The Boston University women’s basketball team could not break its six-game losing streak against the United States Naval Academy as it took the loss on Wednesday, 48-40. Instead, it will look to snap the skid against Lafayette College this weekend.
The Terriers (4-18, 1-10 Patriot League) started strong against the Midshipmen (13-9, 7-4 Patriot League) as they grabbed a 10-9 lead with 11:45 remaining on a free throw from freshman guard Meghan Doogan.
Navy proceeded to go on an 11-0 run toward the end of the first half, and they would never look back as they pulled off the win.
Despite the disappointing result, the Terriers had a few standout performances as junior guard Clodagh Scannell contributed a team-leading 14 points and five rebounds, and sophomore forward Meghan Green scored eight points to go along with five rebounds.
BU coach Katy Steding said she was pleased with Scannell’s performance on the floor.
“Clodagh has been doing a terrific job and has developed a good aggressive posture recently,” she said. “We need to continue to use her as a very capable point guard and also create options for her off the dribble as an off-guard as well. She’s done a good job harnessing her energy and making better decisions.”
Scannell’s performance energized the entire team as they outscored Navy 30-20 in the paint.
Steding highlighted the team’s post play and said they will have to continue to create good looks.
“We have and will continue to try and create as many looks for Meghan Green, Mollie and Kara as possible,” she said. “One bright spot for us this year has been scoring in the paint. I have tremendous faith in our players and the coaching they receive from Stephanie Tobey and Taj Williams-Franklin.”
The Terriers will look to play strong defense to keep up with Lafayette’s (11-11, 4-7 Patriot League) cold shooting streak. It shot 1-13 from behind the arc in its previous game against Bucknell University.
The Terriers are also looking to snap a three-game home losing streak but have played their best basketball at home where three of their four wins have come.
They are catching the Leopards at the right time as they have lost five of their past six games and their last three games on the road.
The Leopards feature senior Emily Homan has scored in double figures for 23 straight games and leads the team in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Homan also is third in Leopard’s history with 1420 points scored in her career.
Guard Jamie O’Hare is also a standout for Lafayette as she averages 12.1 points per game to go along with the team lead in assists (75) and 3-point percentage (41.5 percent).
The Terriers will have to limit their turnovers as they currently have a -4.41 turnover margin, the worst in the Patriot League, and they can’t afford to give Homan and the Leopards the ball.
Steding said the Terriers will have to concentrate most of their energy on trying to contain Homan.
“Clearly, we have our work cut out for us against Lafayette,” she said. “They have Emily Homan, who is a real handful and they surround her with very good shooters and a couple of real strong rebounders. It’s limiting Homan’s touches, keeping her in a pot that’s less comfortable for her and then making sure we lock them down on the perimeter.”
Doug covers women's soccer and other sports for the Daily Free Press. When he's not doing schoolwork, writing, or being a social butterfly on campus, he enjoys playing the piano, or hitting the course for a round of golf.
