The Boston University women’s basketball team looked sharp on the road Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak away from Case Gymnasium with a 70-58 victory over last-place Stony Brook University.
The Terriers (16-11, 9-5 America East) were led by their backcourt, with senior Cheri Raffo leading the team with 25 points (five 3-pointers), tying a career high.
“Right from the get-go, we knew that [Raffo] had a hot hand,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “Especially before [an SBU] timeout in the first half, we ran a certain offense for her to get a three, and she knocked it down. She was just really feeling it.”
Meanwhile, junior Christine Kinneary put up 17 points and a game-high eight assists. Kinneary, who missed time in last Wednesday’s contest against the University of New Hampshire after spraining her ankle in the first half, showed no signs of discomfort and was effective on both ends of the floor.
“It really didn’t seem to be bothering her at all,” Greenberg said. “We felt that maybe defensively she might be a little slower, but if you didn’t know she was injured you would not have known she was hurting.
“As I’ve said before, she’s such a warrior in that she wants to be on the court. She said she felt pretty good, and if we would have taken her out and sat her we would have hurt her a little bit. Getting her more minutes and just keeping her on the floor was just better for her.”
Greenberg said she and her staff talked with Kinneary before the game, and the 5-foot-8 point guard said she was ready to go. Greenberg said Kinneary, a Plainedge, N.Y., native, always feels a little extra motivation playing at SBU, as she always draws a bit of a “home crowd.”
BU exchanged baskets with the Seawolves (6-21, 1-13) for much of the first half, which included five lead changes in the first 10 minutes. The Terriers struggled from the field, knocking down 10-of-34 shots (29.4 percent), though they did hit four 3-pointers.
BU built a six-point lead with just over six minutes left in the half, but SBU’s Misha Horsey buried a jumper with one second left on the clock to pull the Seawolves to within two, 30-28, at the half.
As has often been the case this season, the Terriers came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. With 14:17 left, Raffo knocked down a jump shot to extend the Terrier lead to six, sparking a 17-3 BU run that gave the Terriers a 55-37 lead.
“Defensively, when we started off the second half and got on that big run, it was all about [junior Amarachi Umez-Eronini],” Greenberg said. “She really bothered their point guard quite a bit, which I think really set the tone for us in the second half.”
SBU answered, charging back with an 18-4 run of its own, cutting the BU lead to 59-55 with more than two minutes left to play.
“We had a few turnovers in a row,” Greenberg said. “I think sometimes when you get a lead you get a little complacent. We made some not-so-great turnovers, which led to easy baskets for [SBU], and next thing you know they were back in the game.”
The Terriers would right the ship, however, finishing on an 11-3 run that included seven free throws in the game’s final minute.
For the Terriers, who had lost eight of their last nine games on the road, Saturday’s contest marked a turning point. And though SBU may not be the strongest of opponents, Greenberg was encouraged by BU’s play this weekend and hopes to see similar efforts as her team heads into March Madness.
“You never want to look ahead too much,” Greenberg said. “I talked to the girls after yesterday’s game about how we’re getting closer and closer to March Madness. They know their standing and know what the next game means and what the final game means. You don’t want to put too much on them because you really want to stay focused.”