BU hungry for Gator meat

Even before the start of the Boston University women’s basketball team’s preseason, BU coach Margaret McKeon said she had one game marked off on the team’s schedule for quite some time: the squad’s Nov. 22 match-up with the University of Florida.

‘We have the ability, being at home and things of that nature in our first game, to really say, ‘Okay, this is a game we can win,” McKeon said way back on Oct. 1. ‘I think everything will fall into place after that.’

Well, almost two months, more than 25 practices and what probably seemed to be an eternity later for the Terriers, the beginning of the 2003-2004 season has arrived, and McKeon has not changed her tune one bit as her team heads into Saturday’s game with the Gators in the first round of the BU Invitational at Case Gymnasium.

‘Obviously, we have been waiting for this game,’ she said. ‘I think once the ball goes up, in the first five minutes the jitters will be out … and I think we’ll play basketball and we’ll play well.’

But shaking those early season butterflies may prove to be more difficult than ever for BU. After dancing for the first time ever last year in the NCAA Tournament, the Terriers head into this year tabbed to finish second in the America East conference.

This winter also marks the final year in McKeon’s ‘five-year plan,’ a season in which she had anticipated her team to break the program record for wins in a season (a mark of 21, set back in 1987).

While Florida will prove to be a difficult team to get that first ‘W’ against, the pieces are in place for BU to make some plays and to make history. With seniors Katie Terhune and Marisa Moseley returning for their final year and junior forward Becky Bonner primed to make her debut in scarlet and white after sitting out last season due to transfer eligibility rules, the Terriers have the nucleus to battle with a tough ‘power team’ like the Gators.

‘They have a lot of height,’ McKeon said. ‘They’re going to try and score on the blocks, and they really rebound the ball exceptionally well. They’ll grab the offensive boards as well, so we just have to limit them to one touch, and hopefully they shoot a poor percentage.’

Although Florida finished last year with a disappointing 9-19 record, it suffered most of its losses in conference play, going 1-13 against some very stiff Southeastern Conference competition. The SEC features four teams in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll this year, the most notable being the No. 3 University of Tennessee Volunteers.

Anchoring the dominating Florida frontcourt is senior center Vanessa Hayden, who, despite missing 10 games last season due to a fractured leg, still earned AP Honorable Mention All-American honors. The 6-foot-4-inch Florida-native was second on the Gators in scoring with 10.9 points per game, and holds a program record with 250 career swats.

Sophomore forward Bernice Mosby earned SEC All-Freshman team honors last year after leading all conference rookies with 7.5 rebounds per game. She also led Florida with 11.9 points per game. Sophomore forward Dalila Eshe rounds out the team’s back line, providing a huge rebounding presence with her 6-foot-3-inch frame.

McKeon said if the Terriers can stay close to their oversized opponents in the rebound department, they should be able to give themselves a chance to win the game.

‘We don’t have to win the battle of the boards,’ McKeon said. ‘We just have to keep it even and honest, and if we can do that and make shots, we’ll be very successful.’

Besides crashing the glass, BU also plans to use many different looks on defense, from a full-court press to a match-up zone, to try to confuse the Gators into making mistakes, McKeon said. The Terriers have never won their own invitational tournament, nor have they ever made it to the championship game.

While last year proved to be a season of firsts for the team, McKeon hopes to get this year rolling in the right direction, especially for the senior class.

‘The bottom line is I would like for [the seniors] to leave on a great note, and I think this is the start of it,’ she said. ‘It’s a long season, but it would be nice to send the seniors out with a victory in their own tournament.’

BU will tip off against the Gators at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The winner will play the winner of the early game between Texas A ‘ M University and La Salle University on Sunday for the tournament title. The two losers will match up in the consolation game on Sunday.