvard full-court press and Lily Carmody’s nine first-quarter points.
“[Tomlinson] does a great job, she’s got that high motor,” BC head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee said. “I thought we handled their press.”
BC stifled in the second quarter, though, shooting 31 percent from the field in the period while also recording four turnovers and getting outrebounded 9–7. Harvard’s Abigail Wright contributed seven of Harvard’s 15 in the quarter, giving the Crimson a 27–26 advantage at half.
Harvard continued its momentum into the beginning of the second half, as Katie Krupa and Karlee White each hit a three in the opening minute of the second stanza, extending Harvard’s lead to seven.
Nevertheless, BC chewed away at the Harvard lead throughout the remainder of the third quarter, with Lily Carmody adding another seven points in the period and cutting the Eagles’ lead to two. This was also due in large part to the Eagles’ defense—they forced 21 turnovers throughout the duration of the game.
“I thought our defense for the most part was scrappy,” said Bernabei-McNamee. “But we gave up shots that I think we needed to put a little more pressure on.”
It was a back-and-forth final quarter, and the Eagles found themselves with possession in a tie game with only nineteen seconds remaining. However, BC failed to create an effective scoring opportunity, sending the game to overtime with a score of 59–59.
In overtime, the Eagles—simply put—failed to make shots. The Crimson, on the other hand, got to the line effectively in the period. After an early layup, Harvard never looked back and sunk nine of its 10 free throws, giving itself the 72–65 win.
This loss put the Eagles at .500 on the season, but Carmody and Anderson’s performances showed fight, each posting 22 and 18 points, respectively.
“One thing I can always count on both of them to do is play hard . . . Lily plays hard every possession.” Bernabei-McNamee said. “And Amirah, just as a freshman, she’s definitely our energy-giver, and she did a great job.”