The Boston University women’s basketball team’s season came to an end on March 3. The Terriers (10-19, 5-13 Patriot League) finished their season in the first round of the Patriot League tournament, falling to Lafayette College 66-61.
BU got off to the early advantage, outscoring the Leopards (11-19, 6-12 Patriot League) 14-9 in the first quarter. However, three consecutive three pointers from Lafayette to close out the second quarter allowed the Leopards to take the 31-28 advantage at the half.
BU’s offense struggled a bit in the third quarter, only scoring 11 points.
But the fourth quarter went down to the wire. With 3:30 remaining in the game, the Terriers went on a 9-0 run. Freshman guard Katie Nelson ended the run with a floater at 1:56, knotting the game up at 60.
However, a jumper from sophomore guard Sarah Agnello on the next possession gave the Leopards the lead again, which they held for the remainder of the game, eliminating the Terriers from tournament play.
Agnello led the way for Lafayette, scoring 24 points and going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Olivia Martino contributed 17 points of her own.
The Terriers went 0-3 against the Leopards this season, but every loss came within just five points.
Senior co-captains center Sophie Beaudry and guard Corrine Williams capped their final games as Terriers off with stellar offensive performances.
“I’ve talked a lot this year about their leadership and how important that entire class has been to rebuilding the program,” BU head coach Katy Steding said of her captains and seniors. “I’ve talked so much about Corrine this year that I think her impact was pretty obvious.”
Williams led the team with 13 points and two blocks Saturday afternoon while Beaudry collected 12 points and seven rebounds.
This season Williams averaged 8.3 points per game and led the team with a .827 free throw percentage.
Beaudry played in every game during the season. Although she didn’t put up the offensive numbers from last season, she provided a strong defensive presence in the paint.
She ended the year tied for second in the conference with 1.5 blocks per game.
“Sophie didn’t have a great year with the offensive numbers,” Steding said. “She draws so much attention though that [sophomore forward] Nia Irving got to be a key beneficiary. Sophie was so instrumental in getting us back to a competitive standing in the league that her impact will be sorely missed next year as well.”
With 36 points in the paint against Lafayette, the Terriers stuck with the offensive strategy they used throughout most of the season, driving the lane and getting inside.
This efficient style of offense proved beneficial at times during the season, as BU finished third in the league with a .404 field goal percentage.
However, the Terriers’ season was blemished by two six-game losing streaks and a ninth place finish in the Patriot League.
Despite this, there were still plenty of positives for BU this season.
Two players were awarded All-Patriot League honors — Irving and Nelson.
Leading the Terriers all season was Irving. The Fairfield, Maine native led the team with 13.6 points per game and 197 rebounds. She also led the league with a .505 field goal percentage.
Irving was named to the All-Patriot League Third Team, while Nelson was named to the All-Rookie team.
Nelson averaged 9.4 points per game and led the team with a .387 percentage from beyond the arc while finishing fifth in the league with 1.9 three pointers per game.
The Falmouth native was the only player on the team to start every game for BU, and ranked fourth in the league with 3.4 assists per game as well.
“We were young at the guard positions, but we gained lots of valuable experience this year,” Steding said. “Katie Nelson and [freshman guard] Tenisha Pressley grew a lot and so did [sophomore guard] Vanessa Edgehill and Nia. [Freshman forward] Mackenzie Miers benefited a great deal from practice and she should be ready to rumble next season.”
Edgehill and Pressley played in 27 and 29 games this season, respectively, and will play crucial roles in years to come.
The Terriers may have had a down season this year, after last year’s 11-7 Patriot League record, but Steding is looking forward to playing next season with a more experienced team.
“Our three juniors gave us real valuable contributions,” Steding said. “They’ll have to lead significantly next year too so I’m excited about the product we will put on the floor. It’ll be different — a lot more uptempo than we’ve been, but it’ll be a lot of fun to watch.”
