The Boston University women’s basketball team is a perfect 3-0 in conference home games this year while the University of Maine Black Bears are a perfect 5-0 overall in conference. Tonight at Case Gymnasium, the top two teams in America East will battle to preserve their respective streaks and make a statement as the teams approach the midway point of the conference schedule.
Tonight’s game will feature the top two scorers in America East as well. Junior forward Heather Ernest of Maine (12-4, 5-0 America East) currently leads the conference in scoring at 19.5 points per game while junior guard Katie Terhune is not far behind in second with 18.2 for the Terriers (7-10, 4-2 America East).
Ernest will be in for a tough time though, as she will be going up against possibly the toughest defender in the conference in junior forward Marisa Moseley, who leads the conference in steals and blocked shots. Moseley is part of a Terrier defense that has opponents turning the ball over 23.9 times each game, by far the best in the conference.
However, the Terriers struggle when they are unable to convert on the scoring chances generated by their defense.
‘It’s something we’ve worked on ever since I’ve been here, [turning] turnovers into points,’ said BU coach Margaret McKeon.
‘We’re stealing the ball, and in certain games, we’re converting the points and we look great, and then when we don’t we look bad. We have to make certain that we get every point.’
Missed layups and poor execution in transition have led to the Terriers’ inconsistent play. The former is something that will correct itself, the latter McKeon attributes to the multitude of injuries that have troubled the Terriers so far this season.
‘We’re a good basketball team, we’re just really banged up,’ McKeon said, ‘They’re not familiar with each other.’
Never mind the games missed by injured Terriers, it’s the missed practice time that has resulted in BU’s difficulty jelling as a team this year. Starters like Terhune and sophomore forward Larissa Parr have been playing hurt for the past few games. Sophomore forward Adrienne Norris has been unable to practice for weeks due to injury, and since returning from a stress fracture, freshman guard Rachael Vanderwal hasn’t been able to practice on an everyday basis.
For Norris, who is hindered by injuries to her feet, it has been especially difficult to find a role offensively, an obvious factor of the missed practice time. Defensively, Norris is fourth in the conference in steals, ninth in blocks, and twelfth in rebounding, combining with Moseley as one of the top defensive tandems in the conference.
‘[Norris has done] a great job on the defensive end and rebounding, what she’s doing while not practicing is unbelievable,’ McKeon said.
The Terrier coaching staff is hopeful that Norris will resume practice in the next couple of weeks, aided in large part by an eight-day layoff between games for BU after tonight’s clash against Maine.
Despite health problems, McKeon is looking forward to the time off, and a win. She is not shy with her prediction for tonight’s game.
‘If we get,’ McKeon said, hesitating. ‘When we get that done tomorrow night, I think it will add a lot of confidence to our team. It’ll be nice to get the win and have the rest.’
A win would bring the Terriers to within a half game of the Black Bears for first place in the America East standings. The University of Vermont, the preseason pick as the top team in the conference, has struggled so far this year. The Catamounts are currently in fifth place with a 2-3 conference mark. The season is still early though, so don’t be surprised if Vermont joins the Terriers and Black Bears in what should be an exciting race into tourney time.
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