In a rematch of last season’s America East championship, the Boston University women’s basketball team served Hartford University a dose of retaliation after a second-half comeback Sunday afternoon at Case Gymnasium.
“Any win is a great win, but [last year’s championship game is] in the back of our heads,” said junior guard Chantell Alford. “We were just able to come up with a big ‘W’ today. Just bouncing back from the first half, it’s a big win.”
The Terriers (14-6, 7-0 America East) not only accomplished their revenge on Hartford (11-10, 2-5 America East) with the 53-46 win, but also continued a seven-game win streak that has seen the team go undefeated in conference play.
The first half of the contest started in the Hawks favor with an 8-0 run before BU managed to get on the board at 15:40 on a layup by junior guard Mo Moran. The Hopewell Junction, N.Y. native, who was one of three Terriers to score in double digits during the game, would go on to lead the team with 13 points.
Senior forward Caroline Stewart, junior guard Kristen Sims and Alford followed Moran and brought the Terriers within six halfway through the first.
Hartford extended its lead on a pair of free throws before both teams went scoreless for nearly four minutes. Senior guard Alex Young ended the silence with a layup before Alford followed hit a jumper that put BU within four points of the Hawks.
The Terriers brought the score within three when Young sank a 3-pointer that made the score 20-17, the closest of the half. However, back-to-back treys by the Hawks gave Hartford a 26-17 lead going into the locker room.
“Things weren’t going our way and some of it was [Hartford], but some of it was just us,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg.
After a tough first half, BU came into the second empowered by a pair of shots by sophomore forward Rashidat Agboola. However, Hartford proceeded to give itself an extra cushion by creating a 10-point advantage, 31-21.
BU brought the game within four after a 10-4 run where Young hit a 3-pointer and Alford scored four points with 14:04 remaining.
After the Hawks took a 37-33 lead, the Terriers tied the game and eventually took the lead on a 7-0 run by Moran.
During the course of the spree, Moran brought the game within two on a layup, then intercepted a pass that she would sink to tie the game. Moran drew a foul on the play and nailed the freebie to make it a three-point play. She went on to score another two to put the Terriers ahead 40-37 with 8:21 left in the tilt.
Hartford would go on to cut the Terriers lead down to two but that was the closest the Hawks would get.
“We were more aggressive offensively,” Greenberg said. “We were a little bit more balanced, went to the basket a little bit and got the ball inside a little bit so it was good.”
One of the most notable changes in the game was the Terriers’ shift in defense.
“We bounced back,” Alford said. “The first half wasn’t so pretty, but we played our basketball . . . We stepped up our defense a lot.”
During the first half, BU had only eight rebounds to Hartford’s 20. In the second half, BU took control with 20 rebounds. Ultimately this change aided the Terriers in the win.
“When we dug down, pulled up our bootstraps and we didn’t allow them to get any rebounds like they were in the first half, it really made a big difference for us,” Greenberg said. “When we’re rebounding we can really make some things happen on the offensive end.”
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