The Boston University women’s basketball team traveled to Worcester for the National Girls and Women in Sports Day game against College of the Holy Cross and took home another point in the Turnpike Trophy standings with a 62-51 victory.
In a close match up, the Terriers (12-10, 7-4 Patriot League) triumphed over the Crusaders (13-9, 6-5 Patriot League) by a score of 62-51.
In their last matchup, the Terriers won in an overtime nailbiter at home just over two weeks ago.
Holy Cross opened the scoring with a shot by senior center Megan Swords, but the Terriers were quick to get the lead with a 3-pointer from freshman guard Maggie Pina.
Pina led the Terriers with 19 points, 15 of which came from 3-pointers.
Pina is not the only BU freshman who got on the scoreboard. Freshman forward Maren Durant also scored six points, which included four free throws.
BU head coach Marisa Moseley said the freshmen on her team have been successful because “they have no frame of reference” when it comes to an opponent and that they’ve had time to develop over the season.
“We’ve matured over the course of the year, game to game, [we’ve learned] how to get better,” Moseley said.
Despite Holy Cross scoring eight points in the first quarter, four of which came from sophomore guard Avery LaBarbera, the Terriers ended the quarter with a seven-point lead.
The second quarter started in the Terriers’ favor with a jumper from sophomore forward Riley Childs, who led BU with eight rebounds against the Crusaders.
The Terriers and Crusaders went back and forth trading baskets before Durant hit two free throws and Pina bucketed another 3-pointer, giving Terriers a 12-point lead before a Crusader timeout.
Before the half, BU junior guard Katie Nelson managed to get on the scoreboard with two successful free throws. Although Nelson only had four points, Moseley said the guard has set the standard for success for the five freshmen on this team.
“[Nelson] is a constant leader,” Moseley said. “She runs the show.”
Moseley said her great relationship with Nelson was one of the reasons the Terriers have been able to show constant success on the court. Nelson played the second most minutes against the Crusaders, coming only behind Pina with only a minute’s difference.
The Terriers held onto their lead in the third quarter with an early shot from Childs, while LaBarbera continued to find the net for the Crusaders. BU senior forward Nia Irving subbed in for Childs in the middle of the third quarter and gave the Terriers two layups.
Moseley said Irving is another upperclassman who has set the expectations for success on this team.
“[Irving] has the ability to give us a bucket when we need it,” Moseley said.
The Terriers ended the third quarter with junior guard Tenisha Pressley finding the net in the last two seconds of the quarter, giving them an 11-point lead.
The last quarter started with a streak of trading baskets and free throws by both teams, but the Terriers were able to keep their 11-point lead with an end score of 62-51.
Moseley credits the work of her team on offense and defense for the solid win against the Crusaders this week.
“We had a good game plan offensively and defensively and were able to execute it well,” Moseley said.
While the Terriers ended with the scoring advantage, they also led with more defensive blocks with two by Durant and one by freshman guard Sydney Johnson, compared to only one Crusader block by senior forward Lauren Manis.
This is BU’s fourth win in a row and Coach Moseley said they’re on an “upward trajectory,” but the team is still “taking each of these games one game at a time.”
Moseley said the Terriers hope to continue their winning streak with an away game against Colgate University (16-6, 8-3 Patriot League) on Wednesday.
