While the Boston University women’s basketball team has ample time to prepare for its upcoming game against Lehigh University Saturday, the team has much to work on if it’s going to compete for its second win of the season.
The Terriers (1-18, 1-7 Patriot League) are roughly two weeks removed from their only win of the season — a 63-59 victory against American University — in which they shot for their highest field goal percentage all season (47.1 percent). Not only were they shooting effectively in that game, they were also spreading the ball around, as four different Terriers notched double digits.
Since that game against the Eagles (4-15, 2-6 Patriot League), however, BU’s shooting percentage has gone down in each of its following games, with the exception of its latest against Bucknell University. In the sequential game against Colgate University, which sits just below American in the Patriot League standings, BU shot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 15 percent from behind the arc.
BU head coach Katy Steding said that the team has been trying to get good looks, and that the key to that going forward is ball movement.
“We try to sprinkle in some different looks so we can get good shots,” Steding said. “We try to practice the situations so we can hit those game-like shots, and some days they fall and some days they don’t. We’ve got to do a better job, especially against zone, of moving the ball around so that those shots are a little bit cleaner and quicker.”
Hauck emerges as vital cog
Freshman guard Payton Hauck has impressed in the team’s last two showings. Against the Raiders (4-14, 2-6 Patriot League), Hauck made all four of her shots, collected 10 points, made a block, recorded a steal and nabbed two rebounds in just 18 minutes on the court.
Against the Bison (14-5, 8-0 Patriot League), Hauck clocked 33 minutes. While she went just 2-for-7, she still managed to score nine points, scoop up four rebounds and block two shots. With performances like those in mind, Steding believes that the freshman has her best days ahead of her.
“I think the future’s really bright for Payton and for us with Payton around,” Steding said. “She’s demonstrated athleticism and she’s got more to give.”
While she’s still got a way to go in terms of consistency, Hauck has shown improvement throughout the season and hopefully will continue to do so as she matures with the program.
Green continues to be indispensable
Switching gears to the upperclassmen now, junior forward Meghan Green has quietly been playing the best basketball on the team by a wide margin.
While junior guards Sarah Hope and Courtney Latham all average more minutes played per game than Green, she still leads the team in scoring by nearly 50 points and more than three points per game.
For the second season in a row, Green is BU’s leading scorer, and this year, she leads the team in nearly every offensive category save for 3-point shooting and free-throw percentage.
While Green has been a staple on offense, Steding said the junior puts a lot of work in on the defensive end. This is boosted by the fact she averages 5.8 rebounds and 0.7 blocks a game.
“Meg is a terrific player and she really gets offense,” Steding said. “The one thing we’ve been asking her to do is to shore up her defense. And I know, because you can see it on the floor, she’s really taken that mantle on, so she’s a big part of how much we’ve improved over the last month or so.”
The Terriers have improved greatly over their last few games, and should they put it all together, they may notch their second win against the Mountain Hawks (12-7, 5-3 Patriot League) Saturday.
