Bulldogs Shot 50-Percent In First Half

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – A game-high 21 points by Nyasha Sarju and a career-high 18 from Jen Berkowitz were not enough to overcome Boston College's second-half surge, as the Yale women's basketball team finished its non-league schedule with a 73-60 loss on Sunday afternoon.

The Bulldogs (9-8) were outscored in the second half, 40-26, after leading by a point at halftime in front of a crowd of 1,015 people in the Conte Forum. A win would have been Yale's first over an ACC opponent since a 91-85 upset of No. 15/14 Florida State back on Dec. 18, 2010.

Yale led 34-33 at the intermission, but was quickly attacked by Boston College in the third, which went on a 13-2 run to start the half and took a 10-point lead. The Bulldogs didn't get within six points the rest of the way.

"There was inconsistency in our defensive game plan in both halves, but I think scoring makes up for a multitude of sins. We were able to score in the first half, so it turned into a game of exchanging buckets," said Joel E. Smilow '54 head coach Allison Guth.

After shooting 50-percent (13-of-26) as a team in the first half, the Elis managed just 30.4-percent (7-of-23) in the second, with few second chances. The Eagles held a 15-2 edge in second-chance points.

Sarju had 14 of Yale's 26 second-half points, as Guth's squad struggled to find any offensive rhythm – with little room for error. Boston College had 12 offensive rebounds to Yale's four, and the overall rebounding advantage of 37-26.

"Boston College came out in the second half ready to attack us and we didn't respond defensively," said Guth. "Our inability to make stops on defense hurt our offense because we like to push the ball in transition."

Berkowitz was extremely efficient from the field, scoring her new career-high of 18 points on just 5-of-7 shooting, while successful on 3-of-4 jumpers from long range. The sophomore forward and Sarju also combined to go 13-of-13 from the free throw line.

"I'm really proud of Jen. She's such a team player, so I know she isn't satisfied with the game, but she stepped up offensively by showing her range and physically battling inside," said Guth. Berkowitz had a team-high six rebounds on Sunday.

The Eagles had a 38-24 scoring edge in the paint, with center Mariella Fasoula leading the way with 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. Boston College shot 49.2-percent in the game, including 51.9-percent in the first half to keep pace with the hot-shooting Bulldogs.

"We made the adjustment at halftime that we were going to double-down every time Fasoula caught the ball. With a player her size, we wanted to prevent them from even getting her looks down low," said Guth.

The Bulldogs scored early and often once the game began, with four of their first five possessions resulting in points. Berkowitz scored nine of her 18 in the first quarter, all coming by way of three-point jumpers.

Despite shooting 71.4-percent (10-of-14) in the first period, the Eagles answered with a 73.3-percent mark (11-of-15) of their own. Yale led, 25-23, after the first.

In a low-scoring second quarter, Sarju's three-pointer midway through the period gave the Bulldogs enough room for a halftime lead. Only 19 total points were scored in the quarter by both teams.

The Eagles went on their run coming out of the locker room, outscoring the Elis, 19-10, in the third quarter. Two three-pointers by Nicole Boudreau pushed Boston College's lead to nine at one point. Layups by Berkowitz and Sarju cut the lead down to eight by the end of the period.

Boston College's lead was as big as 20 in the fourth quarter, running away from the Bulldogs in the final 10 minutes. Sarju had eight of her 21 in the final period.

"They are a very talented offensive team, one of the best we have played this year," said Guth of the Eagles, who improve to 12-3. "We knew it would be a tough challenge, but we felt our pressure defense would throw them off. We didn't come out with that intensity, though."

Senior captain Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) had a team-high four assists, while seven different players scored for the Bulldogs. It was a homecoming for Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.), who got the chance to play in front of family and friends on Sunday.

With the non-league schedule now complete, the Bulldogs prepare this week for the Ivy League opener when they host Brown on Saturday at 2 p.m. It is a doubleheader with Yale men's basketball, which plays Brown at 5 p.m. in the Lee Amphitheater.

The "14 Game Tournament" has begun.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity