Doherty Leads Basketball Past Clemson

Sophomore guard Kristen Doherty led the Boston College women's basketball team to a thrilling 56-53 comeback victory against Clemson on Thursday night at Conte Forum. The Eagles clinched their second ACC victory in a row and improved to 7-19 on the season.

The Eagles trailed most of the game before a jumper by sophomore Shayra Brown tied the game at 51 with just 1:15 remaining in the game. Following a Clemson timeout, Doherty came up with a huge steal and breakaway layup to give the Eagles a critical 53-51 lead. Clutch free throws by junior Kerri Shields and sophomore Tessah Holt sealed the game for the Eagles in the final seconds.

Head coach Sylvia Crawley was proud of the resilience her team showed throughout the game and its focus down the stretch.

"I thought we really persevered," Crawley said. "There were times when things really weren't going well, but instead of dropping our heads, we fought back. I was very pleased with how we executed the game plan tonight, especially at the end of the game."

BC needed a total team effort to overcome a strong game by the Clemson Tigers on Thursday. Crawley was pleased with the performance of her bench and emphasized how critical its contribution was to the victory.

"The biggest key to our victory was our points off the bench," Crawley said. "We had 21 points to Clemson's six, and that has really been the key for us in the last four games. We're playing more together as a team, and when people come off the bench, they're focused on their assignments and they're contributing to the team."

Doherty had a great overall game for the Eagles, finishing with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five steals in 35 minutes of play. Crawley emphasized how critical Doherty's performance was to the victory.

"Kristen was the cure for a multitude of mistakes tonight," Crawley said. "If someone made a bad pass, she would make a play to prevent a turnover and keep possession. She just really did a lot of good things besides just scoring. I thought she was a key for us tonight."

The Eagles also improved their performance on the boards, which has been a weak point for the team for most of the season. They limited Clemson to just nine offensive rebounds and six second-chance points. BC finished with 12 offensive rebounds and 12 second-chance points, a testament to its determination to become a stronger rebounding team.

A recent lineup shift has energized the Eagles in recent games. Crawley has been playing a smaller lineup, starting three point guards: Shields, Holt, and Tiffany Ruffin. A stronger emphasis on ball handling has helped the Eagles lower their turnovers, a problem that has plagued the team for most of the season. BC had just 15 turnovers on Thursday, while forcing Clemson into 21 turnovers.

The smaller lineup has also allowed the Eagles to press more on defense. Crawley has been trying to push her team to be more aggressive in order to disrupt opposing offenses.

"Sometimes the press forces teams to throw it right to us," Crawley said. "Even if we don't get the turnover, they're rushing and the press takes time off the clock. By the time they get the ball down the court, they only have about 10 seconds left on the shot clock to run their plays, and that's an advantage for us."

The Eagles hope to finish the season strongly and build some momentum for next year. With only one senior graduating and several young players on the rise, the future looks bright for the BC women's basketball team. The Eagles will look to help their younger players become more confident as they enter the final two games of the season.