The Boston University women’s basketball team went into Saturday’s game against No. 16 Ohio State University as the underdog. Playing against a top team in a top conference, the Terriers were expected to struggle against the superior team.
But the Terriers certainly didn’t walk away from Saturday’s 83-68 loss with their tails between their legs after keeping within striking distance for most of the game.
Senior Cheri Raffo’s career-best 23 points, aided by 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point land, was just the boost the Terriers were looking for against the better Buckeyes. The outburst provided some relief after Raffo, who is expected to be one of BU’s leading scorers, only managed two points in the home opener against the University of Rhode Island and was shooting 29 percent from the field this season, including 1-of-5 on 3-pointers, heading into Saturday’s contest.
“I think Cheri’s been a little disappointed because she wants to do so much for the team,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “Having a breakout game against an opponent like Ohio State has to give her such confidence. She was feeling it and taking some tough shots. Girls were right on her and she was knocking [shots] down in their face.”
Junior Amarachi Umez-Eronini again proved her worth. The 5-foot-10 guard led BU in rebounding (seven boards) and gave the Buckeye offense fits, drawing multiple charging calls that acted as a spark for the Terriers. Almost every big run BU had started with a big defensive play by Umez-Eronini, and Greenberg couldn’t say enough good things about her performance.
“She has big-time energy and big-time passion,” Greenberg said. “She doesn’t try to do things she can’t do, which is a wonderful quality to have.”
OSU senior Marscilla Packer led all scorers with 24 points, including four first half 3’s. Packer could have done more damage, but foul trouble kept her on the bench for most of the second half, which might, above all else, have helped keep the Terriers close.
“She can really shoot it,” Greenberg said. “She’s a scorer. I thought we did a nice job containing her for a little while until she broke loose again for that run in the second half. She took some shots where [Amarachi] was right in her face, and as I told [Amarachi], if she knocks that down, there’s nothing you can do. You have to give her credit — she’s a darn good basketball player.”
Raffo, who shared the job of helping Umez-Eronini guard Packer, said she was a challenging assignment.
“She’s going to make shots, we just have to keep our hands in her face and force her to make fadeaways,” Raffo said. “That’s what we wanted. If she’s going to make that, then she’s going to make that. We just can’t let her get open shots like she did in the beginning, but it was tough.”
The Terriers were more effective in shutting down 6-foot-4 freshman Jantel Lavender, who was held scoreless through the first 15 minutes. But BU sent the rookie to the charity stripe nine times, and she hit every single one. Lavender eventually broke the BU defense, scoring most of her 21 points during the Buckeyes’ 22-8 late second-half run.
The Buckeyes shot an impressive 55.4 percent from the field, easily topping the Terriers’ 42.9 shot percentage, although BU bested OSU from beyond the arc, shooting 50 percent on 3-point attempts compared to 35.7 percent for the Buckeyes.
The Buckeyes were dominant down low, pulling in 37 rebounds to the Terriers’ 23. Junior Star Allen led OSU with 11 rebounds, while Lavender pulled in seven.
The Terriers face Northeastern University tonight at Case Gym at 5:30 p.m. as part of a doubleheader with the men’s team.