After a 65-51 win over Colgate University on Wednesday night, the Boston University women’s basketball team will look to extend its winning streak to five games when it visits Patriot League leader Bucknell University on Saturday.
The two teams met for the first time this season on Jan. 21, with Bucknell (20-5, 12-2 Patriot League) coming out on top, 66-50. The victory was the 11th in a 12-game winning streak for Bucknell, who was also undefeated in league play at the time.
Bucknell has been a difficult opponent for the Terriers (11-14, 9-5 Patriot League), who have not defeated the Bison since the 2013-2014 season.
While the Terriers did lose to Bucknell by double digits, the game was neck-and-neck until the final minutes of the third quarter, at which point the Bison opened up a large lead and never looked back. BU held Bucknell to 28.1 percent shooting in the first half, but caved in the third quarter, allowing 21 points.
Bucknell senior Claire DeBoer posted 20 points and 10 rebounds, while guard Kate Walker poured in 22 points, including four 3-point field goals. For the Terriers, junior center Sophie Beaudry scored 15 points and recorded 4 blocks.
Defensively, BU head coach Katy Steding is well aware of DeBoer’s ability and wants her team to play stronger interior defense against a Bucknell side that uses pick-and-rolls effectively.
“We’re going to be really concerned with protecting the paint,” Steding said. “I think they’re very good at breaking [a defense] down. They set a lot of screens, so we’ve got to be smart. I think we have to be very concerned with DeBoer and several of their other players who have been playing particularly well. At all times they’re very tough, physically and mentally, so I think we have to do a really good job of playing their personnel effectively.”
However, since Jan. 21, the Bison’s performance has been erratic. They took down the United States Military Academy 68-62, but then lost back-to-back games by double-digits, including one against the College of the Holy Cross, whom they defeated by 29 points earlier in the season.
Recently they have bounced back, with easy wins against Lehigh University, Colgate (8-17, 5-9 Patriot League) and Loyola University Maryland.
While Bucknell has been inconsistent since its trip to Case Gym, it is still one of the top teams in the conference. In the Patriot League, Bucknell is second in points allowed (56.4) and scoring margin (9.5) and third in scoring (65.9).
BU will need solid performances from its frontline players such as Beaudry, junior forward Kara Sheftic and freshman forward Nia Irving. Even if key players have great offensive performances, they will need to rebound as well, something the team has been doing a good job of recently.
“I think [we were better about] aggressively seeking rebounds and boxing out [against Colgate],” Steding said. “I think we did a particularly good job of not just crashing the offensive boards, but we got really good, solid box outs and there was so much space that sometimes the ball actually didn’t hit the floor before we got to it.”
Bucknell has eight players who stand at six feet or taller, which will pose a challenge down low for the Terriers. Its leading scorers are DeBoer, who is second in the conference for scoring (16 points per game), and forward Kaitlyn Slagus. Both players are in the top five for rebounding, with 7.3 and 9.4 rebounds per game, respectively.
Steding noted Bucknell’s ability to hold onto leads, which is what ultimately doomed the Terriers in their Jan. 21 loss to the Bison.
“I don’t think it’s impossible [to make a comeback against them],” Steding said. “They’re so tough. They won’t easily relinquish a lead, except that you can pick away at it. And that takes a lot of effort, a lot of concentration. It’s about staying focused and playing each possession for what it’s worth, getting stops and clean rebounds. And making sure that we take good care of the ball on our end.”
