The Boston University women’s basketball team fell to Northeastern University in its season opener on Friday afternoon by a score of 78-59 at the Cabot Center.
The Terriers (0-1) were plagued by turnovers and poor rebounding throughout the game, and suffered a loss to the Huskies (2-0) in the season’s first contest for the fourth straight season.
Northeastern came out with more aggression from the opening tip-off, and BU found themselves down 24-10 at the end of the first quarter. At one point, the Terriers had more turnovers (seven) than shot attempts (six), and allowed nine offensive rebounds in the first quarter.
BU recovered by the second quarter, though, cutting down on turnovers and scoring with much more efficiency. Exactly 14 of the team’s 17 second quarter points came off from layups, and they committed only five turnovers, half as many as they did in the first frame.
Despite their improved play, the Terriers were unable to make any sort of dent in the Husky lead, and trailed 43-27 at the half.
BU head coach Katy Steding attributed the deficit largely to second-chance points, an area where the Huskies had a clear advantage.
“We got more offensive rebounds, but they finished their putbacks, and we didn’t,” Steding said.
The second half proved to be much of the same, as the Terriers played well enough to keep up with Northeastern, but were unable to mount any sort of comeback.
BU’s field goal percentage suffered in the second half, as they shot 34.4 percent from the field, compared to 46.2 percent in the first half. They did, however, improve their free throw shooting, making seven of 10 attempts.
Steding also liked the way her team responded in the turnover category through the final 20 minutes.
“We only had six [turnovers] in the second half,” Steding said. “The message to the girls was that we can’t come out and be so tight; we’ve got to take better care of the ball. I’d rather have a shot clock violation than a risky pass, or a less-than-perfect pass.”
Northeastern was an offensive powerhouse from start to finish, and found remarkable success from three-point range, finishing 12-of-24 as a team from beyond the arc. As a team, they shot a higher percentage on three point shots than on all field goals.
Steding was quick to acknowledge the Huskies’ shooting, but emphasized that the focus is on her team and its defensive gameplan.
“They have great shooters, but we’re more focused on being true to what we’re doing defensively,” Steding said.
Northeastern’s success was largely thanks to guard Jess Genco, who shot an incredible 7-of-9 from three. Genco played 37 minutes and led all players in scoring with 27 points. The Scranton, Pennsylvania native also contributed six rebounds and three assists, both of which were good for second-best on the team.
Despite the loss, BU senior guard Courtney Latham had a great game, scoring 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting. She also chipped in nine rebounds and five assists.
“She came in and gave us a real spark,” Steding said. “Her experience provides an edge. I thought she did a really good job, she was focused, so energetic, she’s a great rebounder for a guard, she has a great nose for the ball, she really knows where to be to pick up those loose rebounds.”
Not to be outdone, senior guard Sarah Hope and junior guard Corrine Williams were BU’s leading scorers with 13 points each. Look for the trio to provide a bulk of the scoring output for this team moving forward.
In her Terrier debut, junior center Sophie Beaudry had a shaky night in terms of shooting (2-of-12), but was second on the team in rebounds despite only playing 23 minutes.
The Terrier offense might have looked a little shaky at the onset, but Steding remained hopeful.
“We shot almost 40 percent from the floor, which was better than we were averaging last year,” Steding said. “As we get more and more comfortable I think we’re going to get better and better results.”
Don’t quit your day job Owen