The Boston University women’s basketball team couldn’t break its three-game losing streak Saturday as it fell to Bucknell University 65-60 on Senior Day.
The Terriers (5-22, 2-14 Patriot League) endured a rough start Saturday as the Bison (17-10, 9-7 Patriot League) hit shots early and often.
After the teams exchanged baskets to open the game, the Bison went on a 17-1 run to claim a 19-3 lead. Nine points from freshman guard Jacquie Klotz highlighted the Bison run.
The Terriers did not give in after that overwhelming run by the Bison as they fought back to score the game’s next 12 points and, in the process, went into the half down 19-15.
BU coach Katy Steding said her team was successful in some ways, but also gave credit to the Bison going into the second half.
“We have to continue to be us, and frankly, we were only moderately successful at that in the second half,” she said. “We scored well and shot extremely well, but so did they.”
In the second half, both teams traded baskets until a 3-pointer by junior guard Clodagh Scannell cut the Bison lead to 29-25 with 16:13 to play.
The Bison took over from there as they went on another 9-3 run that was capped off by a Klotz 3-pointer that put the Bison up 38-28.
Guard Megan McGurk proceeded to score the next six Bison points, and Bucknell then opened up one of its largest leads of the game at 52-37 on two free throws from sophomore Claire DeBoer with 6:23 remaining.
From there, it was an uphill battle for the Terriers as they tried to claw back in the last minute with sophomore guard Courtney Latham laying a ball in off the glass to cut the lead to six at 64-58.
However, the Bison had already built up a big enough lead and came out on top with a 65-60 victory.
Although they didn’t leave the court with the intended result, the Terriers were not without their fair share of highlight-reel performances.
Sophomore forward Meghan Green led all scorers with 20 points and recorded another double-double on her season as she also added 10 rebounds. Green is the Terriers’ leading scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game. In her final home game as a Terrier, senior forward Mollie McKendrick recorded nine points and three rebounds.
Steding said she was impressed with McKendrick’s effort and composure throughout the emotional contest.
“I think she felt good,” she said. “Senior day is always tough, and today was no exception. It’s hard to lose that one, but Mollie has been a real trooper, and she is really loved by her teammates.”
Steding also complimented Green’s play throughout the game.
“Obviously, it’s a big boon to us when Meghan scores like that,” she said. “But she is very capable of doing that every night.”
Steding said increased consistency from Green could be a key component to the Terriers’ plans for future success.
“I feel like she could go off all the time like that but has lulls when she kind of takes a break offensively,” she said. “It’s something she will need to continue to improve on for next year.”
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.
