The Boston University women’s basketball team, currently tied atop the America East standings with the University of Hartford, will put its perfect conference record on the line Saturday in a 1 p.m. matchup with the University of New Hampshire.
The Terriers (9-6, 3-0 AE) are coming off an 81-63 win over Binghamton University Wednesday night at Agganis Arena. Senior co-captains Christine Kinneary and Jesyka Burks-Wiley led the way for BU, posting 22 points apiece. Burks-Wiley added 11 rebounds to her stat line, turning in her fourth double-double of the season.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats (3-13, 1-1 AE) will be looking to rebound from a 62-49 loss at the hands of Dartmouth College. Juniors Amy Simpson and Candace Williams paced UNH, accounting for 37 of the team’s points. For Simpson, the 21-point outing was her second consecutive 20-plus-point performance, as she dropped 28 on the University of Marlyand-Baltimore County in a Jan. 10 showdown.
Simpson is a shoot-first guard capable of scoring big on any given night ‘-‘- provided her 3-point shot is on the mark. More than half of the 5-foot-10 guard’s shots have come from 3-land, and though she is shooting just 25.7 percent from deep, her five treys against Dartmouth are a testament to her ability to get hot in any given game.
‘[Simpson’s] a legitimate 3-point shooter,’ BU coach Kelly Greenberg said. ‘She certainly has the green light and she takes a lot of 3s every single game. Our returnees certainly know who she is, which helps a lot.’
Greenberg said BU would force Simpson to put the ball on the floor because the guard is not an aggressive player with the ball in her hands. She also said that game tape revealed Simpson’s reluctance to drive to the lane, and her 11 trips to the free-throw line on the season stand as evidence of her passiveness.
‘We’re just going to really play up on [Simpson] and make her put it on the floor,’ Greenberg said. ‘She’s not someone who wants to create a whole lot with her dribble, so we’re really going to have to stay with her and really not allow her to get many attempts.’
Meanwhile, Williams, a 6-foot forward from Norfolk is one of the most dangerous offensive forwards in the conference, averaging 15.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this year.
‘It’s funny because Williams is kind of playing in a different role for [UNH] this year,’ Greenberg said. ‘We’re not really too sure how they’re going to use her against us. She’s coming in at their four-spot, and there she’s definitely a tough matchup, but she’s also been in at the guard spot a lot. So [senior guards Amarachi Umez-Eronini and Christine Kinneary] will be fine mixing it up if that happens.’
On the other end of the floor, the key for the Terriers’ offensive game will be more or less the same as it’s been all season. The Terriers have become very efficient at taking what is given to them by opposing defenses, thanks in large part to Kinneary’s play. The Plainedge, N.Y., native, who has a reputation as one of the conference’s best pass-first point guards, emerged as a legitimate scoring threat at the end of last season.
As Burks-Wiley and senior Kristi Dini have attracted opposing defenses’ attention, Kinneary has more often found herself guarded by just a single defender. While her greatest strength on offense is still her ability to find open teammates, the 5-foot-8 guard has become confident in her ability to drive the lane when the defense gives it to her, and it was primarily with that driving game that Kinneary scored her 22 points against Binghamton Wednesday.
‘Christine feels like she can break people down and, I mean, she’s in terrific shape,’ Greenberg said. ‘Certainly, if you can create something for yourself, it helps you create things for others as well.’
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