It’s impossible to win a basketball game when the ball won’t go through the hoop. Despite out-rebounding its opponent and forcing five more turnovers, the Boston University women’s basketball team couldn’t overcome a bad shooting night, losing to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 57-63.
Junior Erica Kovach led the Terriers (13-8, 6-4 America East) with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Sophomore Kasey Devine and senior guard Rachael Vanderwal hauled in nine rebounds apiece, with Devine matching her career-best in points with 13.
It was an off night for the Terriers’ quartet of guards, who shot a combined 8-of-35, including 5-for-25 from beyond the 3-point line. BU shot 35.6 percent from the floor as a whole, while its opponents went 51.1 percent shooting.
Sharri Rohde led the Retrievers (13-8, 5-5) with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists. The junior forward shot 9-of-12 from the floor and played all 40 minutes. Matea Pender and Brittnie Hughes helped UMBC to its fifth-straight win with 17 and 10 points, respectively.
The two teams traded baskets to begin the game. Despite UMBC’s higher shooting percentage, the Terriers capitalized on second-chance opportunities and turnovers to keep the game close and even take the lead midway through the first half.
Things would soon begin to slip out of hand for the Terriers. Tied at 22-22 with five minutes left before the break, the Terriers watched as the Retrievers went on an 11-0 run. With the score now 33-22, the Terriers cut the lead to nine points on a Vanderwal layup heading into the break.
“We just didn’t come out with enough energy, enough talking,” Devine said. “But we stuck together as a team and that’s what we can take out of it. We need to bounce back. We have another big game coming up.”
Despite their offensive shortcomings, the Terriers continued to make the game competitive, cutting the deficit down to 46-51 after a Meinhardt 3-pointer with over eight minutes left to play. But Vanderwal was unable to capitalize after a Retrievers turnover, turning the ball over herself, and UMBC would go on to make 3-of-4 free throws to push the lead back up to eight.
The Terriers threatened to come back, but fouls would get in the way. The Retrievers shot 78.6 percent from the free throw line during the game and were given 12 opportunities from the charity stripe in the second half.
With 37 seconds remaining, Vanderwal’s free throws cut the lead to five points once again. After Erin Voss missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Terriers had a chance to close the gap, but Devine’s free throw was off the mark, hitting iron behind the basket and bouncing into the hands of UMBC.
It was the sixth time this season that Devine recorded 10 or more rebounds. Her average sits at 6.6 boards per game, but the sophomore forward would give back the statistics for another notch in the win column.
“It’s all about the team,” Devine said. “It doesn’t matter about my stats. A loss is a loss and we just need to learn from it.”
Binghamton University’s loss to the University of New Hampshire means that the Terriers are still tied for second in the America East Conference. The top two finishers receive a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The Terriers have a six-day break before hitting the road to face Binghamton Wednesday night.