The America East championship dreams came to a halt for the Boston University women’s basketball team at home against University of Hartford on March 12 with its 65-53 loss in the championship game.
But while the Terriers did not emerge from the 2010-11 season with another America East championship, the season had its high points for the young squad.
BU struggled to start the season against a very tough non-conference schedule. Despite a 30-point performance from junior guard Alex Young to open the season, BU lost to cross-town rival Boston College at home 84-65.
The road did not get any easier for the Terriers when they traveled to Austin, Texas to face then-No. 17 University of Texas. BU played the Longhorns tough, as they were only behind 14-11 after the first nine minutes. However, Texas dominated the rest of the game, which ended in a 92-46 loss for the Terriers.
BU couldn’t hit its stride during its non-conference schedule, never once tallying consecutive wins and finishing 2010 with a 3-9 record. While the Terriers struggled to win during that 12-game stretch, they faced tough teams such as Texas, Boston College, St. John’s University and Marist College, games that prepared them for their conference schedule.
The new year brought new success for the Terriers as they began their conference schedule with a 78-40 win over the University of Maine. The BU defense stifled the Black Bears’ attempts from the field, only allowing 12 Maine field goals all game.
BU’s defense continued its stellar play to begin the conference schedule, only allowing more than 43 points in one of their first five conference games. Junior forward Caroline Stewart stood out in the first three games, scoring 19 points against University of New Hampshire and recording a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds against University of Vermont.
The Terriers’ first close conference game came against Hartford at home in the Pink Zone game. BU was behind the Hawks all first half and for part of the second half. However, a second half 16-5 run led by sophomore guard Chantell Alford gave the Terriers the lead and the victory, 58-50.
BU kept that winning streak going from Jan. 2 to Feb. 9, amassing 10 straight victories over conference opponents. The Terriers looked like the clear favorite to win the AE regular-season title until their 77-68 loss to the University of Albany, a loss that kick-started a three game losing streak. BU stumbled into the AE Tournament after losing four of their last six, earning a No. 2 seed in the process.
The first two rounds of the tournament went exactly as the Terriers hoped, as they defeated both Vermont and Binghamton University to earn their trip to the AE final. Alford shined in the Vermont game, while Alex Young had a career-high 37 points including a school record 7 three-pointers in the victory over Binghamton. Then, Hartford defeated No. 1 seed University of Maryland-Baltimore County to move the final to Case Gymnasium.
However, the road came to an end when Hartford came into Case Gym and pulled off a 65-53 victory over the Terriers. Sophomore guard Mo Moran scored a season-high 22 points off the bench, but the Terriers struggled with shooting and could not come up with a victory that would have propelled them to the NCAA tournament.
Nonetheless, the Terriers had multiple individuals recognized for their great play throughout the season. Alford received AE Player of the Year honors and All-Conference First Team honors, while senior center Kerry Cashman was named AE Fan’s Choice Player of the Year as well as All-Conference Third Team. Moran received second team honors and Young received third team honors, while freshman forward Rashidat Agboola was named to the All-Rookie team.
The highlight of the year was the Senior Night game against Vermont, when seniors Cashman, Kat Briggs, and Krystyn McIntyre each stood out in the Terriers’ victory. McIntyre scored the first points of the game and earned a career-high five points on the night. Briggs also earned a career-high 10 points while playing great defense for the Terriers. It was possible at the time that the game was the seniors’ final game at Case, and they left it with a great memory.
While the Terriers did not win the America East this year, they have enough pieces left over to make a run at the title next year. With Moran, Stewart, Young and Alford all returning, this is a team that still has its best basketball in front of it.
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