Boston College women’s basketball got the kind of finish that can swing a season, and it came from a freshman playing like anything but one.
Eunicia Salgado scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her first double-double, then authored the closing sequence in a 75-73 win over Providence on Saturday afternoon at Conte Forum. She buried the go-ahead basket with 1.2 seconds left after already putting BC in front with 21 seconds remaining, giving the Eagles a dramatic escape and a 2-2 record on the season. Providence dropped to 1-3.
Salgado was efficient all day, going 9-of-10 from the field while also adding three assists and two steals. Her final-minute burst capped a strong all-around performance, but Boston College had plenty of other contributors in a game that kept shifting back and forth.
Athena Tomlinson matched her season best with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and handed out a team-high four assists. Daniele Paunksnyte finished with 15 points, 12 of them coming after halftime, and Jocelyne Grier added 13. Grace Oliver chipped in five points, six rebounds and two assists.
The Eagles had to claw their way back from an early hole. They opened with six straight points on back-to-back 3-pointers from Oliver and Paunksnyte, only to watch Providence respond with a 13-2 run and take an 18-13 lead into the second quarter. The Friars pushed that edge to 23-13 before BC started to settle in.
Tomlinson and Salgado took over in the second period, combining for 18 points, with nine apiece, and knocking down four 3-pointers between them. That surge trimmed the deficit to three by halftime.
Boston College kept pressing after the break. Megan Hollingsworth scored on a layup midway through the third quarter, and Tomlinson followed with a jumper to put the Eagles ahead 48-45. Providence answered by outscoring BC by six over the final 4:36 of the quarter, sending the home team into the fourth down three.
Then came the finish. With the game tied at 60-60, Grier sparked an 11-3 run that ended with a Paunksnyte 3-pointer.
BC later stretched the lead to 71-63, but Providence kept coming. The Eagles entered the fourth trailing by three, then shot 66.7 percent in the final period and outscored the Friars by five to close it out.
The numbers backed up the result. Boston College forced 19 turnovers and turned them into 19 points, hit a season-high nine 3-pointers, and went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line, including 9-of-10 in the second half.
BC is back in action Tuesday at 6 p.m. against Merrimack in the third game of its five-game homestand.
In Other News...
Boston College Has A Chance To Turn Momentum Into An Early Statement
Boston Colleges women have a chance to keep an encouraging start rolling after handling UMass Lowell 86-57 behind Jocelyne Griers 23-point night. The Eagles looked in control throughout that one, and now they get to see whether that performance can carry over when Providence comes to Chestnut Hill for an early-season home test.
Providence arrives with Erin Batths group coming off a loss to Bryant, which gives Boston College an opening to build momentum and improve its record in front of its own crowd. The matchup also carries a little extra edge because the Eagles have had success against the Friars recently, and this one offers another chance to make a statement before the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Fans Witnessed A Notre Dame Moment Bigger Than The Game
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Jason Benetti filled in for Hicks on the NBC call and used the moment to acknowledge the loss on air, giving Boston College viewers a reminder that some nights in college football are about more than the scoreboard. Hicks reputation reached well beyond South Bend, and the tribute underscored how deeply he had been woven into the networks biggest events and into the rhythm of fall Saturdays. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Let A Winnable ACC Fight Slip Away
Boston College volleyball had a real chance to make a statement in Tallahassee, pushing Florida State through a tight four-set ACC match before coming up short. The Eagles dropped the opener 25-17, answered with a narrow 27-25 win in the second, and stayed in the fight from there, showing enough competitive edge to suggest this was the kind of conference match they could have turned into a road win.
Audrey Ross gave Boston College a steady offensive lift, finishing with 16 kills as the Eagles kept the pressure on into the final set. Instead, Florida State held on late and left Boston College with a tough result to absorb, especially in a league where close matches can swing the standings quickly. The Eagles now head home to face Miami, with another chance to turn that competitiveness into something more tangible. [Read more 🡒]