by Riley Bauling
Daily Lobo
Boston College executed its game plan to stop All-American Kim Smith perfectly.
Just for good measure, the Eagles also shut down last year's co-Mountain West Conference Player of the Year, Shona Thorburn, in their Sweet 16 game against the University of Utah at The Pit on Saturday.
It was freshman Joh-Teena Filipe they weren't ready for in their 57-54 loss to the Utes.
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Filipe tied a career high with 11 points off the bench to go along with her three blocks and three rebounds in 18 minutes.
"I think we did a really nice job on Kim Smith holding her down," said Boston College head coach Cathy Inglese. "I think with Filipe coming off the bench and hitting those five baskets, I think that hurt us a little bit."
The Eagles held Smith, the four-time MWC Player of the Year, to 3-of-13 shooting and seven points. Her fellow first-team All-MWC teammate and senior, Thorburn, posted an identical 3-of-13 performance and 10 points.
But it was Filipe who bailed out the Utes when their stars weren't shining so bright.
She scored seven points in a 9-2 run that put Utah up 22-15 with 7:32 remaining in the first half, and the Utes never gave up the lead after that.
Smith said she's known all along that Utah isn't just a two-player team.
"People always say it's Kim and Sho, but we have incredibly talented players on our team who can step up at any moment," Smith said. "You saw everyone hit every kind of shot tonight when we needed it, and they've done that all year. So it's never been just about myself having to score a bunch of points."
It doesn't hurt when she does though. The last time she was held to under 10 points was against the Lobos on Jan. 5 when she had six and the Utes lost by 17, 59-42.
The Eagles clawed their way back in the waning minutes, pulling to within three with 4:07 remaining in the game. Neither team managed to score again, as Boston College had three chances to tie the game with a three-pointer in the last 17 seconds, but chucked up three bricks.
The Eagles put up a doughnut from behind the arc, going 0-for-8 in the game. Utah, meanwhile, was 6-of-16.
The last four minutes of the game was more of a wrestling match for rebounds than anything else. When neither team can score, those rebounds become little gold nuggets to hoard.
"It was just sort of a gutty deal where every rebound matters because the ball's not falling either way," said Utah head coach Elaine Elliott.
With the win, the No. 5-seeded Utes are into the Elite Eight for the first time in the school's history. They will face the No. 2-seeded University of Maryland with a trip to the Final Four in Boston on the line.
"I've never been there before, but I've never been to the Sweet 16 either," Thorburn said. "I'm so proud of our team and how far we've come. It's just so exciting, and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."
