Women’s basketball continues to struggle over break

The Boston University women’s basketball team posted largely disappointing results over the school’s winter break, going 1-6 and extending its losing streak to nine games before earning a 58-53 win over Colgate University on Wednesday.

BU coach Katy Steding attributed the tough stretch in part to the Terriers’ (4-13, 1-5 Patriot League) inexperience, but said she has been pleased with the effort her team has displayed from game to game.

“We can’t be looking over our shoulder the whole time about trying to second guess, ‘Should we have done this or should we have done that?’” Steding said. “I don’t think the team is in that place, which is great, but I do think we second guess ourselves and we shouldn’t.

“You look at our group and see a team that’s really, really young, really, really thin in terms of depth and without hands-on championship experience at the collegiate level,” she said. “We’re battling on a number of fronts. They’re resilient through it all. We have an uphill road ahead of us, but I’d rather do it with this team than any other team.”

In the Terriers’ conference win against Colgate (2-15, 1-5 Patriot League), sophomore guard Sarah Hope scored 22 points, while junior guard Clodagh Scannell added 10, and redshirt junior guard Troi Melton added eight. Sophomore forward Meghan Green earned a double-double with 14 points and as many rebounds and is ranked 7th in scoring within the Patriot League, averaging 13.1 points per game.

“If you looked at our win over Colgate, you’d see we still had 25 turnovers. The other team went to the line probably twice as many times as we did,” Steding said. “We don’t stop fighting, even though we’ve had some hiccups.”

The Terriers, who are ninth in Patriot League standings, were largely without their starting guards in Saturday’s 63-53 loss to Loyola University Maryland as Hope played only two minutes, and sophomore Courtney Latham did not see the floor.

“It’s unfortunate circumstances but a great opportunity for other players to step up and fill the role and prove that they can get it done too,” Steding said. “It’s a nice time for some of our younger players that haven’t played as much. I don’t expect everybody to jump in instantly. We’ll see what we get.”

Freshman guard Corrine Williams has seen increased playing time, contributing seven points against Loyola (5-12, 3-3 Patriot League) in her 37 minutes of play. Steding also cited freshman forward Kara Sheftic as a steady presence for the Terriers, while Green added 20 points, and Melton earned a career-high nine rebounds.

Despite this tough stretch of losses, Steding said she remains appreciative of leadership from the team’s co-captains Latham and senior forward Mollie McKendrick.

“Mollie and Courtney as captains have been really instrumental, really positive with the girls and pulling them together and kind of rallying them up,” Steding said. “Everyone has been battling really hard to try and right the course, if you will. Everyone has done a lot in their own way. People are finding their niches and were putting it together.

“I’m nowhere near pleased with what we’ve done on the floor, but I’m pleased with our effort and our heart,” she said. “The takeaway from our season thus far is that these guys, I told them at the beginning of the year, that anyone who watches our team, I just want them to walk away saying those girls fight hard.”