Three weeks ago, the Boston University women’s basketball team pulled off the shocker of the year, defeating No. 24 University of Vermont, 73-64, at home for its first-ever win over a ranked opponent. On Wednesday evening, the Terrier squad found the rematch far less gratifying, falling 77-59 in Burlington, Vt.
It looked like another upset was brewing as the Terriers (12-11, 8-3 America East) started off the game on a 7-2 run. Not wanting to disappoint a rabid home crowd of 1,864, the Catamounts (20-5, 10-2) took the lead off senior guard Courtnay Pilypaitis’ 3-pointer late in the first half and never looked back.
This time, the Terriers had no answer for Vermont’s dominating duo of Pilypaitis and classmate May Kotsopoulos. The 6-foot-1 Pilypaitis had one of her usual well-rounded games, scoring 15 points while grabbing 14 rebounds for a double-double. Kotsopoulos, AE’s leading scorer, added 22 points and six assists, and was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line.
After fouling out during the teams’ last meeting, Kotsopoulos was able to stay on the floor for the full 40 minutes. The senior guard’s accuracy from the field proved key after BU had cut Vermont’s lead to four points midway through the second half. Down the stretch, Kotsoupolos hit all eight of her shots from the charity stripe to preserve her team’s victory.
Free throws, a huge part of BU’s upset in January, also played a big role in Wednesday’s game. But this time it was Vermont’s shooters who took frequent trips to the line, going 25-for-30 compared to BU’s 11-for-17 showing. It was a complete reversal of the previous match, when the Terriers nailed 20 of their 26 free throws, while holding the Catamounts to 3-for-7.
For BU, Alex Young started out on fire, leading all players with 16 points before the break. Plagued by foul trouble, the sophomore guard was only able to manage a lone layup in the second half.
Three other Terriers managed double-digit points for Coach Kelly Greenberg. Freshman guards Chantell Alford and Mo Moran scored 13 and 12, respectively, while senior forward Aly Hinton added 10 points in 29 minutes off the bench in her return from an ankle injury.
UVM held narrow advantages of 43-41 in total rebounds and 13-12 in assists. Turnovers proved to be a great difference maker, however. The Catamounts converted 19 of their points off of 12 BU turnovers, while turning the ball over only four times themselves.
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