Wednesday night’s victory over Stony Brook University signaled a change of ways for the Boston University women’s basketball team. Instead of having a second-half lead slip away and holding on for a win, the Terriers built on their lead and were able to turn the game into a blowout, winning by 42 points.
The Terriers (10-11, 7-3 America East) hope to continue their new ways on Saturday at 2 p.m. when they travel to the Chase Family Arena to take on the University of Hartford (5-15, 3-6 AE).
The two teams met earlier this year on Jan. 18, when BU squeaked out a 70-65 win over the Hawks at Case Gymnasium. The Terriers led midway through the second half by 12 points, but let the lead slip down to three points with 10 seconds remaining. Only Alison Argentieri’s clutch 6-6 shooting from the free throw line in the last minute kept the Terriers from coming away with what would have been a demoralizing loss.
BU coach Margaret McKeon believes her team has matured in the last month of the season and they now understand that they need to put away teams earlier in the game by continuing to push the ball in transition.
‘Hartford has a hard time in transition.’ McKeon said. ‘They play four guards and a lot of times we could end up with a 5’9′ player on Amparo Lopez (6’5′). So, we can really pound it in there.’
The lack of size has hurt Hartford all year. They rank last in the America East conference in rebounding margin (-7.1 per game), blocked shots (1.65 per game) and total offense (58.7 point per game).
Their guard play has not been all that impressive either, as the Hawks also rank last in the conference in assists (11.05 per game). A bright spot for Hartford has been that they rank second in the conference in turnover margin (+1.95), the only problem being it is almost 5 turnovers less a game than the conference leader, which happens to be BU (+6.24).
‘We have a major size factor against Hartford,’ said McKeon. ‘But our guard play is also so good, with Meinhardt, Terhune, (Argentieri) and Vanderwal. So, they can’t even pick their poison.’
With all the statistics and match-ups favoring BU, it’s hard to fathom how the last game between the two teams was as close as it was.
‘They a very feisty team. They compete for all 40 minutes,’ said McKeon. ‘They played one of their best games of the year on our court. But now, we’re playing much better, so we’re confident.’
A HOLIDAY BREAK
After the Saturday game, the Terriers will have a week off to prepare for preseason conference favorite University of Vermont, which currently sits in third place. The break will also provide the Terriers to have extra time to give back to the community. On Monday, Feb. 17 at Case Gym, they will hold a shooting clinic that is open to girls from grades 2-8.