CHESTNUT HILL - Boston College women's basketball suffered a narrow 72-71 setback to Holy Cross inside Conte Forum on Monday evening.
Boston College falls to 0-1 on the season, while the Crusaders are 1-0.
Kayla Rolph scored a team-best 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, highlighted by a trio of 3-pointers. Jocelyne Grier netted 13 points with six off the glass, and Lily Carmody scored 13 with five boards and four assists.
Teionni McDaniel netted 10 points on four field goals, and Amirah Anderson corralled nine off the glass. All four made their debuts in an Eagle uniform. Athena Tomlinson dished out a game-high six assists with nine points and five boards.
Monday's contest came down to the wire in the final 30 seconds of the game when both teams traded baskets with the score tied at 67 apiece. McDaniel scored on back-to-back possessions to give the team a 71-69 advantage with under 10 seconds left in the game. HC scored the final three points, as it went 1-for-2 at the line, then hit a layup with one second on the clock to seal the win.
BC shot 56.3 percent from the field in the opening quarter, including six trifectas and a 7-of-10 start shooting, leading to a 21-12 lead after three straight from beyond the arc by Grier and Erin Houpt. The torrid start on offense led to a 26-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
Both teams struggled from the field in the second period, shooting below 25 percent from the floor. A 4-0 spurt from the visitors sliced the gap to 33-29 going into the break.
It was a back-and-forth affair in the third frame, where neither team led by more than four points. Carmody sparked an 8-0 run that gave BC a 50-46 lead. It was a one-possession game in BC's favor, 52-50, after three, following free throws by HC.
The Eagles began to build momentum in the final period, stretching their lead to 67-60 after one of McDaniel's four baskets in the quarter with 2:47 left in the game. But Holy Cross responded, connecting on its final seven field goals to close out the game.
BC returns to action on Thursday at 1 p.m. against New Hampshire inside Conte Forum.