PHILADELPHIA (12/01/01) - A career-high 20 points by sophomore Amra Mehmedic and 50.0% shooting from the field were not enough to overcome 25 turnovers as the Saint Joseph's University women's basketball team dropped a 78-73 decision to Boston College at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The defeat dropped SJU's record to 3-2, while the Eagles improved to 3-1 overall. After seizing the lead late in the firsy half, the Eagles maintained a comfortable ten-point cushion for most of the second half. Late in the game, however, the Hawks put together a surge that cut the lead down to as few as four points on two occasions. Three-point baskets by Amy Snell, Jane Meade and Amra Mehmedic were critical to the spurt. Clutch free throw shooting by B.C.'s Clare Droesch and a couple of key buckets, however, kept the held off the Hawks' comeback hopes. "I thought that Amra [Mehmedic] stepped up today. She knocked down some tough shots," said Hawk head coach Cindy Anderson-Griffin. SJU built up an eight-point first half lead behind the hot hand of senior Susan Moran.The Eagles, though chopped away at the SJU lead and knotted the game at 29-29 with just 1:26 left before intermission. A couple of late hoops allowed Boston College to take a 35-29 lead at the break. Moran led all scorers with a game-high 27 points for SJU. Mehmedic, who nailed 6-13 three-pointers, tied her previous career-high with 20 points. Fellow sophomore Stephanie Graff also had a solid outing contributing 10 points and 9 rebounds. Meade and Snell chipped in 7 points each. B.C. displayed a more balanced attack, as Droesch led a quintet of Eagles in double figures with 24 points. Rachel Byars had a double-double with 14 points and 11 caroms. "Their shooters did what they were supposed to do," assessed Anderson-Griffin. "They shot the ball well, they drove to the basket. Their inside game was very good and our defense did not play very well." The Hawks play a pair of Big Five games this week. The Crimson and Gray visit Penn at the Palestra on Tuesday and then travel down the Main Line to square off with Villanova next Friday. © Copyright 12/01/01 Saint Joseph's University & Saint Joseph's University Athletic Department