Amber in the News
2002-2003

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Basketball Times Names All-America Teams
Three Eagles earn Honorable Mention accolades
May 23, 2003

ATLANTA, Ga. - Boston College post player Becky Gottstein (Albany, N.Y.) and guards Jessalyn Deveny (Westford, Mass.) and Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.) were named Basketball Times Honorable Mention All-Americans.

Jacobs averaged 12.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game this season, winning the hearts of women's basketball fans across the country with her last-second heroics in back-to-back NCAA tournament games. Hitting buzzer-beaters against Old Dominion and Vanderbilt, Jacobs pushed the Eagles into their first-ever Sweet Sixteen. She was an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention.


Jacobs And Deveny Invited To 2003 USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials

BC guards to compete for spot on one of two squads
May 7, 2003

Colorado Springs, CO - Boston College guards Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights) and Jessalyn Deveny (Westford, Mass.) have accepted invitations to the USA Basketball Women's National Team Trials to be held May 22-25, 2003 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center (USOTC) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as announced by the USA Basketball Women's Collegiate Committee.

The Trials will be used to select a pair of 12-member 2003 USA Basketball teams, including the USA World Championship for Young Women and the USA Pan American Games squads. The 2003 USA Young Women's National Team, which will be comprised of athletes 21-years-old and younger, will compete in the inaugural FIBA World Championship for Young Women in Sibenik, Croatia July 25-August 3. The 2003 Pan American Games are slated for August 2-9 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Included among the 60 invitees are 17 previous USA Basketball medalists, 19 All-Americans, six conference players of the year, six rookies of the year, 22 all-conference first teamers, and 45 players who earned post-season honors.

Jacobs , and All-BIG EAST honorable mention, finished her junior season as the team's third-leading scorer with 12.1 points per game. She netted back-to-back game winning shots in the NCAA Tournament opening rounds to send the Eagles to their first-ever Sweet Sixteen Deveny, the BIG EAST's Most Improved Player and an All-BIG EAST second team selection, was the team's leading scorer with 16.9 points per game and second-leading rebounder with 5.9 boards per game. This is Deveny's first invite to USA Basketball while Jacobs has been to the trials twice before, making the final 16 last summer.


Jacobs saves day for BC: Late layup puts Eagles in Sweet 16

by Mike Shalin
Tuesday, March 25, 2003

NORFOLK, Va. - The ``Little Savior'' had trouble deciding which of her last-second, game-winning shots was bigger.

``This one. I don't know. That's a tough call - both of 'em,'' Amber Jacobs said last night, after her game-winning basket with 2.5 seconds left in overtime gave the No. 25 Boston College women an 86-85 upset win over No. 13 Vanderbilt, vaulting the Eagles into the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time.

It was Jacobs' second game-winning shot in three nights. Jacobs hit a 16-footer with 3.3 seconds left to give BC a 73-72 win over Old Dominion on Saturday, earning her the nickname ``Our Little Savior'' from teammate Brianne Stepherson.

The fifth-seeded Eagles (22-8) now figure to get another shot at No. 1 UConn (which meets ninth-seeded TCU tonight) in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday. BC made a run at the Huskies Feb. 8 before falling, 83-75.

Last night, after Becky Gottstein missed two free throws with eight-tenths of a second left in regulation and BC blew a four-point lead in OT, Jacobs did it again. And this time Gottstein, who played like a warrior, called Jacobs ``Our Little Savior.''

Jacobs bailed out Gottstein's 6-for-16 shooting performance on Saturday. Last night, Gottstein was bailed out after missing the free throws and fouling out in OT. Gottstein, who said she never leaves any practice until she makes 12 straight free throws, said she couldn't believe she ``choked'' at the line. All she needed was one last night, but, with three Vanderbilt timeouts around her two tries, she failed to convert - slightly tainting a 24-point, eight-rebound effort.

``We won,'' said Gottstein, who was very emotional after the game.

In winning, the Eagles ``put this program on a different level,'' in the words of athletic director Gene DeFilippo. This was the third time in five years BC advanced to the second round. Now, Gottstein, who had 22 of BC's first 44 points to keep her team in the game, was pumping both fists at the thought of UConn again.

The Eagles trailed by 13 in the first half, eight at the break and were down, 60-48, with 10:19 left. A 9-0 run got BC back into it and the Eagles eventually caught up at 67-67 and took their first lead since 13-12 when Clare Droesch banked in a 3-pointer. Hillary Hager hit a 3-pointer to force overtime with 59 seconds left in regulation, then followed it up with what appeared to be the winning trey with 12.7 seconds left in OT.

After the second, BC called time with 8.2 seconds left, and Jacobs - who scored 18 of her 25 points in the second half - drove the lane, throwing the ball up off the backboard. Just as her winning shot Saturday had done, this one took forever to bounce its way in, killing a little extra time.

Ashley McElhiney's desperation halfcourt heave was way short, and Jacobs ran down to the other end and dove on the floor, where she was mobbed by her teammates.

How crazy was this game? Stepherson, who moved into second place on BC's all-time list with eight assists, sat the final 11:23 of regulation and entered OT only when Droesch (17 points, eight rebounds) injured her right ankle which making a shot. She left on crutches. BC needed shooting, so Stepherson sat. She did make a big pass in OT and later said she understood why she sat.

While on the bench, she watched little-used freshman Brooke Queenan, who had played six minutes over the last nine games and 77 all year, play 16 minutes. She had three points, four rebounds, two assists and a block.

``Coach always tells us to be ready to go in,'' Queenan said. ``I was a little surprised because I don't usually play.''

The wild finish overshadowed a 28-point night by Vanderbilt's Chantelle Anderson, who became the Commodores' all-time leading scorer (men or women). Fourth-seeded Vandy (21-10) also received 26 points from Jenni Benningfield.

``I think it was a great game,'' said Vanderbilt first-year coach Melanie Balcomb. ``Boston College did a great job of never giving up and coming after us the whole time. I give them credit for how tough they were.''

``I'm just so proud of this group coming back,'' said BC coach Cathy Inglese, who considers this to be the biggest win in the program's history. ``Each kid that came off the bench (led by Droesch) showed a lot of effort. I just cannot be more proud. I can't say any more about them. They had such a burning desire to be in the Sweet 16.''

Boston Herald


BC 86, VANDERBILT 85

It gets sweeter for the Eagles

More Jacobs heroics land BC in Round of 16

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 3/25/2003

NORFOLK, Va. - The hoots and hollers of the Boston College women's basketball team probably could be heard all the way up the East Coast when Amber Jacobs hit a game-winning shot for the second time in a row.

Jacobs's driving layup with 2.5 seconds left in overtime gave the fifth-seeded Eagles an 86-85 victory over fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA East Regional last night.

The Eagles go on to Dayton, Ohio, next weekend, to play in the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

As the game ended, Jacobs dropped to the floor and rolled around, her jubilant teammates piling on top of the junior guard whose jumper with 3.3 seconds to play stunned regional host Old Dominion Saturday in BC's 73-72 first-round win.

BC (22-8) had to shrug off a 4-point deficit with 1:42 to play against Old Dominion, but the comeback was greater last night. Vanderbilt (22-10) had a 44-36 lead at halftime and led virtually the entire game.

The Eagles went on a 9-0 run in the second half and went up, 74-71, after a layup by Becky Gottstein with 1:19 to play. Vanderbilt's Hillary Hager answered with a 3-pointer to tie things with a minute left.

It stayed at 74-74 through the final minute of regulation, but Gottstein was fouled under the basket with less than a second left. It seemed BC would breeze into the Sweet 16, because Gottstein needed only to sink one of two free throws.

But they both clanged off the rim, forcing the game into overtime and eliciting moans from the BC bench. The teams and the crowd of 3,851 got ready for another five minutes of play.

''I don't know what happened,'' said Gottstein, whose season-high 24 points were second only to Jacobs's 25 among the Eagles. ''I'm always the last one to leave the gym. I don't go until I make 12 in a row.''

But Jacobs , whom teammate Brianne Stepherson called ''our little savior'' after the ODU game, made certain Gottstein wouldn't be the goat.

''She was the savior again,'' said Gottstein. ''I'm definitely going to have to buy her a present when we get home.''

The Eagles obviously wanted to continue where they left off Saturday, but Vanderbilt seemed too tall and too fast to penetrate.

Chantelle Anderson, a 6-foot-6-inch senior, and Jenni Benningfield accounted for 26 of the Commodores' 44 first-half points.

BC had it tied at 15 with 13:15 to go in the half when Vanderbilt went on a 13-2 run, punctuated by one of Benningfield's two first-half 3-pointers. The Eagles made 16 of 30 shots and trailed by 8 at intermission.

The second half looked to be more of the same, as the deficit hit double digits at 60-50 with 10:34 to play. Anderson, who had a game-high 28 points (10 for 15 from the floor, 8 for 9 at the line) was a constant threat on the inside. Benningfield (26 points, 3 for 4 from behind the arc) and Hagar (17 points, 5 for 5 on threes) caused trouble on the perimeter.

But BC went on a 9-2 run that included two 3-pointers by Jacobs , and that pulled the Eagles within 3 at 62-59 with 6:29 left. Coach Cathy Inglese opted to bring in tall, if less-experienced players, including 6-2 freshman Brooke Queenan, as Gottstein and Maureen Leahy picked up their fourth fouls; both fouled out in overtime.

The teams jockeyed back and forth until Vanderbilt's Hager hit a 3-pointer with 1:01 to go. On the next possession, Gottstein drew the foul under the basket, only to miss the two chances to end the game in regulation.

Queenan missed her first free throw i n overtime but made the next, and sophomore Clare Droesch (17 points) hit a 3-pointer to give the Eagles a 78-74 lead. The Commodores came back and took a 1-point lead, 85-84, on a trey by Hager with 13 seconds left.

On the final possession, BC got the ball to Jacobs, not to shoot a jumper but just to drive inside, which she did.

Game over. Celebration.

''I'm in shock,'' said Jacobs . ''Of course it's great to hit the last shot, but I couldn't have done it without the other 13 players behind me.

''We showed that we're a team that can gut it out, and showed the Boston College team that we really are.''

This story ran on page F1 of the Boston Globe on 3/25/2003.
� Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.


BC 73, OLD DOMINION 72
Jacob's jumper keeps BC from sinking

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 3/23/2003

NORFOLK, Va. - In the photographs and words that describe Boston College's 73-72 win over Old Dominion yesterday, the ending should be perfectly clear - BC's Becky Gottstein missed two layups, but an Old Dominion player tipped the ball to Amber Jacobs , who sank a shot from the top of the key with 3.3 seconds left.

But to Jacobs , it was all a blur.

''Becky did a great job penetrating, and so did Clare [Droesch]. Our posts were right in there battling, and I got the tip out,'' said Jacobs , who scored a game-high 23 points. ''Luck of the draw, the ball comes to me, and I get to shoot it.''

Jacobs thought the shot might be short.

''I started jumping up and down just making sure it would go in, because it was rattling around the rim,'' she said.

Old Dominion's Kim Giddens took the inbounds pass and dribbled nearly the length of the court but failed to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

The No. 12-seeded Lady Monarchs, who had won 10 straight games, including the last seven at home, and the crowd of 5,239 were stunned.

Fifth-seeded BC advances to the second round of the East Regional tomorrow night against No. 4 Vanderbilt, which defeated No. 13 Liberty, 54-44.

The Eagles may have been favored, but they felt more like underdogs at Old Dominion's Ted Constant Convocation Center. The first-round games are being played at predetermined sites for the first time.

''It doesn't matter once you get out there, but it did certainly seem like their home crowd,'' said Boston College coach Cathy Inglese. ''But it was a good crowd, they're very much into the game, and I think our players got into that.''

With the teams tied at 11 with 16:45 to go in the first half, the Eagles went on a 12-4 spurt (including all 7 of Maureen Leahy's points) to go up by 9 with 11:37 left in the half.

But Old Dominion came back to tie the game for the seventh time (32-32) and closed the half ahead, 41-38.

Old Dominion's Monique Coker, who finished the half with 13 points, scored a team-high 18 points and had 13 rebounds. Six-foot-6-inch center Corrina Turner was held scoreless and had just one block.

BC kept pace with Old Dominion in the second half of a game that was tied 14 times and had six lead changes. The Eagles pushed ahead again after Jessalyn Deveny, who had 13 points, made a layup and then made 1 of 2 free throws after an intentional foul by Old Dominion's Paula Muxiri to make it 65-64. A 3-point play by Jacobs gave BC a 68-64 lead.

Old Dominion then went on an 8-0 run - capped by Shareese Grant's jumper - to give the Lady Monarchs a 72-68 lead with 1:40 left. Jacobs then hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds left to make it 72-71.

After a missed shot by Giddens, Deveny dived for the ball and a jump ball was called, with the possession arrow pointing to BC. That set the stage for the frenzy under the basket that led to Jacobs's winning shot.

''That last sequence, we showed how tough our team is,'' said Gottstein, who had 14 points. ''Sometimes when shots aren't going in, we're going to find a way to get it done. We don't mind if it was pretty or pretty ugly, as long as we're up by 1, we can move on to the next round.''

Point guard Brianne Stepherson, who had 8 points and a game-high nine assists, agreed.

''We work on things like that all the time in practice, and it was just amazing to see it unfold in a game,'' she said. ''But thanks to our little savior Amber , we have one more game to look forward to.''

This story ran on page D1 of the Boston Globe on 3/23/2003.
� Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.


Jacobs' Jumper Advances Eagles Past Old Dominion, 73-72
Amber Jacobs pours in 23 points against the Monarchs in the NCAA first round game.

March 22, 2003 NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Amber Jacobs' jumper with 3.3 seconds remaining lifted Boston College over Old Dominion 73-72 Saturday in the first round of the East Regional.

Boston College (21-8) inbounded the ball with 21 seconds left and missed two shots under the basket before Jacobs made her shot from the top of the key.

Old Dominion (21-11) scored eight straight points, capped by Shareese Grant's jumper in the paint with 1:40 left, to go up 72-68.

Jacobs , who led Boston College with 23 points, hit a 3-pointer with 40 seconds remaining to bring the fifth-seeded Eagles to 72-71.


No. 24 Boston College Slips By No. 18 Rutgers, 72-71
Clare Droesch scores 17 points as the Eagles snap the Scarlet Knights' 11-game winning streak.

March 4, 2003 PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) - Clare Droesch scored 17 points and Amber Jacobs added 12 to lead No. 24 Boston College over No. 18 Rutgers 72-71 Tuesday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Jacobs pulled in a long pass with 6 seconds left and scored on a layup to give Boston College (20-7, 12-4 Big East) a 72-68 lead.

Cappie Pondexter, who finished with 17 points for Rutgers, hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for the final score.

Rutgers (20-6, 13-3), which already clinched the No. 2 seed for this weekend's Big East tournament, had an 11-game winning streak snapped.

Mauri Horton had a team-high 18 points for Rutgers. Dawn McCullouch added 11 points.

Boston College moved in front midway through the first half on a 3-pointer by Droesch.

Rutgers trailed 40-33 at the break, but tied the game five times in the second half. The last tie came with 1:45 to play as Pondexter hit a jumper make it 66-all.

Rutgers then missed two shots and Beck Gottstein, who scored 16 points, ran a back screen on an inbounds play after a timeout for the go-ahead basket.

Gottstein added a pair of free throws with 20 seconds to play and, after a Pondexter basket, Jacobs broke away from the Scarlet Knights' full-court press for her winning basket.


No. 23 Women's Basketball Uses Late Run to Overcome Miami, 84-77
Jacobs contributes a season-high 28 points

March 1, 2003 CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Junior Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.) contributed a season-high 28 points, including a key three-pointer down the stretch, to lead No. 23 Boston College (19-7, 11-4 BIG EAST) to an 84-77 victory over the University of Miami (15-11, 7-8 BE) Saturday afternoon in Conte Forum.

The Eagles owned the scoreboard for the majority of the game, leading by as many as 10 points during the first half, and taking a 39-33 advantage to the locker room.

Miami mustered a second half comeback, fueled by Meghan Saake and Tamara James, who had 23 and 22 points respectively. The Hurricanes matched Boston College at 51, and after trading the lead, pulled ahead, 77-71, at the three minute mark. Costly Miami turnovers and clutch shooting by the Eagles froze the Hurricanes at 77, while Boston College closed the game on a 13-0 run to capture the 84-77 victory.

Becky Gottstein (Albany, N.Y.) dropped 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in front of 2,788 on senior day. Brianne Stepherson (Middleton, Mass.) added thirteen assists, a career high, in her last game in Conte Forum. Sophomore Clare Droesch (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) went three-for-four from beyond the arc, adding 16 total points.

Jacobs was 12-18 for the game. Her 28 points leaves her four shy of the 1,000 career point mark.


BC gets revenge against SU
Orangewomen lose 82-63 after defeating the Eagles on the road two weeks ago.

February 02, 2003
By Donnie Webb Staff writer

Still stinging from a recent loss to Syracuse, Boston College delivered emphatic payback by defeating the Orangewomen 82-63 in a Big East Conference women's basketball game Saturday at Manley Field House.

The Eagles improved to 15-4 overall and 7-1 in the Big East. They rank second in the conference only to Connecticut, a team they play host to next Saturday.

Boston College avenged its only Big East loss. The Orangewomen knocked the Eagles out of the Top 25 rankings on Jan. 18 with a 76-71 victory in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

''We wanted this game,'' said Boston College guard Amber Jacobs , who led her team with 25 points. ''We wanted to come back here and kind of show them the Boston College team that they didn't get to see. We came right out and showed them what we're all about.''

The Eagles made nine of their first 10 field-goal attempts, 12 of their first 15 and five of their first six 3-pointers. They finished the first half making 65.4 percent of their field-goal attempts and 75 percent of their 3-pointers.

Boston College raced to a 26-12 advantage 10 minutes into the game. The lead would grow to 19 points and never shrink below 13, despite several nice runs by the Orangewomen.

Syracuse junior guard Julie McBride said Boston College's blistering shooting performance took an emotional toll on her team.

''When somebody shoots the light out on you, you're going to feel a little discouraged,''McBride said. ''You can't quit. I think we didn't quit throughout the game. It is discouraging. Anybody would have that feeling. BC came in here and I think they were ready to beat us.''

Each time Syracuse made a run, Boston College answered, often with an outside shot. The Orangewomen whittled their deficit to 47-33 early in the second half. Boston College called timeout and set up an in-bounds play to Jacobs , who came off a screen and drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

The Eagles blew the game open at 65-39 with 12 minutes left. Still, Syracuse continued to battle. The Orangewomen scored 11 unanswered points, six of them by reserve Krystalyn Ellerbe. At 65-50, Syracuse had two possessions to cut their deficit under 15 but could not get a shot to drop. The Orangewomen would get as close as 13 (72-59), but they could never overcome Boston College's sizzling start.

Boston College head coach Cathy Inglese said she made some offensive adjustments against Syracuse's 2-3 zone by moving her guards more and getting better kick-out passes from her post players. She said once her team gets in what she calls ''the flow,'' the Eagles can make a lot of outside shots.

''Boston College came to play,'' said Syracuse head coach Marianna Freeman. ''They shot incredible from the 3-point line. If you're shooting well from the outside against our zone, it's vulnerable to it. We made a good run in the second half to get back in the game and pretty much ran out of time.''

� 2003 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.


BC 76, NOTRE DAME 48
At break point, BC aces out ND

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 1/30/2003
The Boston College women's basketball team spent the first 20 minutes sending shots over the Notre Dame basket, and missing easy second chances. Maybe they were just revving up.

The Eagles, trailing by as many as 9 points in the first half and by 2 at intermission, came roaring back to defeat Notre Dame, 76-48, before 3,669 at Conte Forum.

BC guard Jessalyn Deveny, who was scoreless in the first half, finished with a game-high 18 points, and teammate Amber Jacobs scored 13 of her 17 points in the second half.

''We did have a lot of fouls in the first half, and you don't want to come out timid, but maybe we were tentative,'' Deveny said. ''But maybe it motivated us.''

BC (14-4, 6-1 Big East) might have been intimidated by the team that won the national championship two years ago, or maybe the Eagles just remembered the 60-44 drubbing the Fighting Irish game them last season.

Whatever the reason, BC was not getting second shots at the beginning of the game and shot just 10 of 30 (33 percent) in the first half. Brianne Stepherson (10 points) and Deveny combined for just 1 for 13. The 2-point spread could have been worse, but ND shot just 30 percent (9 of 30).

The Eagles took a 12-10 lead with 11:18 to go in the half after Adriana Spears came off the bench and hit a layup. But Notre Dame went on an 11-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by Alicia Ratay, to take its biggest lead of the half at 21-12.

The Eagles came back after Jacobs stole the ball and hit for 2, followed by two free throws by Becky Gottstein (12 points). But in between was the story of the first half. Shots sailed over the basket, and were usually rebounded by the opposition and converted on the other end.

Jacobs ignited the Eagles in the second half, but Notre Dame kept the upper hand and led, 34-29, with 16:17 left. Then Deveny scored her first points on a 3-point play, Jacobs hit a jumper and scored a 3-point play, and the Eagles went on a 17-2 run to take a 46-36 lead and never look back.

''We usually give up 53 points in a game, and we gave up 53 in the second half,'' said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. ''And you can't win games doing that.''

Jacobs said the slow first half and fast second half were probably related.

''Defensively, when we don't pressure them and box them out and get that first rebound, then we can't convert on the offensive end and we're not in the flow of the game,'' she said. ''The second half we buckled down and all got on the same page.''

BC coach Cathy Inglese said the team was exuding confidence two days ago. ''They told me Monday in practice that this was going to be our game.''

With 1:13 to play, Inglese had all of the team's five freshmen squatting in front of the scorer's table, ready to get some time. And while they didn't score any points, ''we didn't give up any, either,'' she said, and Inglese said she hopes it gave them a taste of the three years to come.''I told them, I want to have the same outcome your senior year,'' Inglese said.

Boston College has two games on the road before it returns home Feb. 8 to face No. 2 Connecticut.

This story ran on page E1 of the Boston Globe on 1/30/2003.
� Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.


BC 69, W. VA 61
BC: No identity crisis
West Virginia's visit is welcome

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 1/26/2003
The Boston College women's basketball team wasn't sure which West Virginia team would show up at Conte Forum last night. The Mountaineers who lost all four of their Big East games this season? Or the squad that won its other 11 games?

It turned out both teams showed up, but fortunately for BC, it was the former that showed up for most of the second half, and the Eagles came away with a 69-61 victory before 3,097.

BC senior center Becky Gottstein scored just 5 points in the first half, but finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season, and sophomore guard Jessalyn Deveny added 17 points. Junior Amber Jacobs had 14 points and seven asssits, despite shooting 4 of 15 from the floor. (She was impeccable from the foul line, though, 4 for 4.)

Boston College (13-4, 5-1) took an early 7-2 lead with 15:34 to go in the half, but West Virginia (11-5, 0-5) responded with an 8-0 run and remained in front for the rest of the half. At the end of the stanza, though, the Eagles rallied to trail only 32-30.

BC coach Cathy Inglese was confident her team would come back.

''I think we were rushing our shots a little bit, and not getting the ball inside enough,'' she said. ''Obviously, I would have liked to have been up, but I wasn't overly concerned, and I think we ended the half doing a good job.''

Senior center Kim Mackie, who missed the past two games because of an illness, entered with a minute to go in the first half and scored two quick baskets. The crucial hoops were Mackie's only points in nine minutes of action.

Jacobs put BC on top with a 3-pointer to open the second half, but West Virginia came back with two layups by Liz Holbrook (10 points) and a free throw by Yolanda Paige (12 points). Gottstein and Deveny scored to knot the game at 37, and Gottstein then put the Eagles ahead to stay with a layup.


Women's Basketball Topples Georgetown, 72-60
Balanced offense gives Eagles 12th win of season, fourth of BIG EAST

Jan. 22, 2003 WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Boston College women's basketball team picked up its 12th win of the 2002-03 season on Wednesday evening as it defeated BIG EAST rival Georgetown 72-60 at McDonough Gym on the campus of Georgetown University. The Eagles now stand 12-4 overall, 4-1 in the BIG EAST. Georgetown fell to 11-4 (2-3 BIG EAST).

The guard tandem of sophomore Clare Droesch (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) and Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.) combined for a 13-of-25 shooting night, including 7-of-14 from three-point range, and 33 points to lead the BC charge.

The Eagles cruised to a comfortable 43-21 lead at intermission, riding 13 points from Droesch and 12 from Jacobs . As a team, BC shot an impressive 54.5 percent from the field (18-33), including 5-of-8 (62.5%) from three-point range. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead and pushed to its biggest lead of the half (22) with just over two minutes until intermission.

In the second half, BC bulged its lead to as many as 27 before Georgetown rallied for a 17-0 run to close out the game. Despite playing without starting center Kim Mackie (Peterborough, Ontario), the Eagles held a 20-14 edge in points in the paint. They benefited from eight players breaking into the scoring column.

In addition to Droesch and Jacobs , BC enjoyed a balanced scoring attack. Adriana Spears (Stratford, Conn.), starting in stead of Mackie, netted seven points and five rebounds. Senior point guard Brianne Stepherson (Middleton, Mass.) scored seven points, including her career 1,000th, while dishing out four assists and grabbing five rebounds.


No. 24 Women's Basketball Falls To Syracuse, 76-71
Amber Jacobs drops in 20 points for the Eagles

Jan 18, 2003 CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (AP) - Julie McBride went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final 53 seconds and finished with 23 points Saturday to lead Syracuse to a 76-71 win over No. 24 Boston College.

Shannon Perry added 19 points and eight rebounds for the Orangewomen (6-10, 1-4 BIG EAST), who snapped a four-game losing streak. Rochelle Coleman chipped in with 15 points.

Amber Jacobs paced Boston College (11-4, 3-1) with 20 points. Becky Gottstein had 16 points and tied a career high with 16 rebounds.

The loss snapped BC's four-game win streak and halted a 15-game home winning streak.

After the Eagles took a 38-37 lead on Gottstein's free throw with 17:39 to go, the Orangewomen took charge with a 17-7 run in the next 4:30.

Perry scored the first six points in the run and Coleman capped it with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, making it 54-45 with 12:52 left.

The Eagles, playing without starting center Kim Mackie, did not get closer than seven points until a late charge closed it to three with five seconds remaining.


BC 85, PC 63
Deveny's career day works against Friars

By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 1/5/2003
PROVIDENCE - Jessalyn Deveny's most impressive moment yesterday might have come with a little less than nine minutes to play in the first half of Boston College's Big East opener against Providence College.

As she was dodging Friar defenders, Deveny threw the ball up in what appeared to be no more than an attempt to get rid of it. But the ball went into the basket, Deveny was knocked down, drawing a foul, and her 3-point play put the Eagles up, 23-12.

Equally impressive were the five 3-pointers (in seven attempts) the sophomore guard converted, and her 36 points.

Deveny's heroics guided the 23d-ranked Eagles to an 85-63 victory before 512 spectators at Alumni Hall.

She not only established personal bests, she also came close to a pair of school records, finishing 3 points shy of the scoring standard and one 3-pointer away from the Eagles' single-game mark. No wonder the applause rained down when she exited the game with 4 minutes 42 second remaining.

The Friars (5-6, 0-1) seemed to confuse the Eagles at first, with BC point guard Brianne Stepherson picking up two fouls in the first two minutes.

But with the score tied at 6-6, BC (8-3, 1-0) went on a 14-2 run that was started and ended by Deveny. In fact, the last three shots of the spurt were a layup, a jumper, and a 3-pointer by Deveny. Her improbable 3-point play, put the Eagles up 9, but a 10-3 run by the Friars pulled them to 26-22.

BC, however, took over, sparked by one of junior Amber Jacobs's four 3-pointers, and BC closed the half ahead, 44-31. Jacobs finished with 17 points.

Deveny had 24 first-half points, 1 shy of her career best for a game.

Providence started the second half with a basket by Brooke Freeburg (12 points), but a layup by Deveny and three 3-pointers in a row ( Jacobs , Deveny, Jacobs ) made it clear the Eagles intended to put away the Friars, who would only come as close as 11 points the rest of the way.

Friars coach Susan Yow said her team wasn't prepared for switching defenses in an attempt to keep up with BC's hot offense.

''We were mixing up the defense the first half, but as it turned out that was starting to hurt us, because our players were struggling to know when to change and when not to change,'' said Yow.

But the Friars could not solve Deveny. ''She's such a fluid shooter, and is really consistent when she releases it,'' said BC coach Cathy Inglese. ''And it's not just her outside shot; she has some versatility, which makes her difficult to stop.''

''I like to mix it up, make them guard me a little bit,'' said Deveny. ''I don't know, I just felt on. Every time we come out, we want to show them what BC is, and I think we did a good job.''

This story ran on page C13 of the Boston Globe on 1/5/2003.
� Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.


No. 21 Women's Basketball Romps Over Northeastern, 86-48
Jacobs leads the way with 18

Dec 12, 2002 BOSTON, Mass. - The Boston College women's basketball team turned a reasonably close game at halftime into an 86-48 blowout win over Northeastern Thursday, Dec. 12 at Solomon Court. All 12 Eagles that saw court time had at least one field goal.

Coming out of the locker room, BC led 40-29. In the first 9:56 of the second half, the Eagles outscored the Huskies 25-3 to run away with the game.

No. 21 Boston College (5-1) held Northeastern to 22.2 percent (4-22) shooting after the break.

Junior Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.) paced Boston College with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc. Sophomore Jessalyn Deveny (Westford, Mass.) pitched in with 12 points and seven rebounds, while senior Brianne Stepherson (Middleton, Mass.) scored a season-high 11 points. She also dished out five assists.


BC 69, TEMPLE 62
BC women's win is all lined up
By Susan Bickelhaupt, Globe Staff, 12/8/2002

Basketball coaches have a philosophy - if you want to win a game, you've got to hit your free throws. Which is why it's not unusual to see a kid standing alone in a driveway shooting baskets in the dead of winter or practicing by herself in a gym.

The Boston College women's basketball team adhered to the philosophy yesterday, as the Eagles hit 19 of 22 shots from the line, including their last six, to defeat Temple, 69-62, at Conte Forum.

No. 22 BC (4-1) trailed by 7 points at the half, but went on a 13-4 run to tie the score at 35-35 with 15:13 remaining. The crowd of 2,006 would have to suffer through four more ties before the Eagles took a 52-51 lead with 6:59 to go. It was a slight lead, but one they would never relinquish.

Sophomore Jessalyn Deveny, with a game-high 23 points, and junior Amber Jacobs (16 points) confidently stood on the free throw line in the last minute and hit the Eagles' last six attempts. Which was especially important since Temple's Christena Hamilton had just hit a 3-pointer to bring the pesky Owls (4-2) to within a point (63-62).

''It was a crazy game,'' said Jacobs , who was 4 of 8 from the floor and a perfect 8 for 8 from the line. ''I think our team came out ready to go, but then hit a slump at the end of the first half. Then we dug back in, and Coach [Kathy Inglese] said, `What are you going to do about it?' ''

With a little more than four minutes left in the first half, BC and Temple were tied, 20-20, so Inglese called a timeout, hoping the Eagles would turn things around. They didn't.

Temple went on a 9-2 run, and closed the half ahead, 29-22.

The second half looked to be more of the same as Temple freshman center Candice Dupree, who had a team-high 23 points, made a layup, and BC's Becky Gottstein committed a turnover.

Temple was up by 7 (33-26), but a basket and 3-point play by Gottstein (15 points), followed by two hoops from Jacobs , got BC back into the game.

Temple, meanwhile, was committing fouls. By game's end, two Owls had four personals and guard Khadija Bowens had five.

''We knew they would even the playing field by going to the free throw line, and that's how they did that,'' said Temple coach Dawn Staley.

''I have total confidence in these guys, but for some reason, I don't know what it was, we just stopped attacking the basket at the end of the half,'' Inglese said. ''But I told them at halfime, `I'm not going to make a lot of adjustments.' We were moving the ball around well, we just weren't getting the easy shots.''

With a little more than two minutes remaining, Jacobs , who had advanced the ball downcourt seemingly unopposed, looked as if she'd have an easy layup to give the Eagles a cushion. But it clanged off the rim, and the crowd gasped.

But Jacobs had a chance to redeem herself a minute later when she fed an assist to Gottstein, then was fouled twice, and made four free throws.

''Coach always stresses free throws in practice, to always be 80 percent,'' Jacobs said. ''A lot of foul shots matter, especially in a tight game like this.''

They certainly mattered yesterday.

This story ran on page C15 of the Boston Globe on 12/8/2002.
� Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.


No. 18 Women's Basketball Topples Holy Cross, 63-45
Three Eagles score in double figures

Nov. 26, 2002 Worcester, Mass. - The 18th-ranked Boston College women's basketball team won its second game in as many tries, toppling Holy Cross, 63-45, Tuesday night in the Hart Recreation Center on the campus of the College of the Holy Cross. The Eagles are currently 2-0 on the young season.

Both teams played even in the first half with neither team leading by more than six points. The game saw a tie six different times, including the halftime score of 28-28. Senior forward Becky Gottstein (Albany, N.Y.) paced the early Eagle attack with 14 first half points. By the intermission, Gottstein had 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Eagles broke open the game with a 17-0 run over the middle of the second stanza. Boston College's Jessalyn Deveny (Westford, Mass.) keyed the run, scoring all of her 17 points in the second half of the game. The Eagles forced six Holy Cross turnovers in that nine-minute span.

Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.) finished the game with 13 points, completing the triumverate of Eagles in double digits. Gottstein finished with her first double double of the season, scoring 22 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.


No. 19 Women's Basketball Defeats Siena, 66-40
Jessalyn Deveny scores a career-high 23 points

Nov 24, 2002 BOSTON (AP) - Amber Jacobs scored 26 points and Jessalyn Deveny added a career-high 23 to lead No. 19 Boston College to a 66-40 victory over Siena on Sunday.

Jacobs hit four 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes and finished 6-for-6 from beyond the arc as Boston College seized control with an early 29-3 run.

Boston College shot 47 percent from the field and built a 39-8 lead by halftime.


No. 20 Women's Basketball Romps Over Premier Players, 74-54, In Exhibition Opener

Four Eagles score in double figures

Nov. 6, 2002 CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The 20th-ranked Boston College women's basketball came out smoking in its first exhibition game of the 2002-03 season, shooting better than 53 percent from the field en route to beating Premier Players, 74-54, Wednesday night in Silvio O. Conte Forum.

The Eagles shot well in the first half, hitting 46.7 (14-30) percent of their shots, and were even better in the second, when they shot an impressive 60 (18-30) percent from the floor. The Eagles were led by senior Becky Gottstein (Albany, N.Y.), who had 16 points on 7-11 shooting. Gottstein is coming back from an injury-riddled season in which she played only four games.

Droesch and Gottstein paced the team with six rebounds apiece, while Droesch and junior Amber Jacobs (Clarks Summit, Pa.), who was playing with an injured hand, each dished out five assists.


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