The Boston University women’s basketball team captured its second-straight victory Wednesday night, edging out American University 71-62.
With the win, the Terriers (9-14, 7-5 Patriot League) improved to 6-5 since Jan. 2, while the Eagles (11-12, 8-4 Patriot League) had their three-game win streak snapped and now share third place in the Patriot League with the United States Military Academy.
Senior guard Sarah Hope led the team with 24 points, five assists and two steals, while junior center Sophie Beaudry and junior guard Corrine Williams also scored double figures.
BU came out strong in the first quarter, scoring efficiently and forcing turnovers. It scored nine straight to overtake American’s early lead, but the Eagles quickly recovered and used the three-point shot to stay just ahead of the Terriers, despite not shooting at a high clip.
The Terriers ended the first quarter on a positive note, as they retook the lead on a last second layup by junior forward Kara Sheftic. Sheftic scored nine points throughout the game and also pulled down four rebounds.
Despite strong play in the second quarter, the Terriers’ lead never reached more than seven. At the end of the half, BU led 29-28, a lead that BU head coach Katy Steding hoped would be larger.
“We did such a nice job in the first quarter building that lead, and then we got ahead a little bit, and we kind of let them come back, and then we played them even,” Steding said. “We were a little disappointed that we didn’t get more ‘umph’ out of that second quarter, but then the focus at half time was, ‘We must come out of the gates strong.’”
The game remained close in the third quarter, but as BU’s defense sharpened, its offense went cold.
Beaudry picked up her third foul with just under eight minutes remaining in the third quarter and had to sit for the remainder of the period. The Terriers also had trouble at the free throw line.
Despite these issues, BU clung to a 45-43 lead going into the final frame.
As the game began to wind down, the Terriers rose to the occasion, pouring in 26 points in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
Playing with foul trouble, Beaudry guided BU to victory, making several key layups down the stretch. Despite their earlier struggles at the line, the Terriers were 11-12 from the line in the final minute of the game. All of these shots were attempted by either Hope or Williams.
Steding confirmed the Terriers were looking to get the ball to the two guards down the stretch.
“Free throws have been one of the things that have been the most challenging to us, so our girls are really smart,” Steding said. “We practice end-of-game situations, and we try to make sure that they’re really well-educated on what they’re supposed to do at the end of the game. They made sure that they were getting the ball into Sarah and Corrine’s hands.”
The win was important for the Terriers, who had previously lost to the Eagles by 11 points and now sit one spot below them in the Patriot League standings.
“We can’t afford to have one of those lulls against a team as good as American,” Steding said. “We’ve got to be making sure that we play our best ball at crunch time. And the entire second half was crunch time. When you’re playing in a close game, every second is crunch time.”
