After competitive play in its last two games, the Boston University women’s basketball team fell hard at American University Wednesday night, dropping a 79-33 decision.
The Eagles (6-17, 4-8 Patriot League) were led by senior Ari Booth’s 22 points, but it was a team effort that BU head coach Katy Steding’s side couldn’t keep at bay. BU (2-21, 2-10 Patriot League) was outrebounded 44-24, let American drain 52.4 percent of its shots and turned the ball over 21 times, leaving a sour note on the team’s pre-game sentiments.
“‘Optimistic’ might have been the right word, and ‘energetic’ too,” Steding said of the buildup to Wednesday’s encounter. “We’ve had a couple good practices this week and general excitement about that we’re on an upswing. As a team that’s young, you’re going to face some ups and downs, and this definitely wasn’t an up.”
As Steding alluded to, BU struggled from the onset at Bender Arena. It faced a 39-12 deficit at halftime and at one point trailed by 49 points. The second-year coach was also quick to point out that American has come a long way since BU usurped the Eagles 63-59 Jan. 13 for the first win of the Terriers’ season.
American’s improvements manifested in 19 assists, 26 points in the paint and many intangibles, all of which combined to crush BU’s swelling momentum.
“My hat goes off to American because they worked really, really hard,” Steding said. “They’ve got great shooters, spread them out, got great shots, were considerably tougher than us on the boards, their pace was really good and we were just a step slow from the start in every spot. We just felt off from the start.”
Despite persistent struggles throughout all four quarters, junior guard Courtney Latham served as a bright spot, and Steding took note. Latham finished with eight points and four rebounds, answering the call to step her game up.
“I thought Courtney Latham did a really good job, and we’ve been on her to be a little bit more aggressive and looking to attack the basket,” Steding said. “She responded very, very well and always does. When you put a challenge in front of Courtney, she’s an achievement-oriented person and responds to that.”
Steding also highlighted the contributions of several freshmen, noting that the lopsided result served as a “good opportunity for them to get out there and continue to improve their game and get some opportunities they’ve been missing.” Specifically, freshmen Naiyah Thompson and center Milla Ekstrom combined for 28 minutes played and six rebounds.
Looking forward, Steding emphasized that her team learned the value of not digging a hole it cannot escape from. Whether it’s improvements on the glass or a more focused defensive approach, the Terriers took a lot from their trip to our nation’s capital.
“My message to the team was, sometimes it’s just not your night,” Steding said. “We can wallow in it, or we can take a page and realize we have to be tougher on the boards, faster in our sets, more in attack mode on offense and shore up our defense.”
BU’s next chance to get in the win column comes Saturday afternoon when Loyola Maryland University comes to Case Gym. The Greyhounds (9-14, 6-6 Patriot League) are in the middle of the Patriot League playoff race, and the Terriers have their sights on righting the ship quickly.
“We’ve got a great opportunity to get one that got away from us at Loyola,” Steding said. “That’s the nice thing about college basketball — usually, there’s another opportunity right around the corner. It’s important for us as a young team to not get bogged down by a bad result and move on. It’s something we leave in history and try not to repeat.”
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
