The Boston University women’s basketball team will face its final hurdle in its quest for a perfect regular season in America East play when it battles the University at Albany on Senior Day at Case Gymnasium tomorrow at 1 p.m.
The Terriers (21-6, 15-0 America East) played a sluggish game Wednesday night at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, but came away with a 73-65 victory.
BU shot a season-low 60.7 percent from the free-throw line, an off night for a team that has shot .720 from the charity stripe all season. On the defensive side of the ball, the Terriers allowed the Retrievers to shoot over 40 percent from beyond the arc in the first half and went into the break down two points.
Senior co-captain Jesyka Burks-Wiley scored 11 of her 18 points in the second half and was named the America East Player of the Game.
BU coach Kelly Greenberg decided to give her team Thursday off to help recover from the plane ride from Baltimore.
‘I think we seem a little tired,’ Greenberg said yesterday. ‘I do think we have some bumps and bruises, [junior] Aly [Hinton] and Jes particularly. Today is a good day off.
‘From the get-go, it was not our night. [Senior] Christine [Kinneary] wasn’t feeling great, so she was a little off, and as anyone knows who has seen us play, she’s the one that gets us going. [Washington, D.C. native Amarachi Umez-Eronini] had a lot of people there that hadn’t seen her play since high school. So, I just think we felt pressure in different ways. We figured out a way to win, which is the most important thing. And we won’t have another outing like that.’
Tomorrow, the Terriers will face an Albany (5-23, 5-12) team that they throttled by 30
points last month in Albany.
‘Whenever you beat someone big, you have a little bit of concern that your players think it’s just going to happen again,’ Greenberg said. ‘So, we just have to play like we always do. You can’t get caught up in numbers, and we have to take care of what BU does and make sure we play our game no matter who we play against.’
The Great Danes have just one more win than the last-place University of Maine in the conference standings. Like BU, they played Wednesday night and defeated Stony Brook University, 57-40, on the road.
‘When I think of Saturday’s game, I think of a team in Albany that has yet to reach their potential,’ Greenberg said. ‘So, they could always break out and have that big game. We’ll be ready. I feel like we’ve proven over and over that we’re a veteran team, and we figure out different ways to win.’
The Great Danes are led in scoring by sophomore Janea Aiken (12.8 points per game) and junior Britney McGee (11.5 ppg). McGee also ranks second on the team in rebounds (3.8 rpg) and has the second-highest shooting percentage from 3-point territory in the conference (.406).
The winningest class in BU program history will step onto the floor at Case Gymnasium for the last time on Saturday, and Greenberg will surely miss her record-shattering players.
‘I really think it’s going to be emotional for the four seniors, for their families that will be in attendance, for their teammates, and I know certainly for me and my staff,’ Greenberg said. ‘I think the world of [the seniors]. I love them. They’re great. They’re terrific in every way. They’ve given everything they have to BU basketball.
‘They’ve put themselves in a position that we have a lot of basketball ahead of us. It’s going to be a bit bittersweet, but I hope it’s a moment they will always remember.’
Note: Be sure to visit www.dailyfreepress.com/hoops for live coverage of tomorrow’s game as well as every game BU plays in the women’s America East Tournament next Friday through Sunday.
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