Defense stands firm, swipes sixteen steals

There’s a saying in sports — ‘You’ve got to shoot to score.’

For a five-minute stretch in the first half of the Boston University women’s basketball team’s game against the University of Hartford on Saturday, Hartford found out the harsh reality of that statement.

After jumping out to an early 7-2 lead, the Hawks were completely overwhelmed by the Terrier press and, for five minutes, failed to register a shot attempt, paving the way for an 11-0 BU run that gave the Terriers (6-9, 3-1 America East) a lead they would not relinquish.

The Hawks (3-12, 1-3 America East), despite featuring a lineup consisting of three and sometimes four guards, were helpless against the full-court pressure applied by the Terriers, who forced 16 first-half turnovers, including 12 steals, to take control of the game. BU finished the game with 16 steals, five shy of the season high of 21 set against Central Connecticut State University. Junior forward Marisa Moseley led the way with four of her own.

The Terriers have been tormenting opponents all season long with intense pressure and a penchant for larceny that has led to many easy baskets in transition. BU currently ranks first in America East in steals (12.75 per game) and scoring offense (76.5 points per game) against conference opponents, a combination that speaks volumes about the Terrier philosophy of defensive execution leading to offensive success.

‘For us this year, our defense is everything,’ BU coach Margaret McKeon said. ‘Our defense generates offense even if people miss. If they get shots off but we’re contesting and we’re rebounding off the first miss and then we’re going … at least 65-70 percent of the time we score.’

If not for an abnormally high number of missed layups on Saturday, the Terriers likely would have won the game in decisive fashion. Instead, BU had to ward off a late Hartford rally to capture the victory. The Terriers did so with clutch free throw shooting. Senior guard Alison Argentieri knocked down six of six from the stripe over the final 39 seconds, and just plain out-hustled the Hawks down the stretch.

Hustle is one thing McKeon demands from her players, and it shows up in various places on the stat sheet. The Terriers are tops in America East in blocks, steals, turnover margin, and are the only team to have more assists than turnovers against conference foes.

The majority of the damage on defense is done by frontcourt members Moseley and sophomore forward Adrienne Norris, who both rank among the conference best in steals and blocked shots. And with the depth the Terriers possess at the guard spot thanks to the emergence of freshmen Katie Meinhardt and Rachael Vanderwal the team can apply pressure over 94 feet for 40 minutes and not worry about tiring down the stretch.

Even if the Terriers are unable to force a turnover, they usually are able to force the opposition into a difficult shot. Against Hartford, these contested shots fell more often than not, but that shouldn’t be the case as the season progresses.

‘I think our press has been pretty good all year long [at] taking time off the shot clock and putting people in a rush,’ McKeon added.

If nothing else, the Terriers’ early success at forcing turnovers in conference confirms the old adage that, as indicated by those five first half minutes against Hartford, you do have to shoot to score.

Nothing but love for Meinhardt

Katie Meinhardt strengthened her position as the early favorite for America East Rookie of the Year by earning her second straight Rookie of the Week accolade. Meinhardt, who last week shared the honor with Hartford’s Danielle Wexler, won the award outright this week for her performances against Stony Brook and Hartford, two Terrier wins.

Meinhardt has reached double figures in scoring five games in a row after scoring 11 and 12 points while starting at point guard for BU. Meinhardt also set a career-high for assists with six in the Terriers’ 88-76 win at Stony Brook.