The Boston University women’s basketball team began the second half of its America East conference schedule against the University of Maine on Saturday. If the game was any indication, the season’s second verse could very well be the same as the first.
The Terriers defeated the Black Bears for the second time this season, this time at Case Gymnasium by the score 56-49.
The two teams had previously played on Jan. 5 in Orono, Maine, where the Terriers emerged victorious, 71-65. Similar to that first matchup, BU (11-10, 7-2) jumped out to a 10-point lead at the half only to see it shrink to as little as two after the break.
The Terriers missed their first seven field goal attempts in the second half, allowing the Black Bears (7-14, 3-6) to start the period on a 6-0 run.
‘I thought we beat ourselves a little bit in the second half,’ BU coach Kelly Greenberg said. ‘I think we’re all ready for us to break open. We had a 10-point lead. Let’s get it to 20. When that didn’t [happen] and they were hanging around a bit, you give the other team some confidence. It became like a grinding game, which is fine. We found a way to win that way.’
Freshman guard Chantell Alford’s six steals were a big reason why the Terriers were able to find success.
Perhaps the biggest of those steals came with 8:11 left to go in the game. As Maine set up in their offensive zone and BU only leading by two, Alford created a turnover that she took coast-to-coast for a layup to make it a two-possession game. Two minutes later, the freshman added another steal and layup for two more of her 18 points to give the Terriers a much more comfortable eight-point lead.
‘Chantell came up with those huge steals for layups and basically secured the ‘W’ for us,’ Greenberg said.
Although the steals came in a similar fashion for Alford and the Terriers, the fast-break points certainly did not. In the first matchup, BU recorded only four fast-break points, but on Saturday, that number ballooned to 14.
‘We don’t have to worry about what the other team is doing defensively or get in any kind of offense,’ Greenberg said. ‘We’d much prefer to get a quick early layup or pull-up. Thankfully it was there for us.’
The fast offense benefitted Alford and sophomore guard Alex Young. Twice Alford hit Young streaking up the court, resulting in quick baskets for the sophomore.
Young scored a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting for BU, her highest output since putting up 25 against Stony Brook University on Jan. 13. In the next contest against the University at Albany, Young went down with an injured ankle. After the injury, the sophomore averaged just 6.0 points-per-game over the next four games before exploding for 17 on the road last Thursday against the University of New Hampshire.
‘We really talked about transition quite a bit,’ Greenberg said. ‘There are some teams that all they do is get back so they really limit our opportunities. Today we looked very effective [setting up our fast-break offense]. Outlet to a guard, the guard sideline pass to another guard for a layup.’