Boston College Women's Basketball Falls To Miami, 74-53, In ACC Opener

This past weekend the Eagles headed to Coral Gables to take on the University of Miami Hurricanes, but it didn't go so well.

There is no doubt that the Hurricanes earned this avenging* win over the Eagles on Sunday afternoon, but this loss exemplifies concerns on how BC will keep it together in the ACC.

Miami (11-3, 1-0 ACC) took the lead from their first scoring play. "We got exactly what ACC play is all about," said coach Johnson in the BCEagles.com post game interview. Simply put, Miami played very well. They entered the game with the amount of intensity that the ACC brings, while the Eagles are still looking to find their own. The Hurricanes often found great opportunities to score, but their tight defense is what sealed the deal.

In the first half, the Eagles completed only 10 of 40 shot attempts, leaving them at 25%. However, at the line, one of this team's strengths, they held an 83.3% for both halves. By the end of the game, BC had only shot 26.7% on the arch, and 27.4% everywhere else.

Boston College has some great scorers; with a team average of 72.5 points per game, Hughes (16ppg), Boudreau (12.7), and Kelsick (8.4) have led the team thus far. In this match, however, Kelsick led with 12 while Hughes came in second with only 9 points. As mentioned previously, consistency is fundamental to this team thriving. There are many factors that can affect a player's ability to play on any given day, but this team needs to find a way to ensure that these fluctuations in numbers are limited.

This is a very generous team. They love to pass the ball and they do it very well. Their fast-paced passing game also aids in breaking down and tiring the opponent's defense, thus helping the Eagles score. With a 6-0 run at the end of the first half, the Eagles demonstrated this ability to move the ball well, throwing off Miami's defense, but Miami responded again in the second half.

Though the offensive numbers look good, the team must develop a more reactive approach to the defenses they will encounter. It took a whole half to figure out Miami's defense, and by the second half they still had not yet mastered it. This BC team may also need a boost in confidence, because it seems that they don't realize the amount of talent they hold. They didn't necessarily enter this game with their heads down, but they needed to mirror—if not exceed—the amount of energy and poise that their opponent had.

The Eagles will host 11-5 Georgia Tech this Thursday at 7 pm.

*The Eagles defeated the Hurricanes last season, 62-63.