STORRS, Conn. (AP) -- Brianne Stepherson had 15 points and Alissa Murphy added 14 to lead Boston College (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 19 AP) to a 70-53 win over West Virginia Saturday in the first round of the Big East tournament.

	Becky Gottstein made an impact for BC despite not having played in six weeks.

The game marked the return of BC's sophomore forward Becky Gottstein, sidelined for six weeks with a stress fracture in her right ankle after leading the conference with 10 rebounds a game.

She finished with nine rebounds and seven points in 19 minutes as the Eagles dominated the boards, 50-30.

Boston College (24-7) took the lead for good with a 21-12 run six minutes into the game.

The Mountaineers (6-22) were led by Val Zona with 12 points.

The Eagles advance to play fifth-seeded Georgetown, which beat 12th-seeded Syracuse 67-65.