Women’s basketball gets set to play Army

The Boston University women’s basketball team, still in search of its second Patriot League win, will face the United States Military Academy Thursday night in Case Gymnasium.

BU (4-15, 1-7 Patriot League) last faced Army (13-5, 5-3 Patriot League) in the 2014 Patriot League Quarterfinals, falling to the Black Knights 49-45.

The Black Knights come into Thursday on a four-game win streak. Army most recently defeated American University at home Saturday, giving the Eagles (13-7, 8-1 Patriot League) their first Patriot League loss of the season.

Army currently holds the highest field goal percentage in the Patriot League, due in part to contributions from guard Kelsey Minato. The Huntington Beach, California native scored 26 points against American and tops the Patriot League in scoring. Minato averages over 22.6 points per game.

“We’ve got to stop Kelsey Minato from being Kelsey Minato,” said BU coach Katy Steding. “She’s a really versatile player, a great scorer and has the mentality that you’re really going to have to do everything you can to stop me.”

The 10-time Patriot League Player of the Week and 2013-2014 Patriot League Player of the Year has been the key cog for the Black Knights this season, as the next leading scorer, senior Olivia Schretzman, is just averaging double-digits at 10.1 points per game.

Army has been a dominant force at home this season, winning eight out of the nine games that it has played while compiling only a 5-4 record away from West Point, New York.

Steding also emphasized how important BU’s game inside will be in Thursday’s contest, as senior forward Mollie McKendrick scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double when both teams last faced each other.

McKendrick is averaging 9.2 points per game this season with 6.1 rebounds per contest.

The Mildura, Australia native had her biggest game of the year against Stephen F. Austin State University on Nov. 21, 2014 when she recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win.

“I think we’ve got to score on the block to be successful,” she said. “We’ve got to get the ball inside and go at their bigs. It’s a matter of moving the ball and getting people to attack the paint.

“We have to play a 40-minute game. For us to have a shot at it, we have to play hard, play ferociously for 40 minutes without taking a couple minutes here or there when the other team gets to score three or four unanswered buckets.”

Despite BU’s three-game losing streak, the team has received increased contributions from redshirt junior guard Troi Melton. Melton scored 11 points against American on Jan. 21 in her 39 minutes of play and earned a career-high 16 points against Bucknell (13-6, 5-3 Patriot League) on Saturday.

“I’m really proud of Troi,” Steding said. “She’s been the one who has worked the longest. She and [Meghan Green] were here back at the beginning of the summer when I first got here. Troi came in and embraced making changes to her personal game. She’s been relentless in getting extra workouts in. She’s had some up and downs, but she has never complained. She has never tore us down as a staff. She just comes back and asks for more work.

“When she got her opportunity, she came in, stayed focused and really played hard. She’s creating even more opportunities for herself by how hard she’s playing. That’s what you hope every kid embraces, that they have the power to change.”

Melton will need to keep up her current production to increase her points per game as she is currently sixth on the team with 5.5 points per game.

A win Thursday night would give the Terriers a needed lift in the Patriot League standings, as they have fallen to last place.

“We have to concentrate on stopping the other team,” she said. “Get this stop. I always tell them, ‘Get this stop.’ Don’t worry about the last one, or the one you didn’t get. Stay in the moment and focus on what we’re doing. It’s the same message for offense. Stay in the moment and get ourselves the easiest shots we can get.”