UConn Looks to Sweep Boston College

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (February 20) – The Connecticut women’s basketball team travels to Conte Forum to face No. 23 nationally-ranked Boston College on Saturday. Game time is set for 12:00 pm and will be aired on the New England Sports Network (NESN).

The second-ranked Huskies own a record of 21-2 overall and are 11-1 in BIG EAST Conference action. The Eagles hold an 18-5 overall record and are 8-4 in conference play. Saturday’s game marks the second meeting this season between the Huskies and the Eagles. The first meeting took place on January 17 at the Hartford Civic Center when UConn held a ranking of No. 4 and Boston College was sitting at No. 22 nationally. The Huskies barely came out on top with a 69-61 win behind UConn sophomore Barbara Turner’s 19 points.

Saturday’s game between the Eagles and the Huskies marks the 47th meeting in program history. Connecticut holds the 34-12 advantage in the series dating back to the 1980-81 season. The Huskies have won the past 10 games and the last 26 of 27 contests. UConn holds a 10-7 record at Boston College with the team’s last loss coming on January 23, 1999. The Huskies were also ranked second coming into the loss, and No. 24 Boston College had a commanding 78-66 win in front of a sellout crowd at Conte Forum.

Saturday’s game marks the next to last regular season road game for the Huskies in 2003-04. Connecticut is 9-1 on the road this season and have won 38 of their last 39 road contests overall. The game will mark UConn’s sixth contest against a ranked opponent and the Huskies are 4-1 in those games. UConn is also in the midst of a 10-game win streak, the longest of the 2003-04 season.

Senior Diana Taurasi enters Saturday’s game just 27 points shy of becoming the fifth player in Connecticut women’s basketball history to notch 2,000 career points. Taurasi ranks third in the BIG EAST in scoring with 16.7 points per game and first in 3-point percentage (.432). Taurasi leads the team in scoring averaging with 16.7 points per game.

Sophomore Barbara Turner has turned up her play in the last 10 games and is averaging 13.6 points in those games. On the season, she is scoring in double-figures with 13.3 points per game. In UConn’s last meeting with Boston College on January 17, Turner was a perfect 11-for-11 from the free throw line en route to her 19 points.

Sophomore Ann Strother has also been key for the Huskies in their 10-game winning stretch. She is averaging 11.9 points per game on the season ranking 20th overall in BIG EAST scoring. Junior Jessica Moore leads the team with 6.9 rebounds per game.

“We are really excited to go up to play Boston College and they seem to always get a really good crowd at our game,” said Moore. “The game we played the first time this season was very close, and this one should be a really good game.”

The Eagles have won their last four games, most recently a 70-64 win at West Virginia on February 14 halting the Mountaineers nine-game win streak. Boston College sank 17-of-17 free throws and sophomore Lisa Macchia came off the bench to score a career-high 18 points.

The Eagles currently rank third among all Division I teams in field goal percentage (.492). Boston College has held all 23 of its opponents below 50 percent shooting from the field. The Eagles have a 10-1 mark at Conte Forum in 2003-04 and have won their last four home games in the building. BC’s only loss at the Forum was against No. 24 Miami on January 10.

Junior guard Jessica Deveny leads the Eagles with an average of 16.5 points per game, while also pulling down a team-best 6.4 rebounds per contest. Senior Amber Jacobs notches 14.9 points per game and leads the team with 109 assists and 39 three-pointers.

BC head coach Cathy Inglese is in her 11th season at the helm of the Eagles and 18th overall year as a head coach. She holds a record of 189-27 at Boston College and a 309-201 overall record. She came to Boston in 1993 after serving as the head coach of Vermont for seven seasons.