The Boston University women’s basketball team will look for its first win of the season this Saturday at the State University of New York at Albany. This contest marks the final game of a three-game road trip to begin the year for the Terriers (0-2).
Through their first two games, the Terriers averaged 54 points per game and have given up an average of 72.5 points on the other end.
Reminiscent of last year’s struggles, both of BU’s losses this season have been by large margins. The team began the year with a 78-59 loss at Northeastern University, and followed that with a 67-49 loss at Boston College on Monday night at Conte Forum.
Offensively, BU is led by senior guard Sarah Hope, who has scored 13 points in both games and has seven threes on the year, and junior guard Corrine Williams, the team leader in assists with eight. Junior forward Kara Sheftic has also performed well, averaging 10.5 points per game.
The team is led on the defensive end by junior center Sophie Beaudry, who has recorded seven blocks in her first two games with the program, and leads the team with 9.5 boards per game.
The Great Danes (1-2), on the other hand, average 54.7 points per game. Saturday’s game marks the second contest of a two-game home stand for Albany, who started the year with two straight road losses. They gained their first win of the year this Wednesday against the United States Military Academy in what was a narrow 65-59 victory.
While the season is still in its opening stages, Albany has been struggling as well.
“They’re a very talented team in terms of ability all around,” said BU head coach Katy Steding. “They’re top-to-bottom pretty athletic. So that makes our work that much harder. But I feel like we’ve got some good people in the right seats, and we’re going to take care of business on Saturday.”
To match BU’s offensive attack, the Great Danes will send out senior Imani Tate, the team leader in scoring and assists, and forward Jessica Féquière, who scored 18 points in their last outing against Army (1-1).
Feldman praised the skill of Tate, and noted that her team needs to exert extra effort to defend her.
“Limiting Tate means holding her to 60 percent of her average,” Steding said. “You’ve got to box that kid out. She’s a really strong rebounder, she’s very athletic and she’s very aggressive too, so kind of an unholy trifecta.”
The Terriers will have their hands full in the paint defending the crafty guard Bose Aiyalogbe, who leads the team in rebounds with just under seven per game. As she continues to get comfortable in the BU system, look for Beaudry’s impact on the boards to be felt on Saturday.
BU also has history on its side, as it has consistently beaten Albany over the years. However, the Terriers will be looking for their first win against the Great Danes in five games.
Despite the 0-2 start, Steding and the Terriers are heading into this next game with optimism.
“We’re making good progress,” Steding said. “Our pieces came together in a better way against BC than we did against Northeastern. I don’t think about last year and all that kind of stuff, or the past two years. I think about where we are right now and how we get better from here.”
