Coming off a tight win over Stephen F. Austin State University Saturday at the University of New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament, the Boston University women’s basketball team could not keep up the momentum Wednesday night against the University of New Hampshire, falling 67-55.
Returning home to Case Gymnasium, the Terriers (3-4) started slow, committing four turnovers in the first five minutes of play, resulting in a 19-8 run from the Wildcats (4-2) that ended with a 3-pointer from guard Elizabeth Belanger.
“We were a little bit out of sorts, and that really affected us,” said BU coach Katy Steding. “Everything stemmed from us not coming out as ready to play as we should have been. I take responsibility for that. I just take responsibility for making sure the team is ready.”
With less than six minutes remaining in the first half, the Terriers finally started to claw back, going on a 9-0 run. Sophomore guard Courtney Latham hit a jumper and brought the score to 30-17. Classmate guard Sarah Hope then sunk a shot from beyond the arc to pull BU within 10.
“Courtney and Sarah overall do a really good job controlling the ball and controlling the tempo,” Steding said.
Freshman guard Corrine Williams’ layup with 3:14 to play in the opening half cut the Wildcats’ lead to six, and senior forward Mollie McKendrick hit a jumper at the end of the frame to gain even more ground on UNH. BU went into the break trailing 33-28.
McKendrick finished the night with a double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The senior trailed only sophomore forward Meghan Green in points, who had 18 on the night.
The Terriers started fast in the second half as Green quickly went to the free-throw line just over a minute in. She hit both free throws to cut the lead to 33-30. That was as close as the Terriers would get to UNH.
UNH went on to extend the lead to 49-39 at the 10:47 mark due in part to Belanger hitting one of her two 3-pointers on the night. The guard was the Wildcats’ leading scorer, finishing with 23 points.
Guard Ariel Gaston was a catalyst for UNH throughout the second half as she ended the night with a double-double on 16 points and 10 rebounds, with 10 of those points coming after halftime. She provided the knockout blow when she hit two free throws to make it 63-51 with 1:40 remaining.
The Terriers found themselves outsized, as they were outscored 34-22 in the paint and were often relegated to the perimeter when attempting to score. There, the Terriers struggled, as they went 1-of-16 from behind the arc.
“Everything stems from a lack of aggression,” Steding said. “We just didn’t hit key shots, and some people started slow, and that really affected everybody.”
The Terriers were forced to try different defensive schemes as they attempted to prevent the Wildcats from scoring in the paint and controlling the tempo.
“We changed some defensive looks,” Steding said. “We did some zone, we did some man and tried to extend our coverage. We went with some full court pressure to try and spark us, get us more aggressive. That didn’t seem to have as much of an effect as we wanted it to.”
The Wildcats went on an 8-0 run and secured their largest lead of the game with a score of 67-51 with 1:10 remaining. BU was unable to rally the rest of the way and saw its home record fall to 2-1.
“It’s tough for us because we don’t have great numbers top to bottom,” Steding said. “Trying to extend pressure and really tear up on defense is not a great strategy for us for the long term, but we do have to play more aggressively.”
Doug covers women's soccer and other sports for the Daily Free Press. When he's not doing schoolwork, writing, or being a social butterfly on campus, he enjoys playing the piano, or hitting the course for a round of golf.
