The Boston University women’s basketball team will look to redress last season’s Patriot League Tournament loss when it hosts Colgate University Wednesday night at Case Gym.
The two closest games of the season have come in the last two contests for the Terriers (1-16, 1-5 Patriot League). They notched their first win of the season last Wednesday against American University and are coming off a 63-54 defeat to Loyola University Maryland.
“I think we found a lineup that clicked,” BU head coach Katy Steding said. “We came out of the locker room with some real fire in our belly and that’s something that we’ve struggled to find, so I think they’re learning how to play for 40 minutes. We’ve done a much better job with that. It’s been a good learning experience for the girls.”
Junior forward Meghan Green continues to be BU’s only steady scoring threat. She’s paced her team on both side of the ball, averaging 11.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game — both team highs. She is the only BU player to average double-digit points per game.
The other main contributors to the BU offense are junior guard Sarah Hope and sophomore forward Kara Sheftic.
Hope is the most dangerous Terrier from behind the arc. She is shooting a team-best 38.6 percent from downtown, and makes 2.6 3-pointers a game. She is also second in assists, only trailing junior guard Courtney Latham.
Meanwhile, Sheftic leads BU in offensive rebounds and blocked shots. The underclassman has also become a more viable offensive threat, averaging 7.5 points per game while leading the team with the most free throw attempts and free throw makes.
“They’re working real well together,” Steding said of BU’s duo in the post. “We’ve refined what we wanted to do offensively, but more importantly, we had a real spark in our step defensively. That’s been really helpful.”
The Terriers will have a chance to move up from last place in the Patriot League with a win over fellow conference cellar-dweller Colgate (3-13, 1-5 Patriot League). The Raiders will look to snap a five-game losing streak behind the play of senior captains Josie Stockill, Paige Kriftcher and Randyll Butler. The trio lead the Raiders in minutes played per game.
Stockill is a 6-foot-3 forward who takes full advantage of her height. The Napier, New Zealand native leads the Raiders with 4.3 blocks and 12.1 points per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor.
Kriftcher is a solid all-around player, as she is second to Stockill in points and field goal percentage. She also poses the biggest 3-point threat for the Terriers to contain. Butler leads the Raiders in steals per game, rebounds per game and assists. The Chicago native has missed a few games this season, but expect her to be ready for Wednesday’s matchup.
BU has also developed a game plan to account for Colgate’s pressure defense and the shot-blocking ability of Stockill.
“They’ve got great guard play,” Steding said. “Last year, they pressured us all over the court. I would imagine that they would try to do some of that this year. We have a large contingent of girls that can handle the ball, so we will throw quite a few looks at them.”
Steding sees hope in BU’s form as of late and will look for the bar to raise come Wednesday’s encounter.
“We didn’t play that great at Loyola and it was still a nine-point game, but we gave up offensive boards and didn’t get to the free throw line at all,” Steding said. “We were still pretty passive, so it’s just about getting these girls to play with that [high] level of intensity all the time.”
