Women’s Basketball First Semester Recap

The women’s basketball team heads into Christmas break with a 6-6 record and in the midst of a 4 game winning streak. This is a worse record that I was expecting before the season started, but a much better outcome than the beginning of the season would have suggested. The Eagles have a lot to work on, but I don’t think things are as bleak as they appear.

Starting out with the negatives. This team has a tendency to be sloppy. Like, really sloppy. Their tendency to give up leads, even big leads, is concerning. Leaving opposing players wide open, particularly around the three point line, is one of the big mistakes that has led to blown leads. Messy passing that results in many giveaways every game has been another huge issue. The Eagles looked much crisper against Dartmouth, but two games ago there were at least 2 occasions where a BC player passed the ball directly to an opponent.

BC also needs to continue to control their fouling to keep from getting in trouble. The team has been much better about this lately, particularly on the individual level, but they’ll need to keep that progress up against ACC teams and not let frustration result in dumb fouls.

One of the biggest areas of improvement so far this season has been shooting accuracy. The Eagles have really decreased their number of air balls since the beginning of the season. (They can go a whole game without one now!) They have also resumed accuracy from the free throw line after a couple rough games in that regard. It would be great to see BC be a little less hesitant about taking shots, but at least they are making more of the shots they’re taking.

In terms of positives, the Eagles’ biggest strengths are obviously everything about Kelly Hughes and Mariella Fasoula. If Fasoula’s injury keeps her out for an extended period of time, things will get even worse for this team than we expected. Emilee Daley and Kailey Edwards’ returns to the lineup have also really helped BC, as both players are good for a few big baskets and rebounds every game.

The freshmen this year have also been a huge plus for the team, as they’d been able to step in and immediately make an impact. Emma Guy averages 5.4 points per game and leads the squad with a .659 FG%. She’ll be an important offensive impact player as she matures through the program. Meanwhile, Georgia Pineau has been a big asset on defense. Pineau is second only to Fasoula in rebounds with 70 (52 defensive), and has 11 blocks and 8 steals so far. Pineau is also terrific at setting up plays and leads the team with 46 assists. Taylor Ortlepp, who has begun to see more playing time, has also shown improvement and looked solid against Dartmouth. Between Pineau, Fasoula, and Mosetti, it looks like Coach Johnson’s overseas recruiting is a solid plan for building up this program.

Overall, the Eagles appear to be meshing as a team much better now than they were at the beginning of the season. Sure, even the optimists among us (me) can see that this team is going to get destroyed in ACC play, but I think this team is rebuilding better than it initially appears. When watching them, it is clear that they are always giving 100%, even when things aren’t going their way. It is also apparent that although there is still a lot of work to be done, both Coach Johnson and his players recognize their weaknesses and actually work on them in practice instead of making excuses.

TL;DR

Beginning of the semester:

End of the semester:

Next semester: