After sweeping through the first round of its America East schedule in January and February, the Boston University women’s basketball team saw its 10-game winning streak come to an end with a 77-68 loss to University at Albany on Wednesday.
The Terriers (13-10, 11-1 AE) had been undefeated since New Year’s Eve of 2010 until this loss. The team remains in first place and just one game ahead of Binghamton.
“We were outplayed,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “We were just out of sync the whole game.”
The Great Danes (13-11, 6-5 AE) began the game playing a full-court press on defense, which the Terriers struggled against early in the season. This caused BU to start out slow, but the team soon found the holes and made its open shots.
Junior guard Alex Young was an impressive 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point line in the high-scoring first half, which ended tied at 37. Junior forward Caroline Stewart also had an impressive first half, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
With 13:05 remaining in the second half and the Great Danes ahead by one, Young was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws. That sparked an 8-0 run for the Terriers, who moved ahead 57-49.
However, Albany came back late in the game, moving ahead by one as the game entered the final five minutes. A 10-0 run helped the Great Danes jump ahead of the Terriers 65-59 with just over three minutes remaining, and Albany did not look back from there.
“We were kind of lax in the second half when we got a lead,” said Young. “We have to be ready to come back because other teams are going to hit shots.”
Sophomore guard Chantell Alford was sick during the game, and struggled in the first half without making a basket. However, she drove the ball well in the second half and made several key plays to keep the Terriers close, ending the game with 13 points.
“We basically had to beg her at one time out that you have to start looking,” Greenberg said. “She has been sick since last Thursday so I’m sure that’s why she was a little sluggish.”
Every Terrier starter scored in double digits, including a team-high 14-point performance from Young.
“I never go into a game thinking any one player has to have a huge night, I just hope we all have solid nights,” Greenberg said. “And even though they were all in double digits, I didn’t think we had solid nights.”
BU’s first conference loss came after an eight-day break, which was its longest since December. The team got some much-needed rest, but it did not pay off in Wednesday’s game.
“We were given a week to practice, which is a lot of time,” said Stewart, “but we just didn’t come out on top tonight.”
While the team is no longer undefeated, the Terriers are still the frontrunners for the No. 1 seed in the AE Tournament.
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