BC upset by Maryland in first ACC game
Boston College coach Al Skinner looked at the stat sheet and shook his head.
The No. 6 Eagles had just lost their Atlantic Coast Conference debut, falling to 21st-ranked Maryland 73-71 Sunday night in College Park, Md., and Skinner was asked about his team’s 5-for-15 performance at the foul line.
“We could have made more,” he said, “but you’re not going to win many games when the other team makes more free throws than you take – especially a team like ours, which is pretty aggressive going to the basket. I just find that hard to believe.”
It might take a while for the Eagles (6-2) to get adjusted to the ACC, especially the referees.
Ekene Ibekwe scored 21 points and Chris McCray had 16 for the Terrapins (7-2, 1-0), who went 19 for 29 at the line. The Eagles were called for 24 fouls compared to 16 for Maryland.
That, the Terrapins contend, was by design.
“That was the first thing the coach told us when we were going over BC: They shoot 26 free throws a game and their opponents average 11 free throws,” McCray said. “That’s basically how they’ve been winning games. We just wanted to contain them and stay between them and the basket.”
Craig Smith had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and Sean Marshall scored 15 points for the Eagles.
Women’s games
Cappie Pondexter scored 21 of her game-high 25 points in the second half as No. 6 Rutgers (8-0) rallied for a 65-56 victory over host Princeton (5-3).
Becky Brown had 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers, while Katy O’Brien added 14 points and Meagan Cowher had 13.
(4) Ohio St. 68, USC 57: At Los Angeles, guard Brandie Hoskins scored 20 points and center Jessica Davenport had 15 points and a career-high 18 rebounds as the Buckeyes (6-0) defeated the Trojans (6-3). Camille LeNoir came off the bench to score 15 for the Trojans, whose three-game winning streak ended. … (9) Maryland 92, Arizona 67: At College Park, Md., Marissa Coleman scored 20 points, Crystal Langhorne had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the Terrapins (8-1) beat the Wildcats (4-3) for their fourth straight victory. Shay Doron had 12 points and 13 assists for the Terrapins (8-1), who had six players reach double figures. Natalie Jones scored a career-high 29 points for Arizona.
(24) Purdue 70, Valparaiso 55: At Fort Wayne, Ind., Katie Gearlds scored 28 points, including 6 of 9 3-pointers, and Aya Traore added 23 points to help the Boilermakers (6-2) beat the Crusaders (4-4). Betsy Rietema paced Valparaiso with 13 points and Carrie Myers added 12. … (25) N.C. State 76, Delaware State 58: At Raleigh, N.C., Tiffany Stansbury had 23 points and six rebounds to lead the Wolfpack (6-2) past the Hornets (4-2). Raquel Collier scored 23 points to lead Delaware State, which went into the break tied at 34.