The Boston University women’s basketball team (14-9, 6-6 Patriot League) bounced back after their last loss and beat Army West Point (10-12, 7-5 PL) 72-64 on Wednesday.
Despite taking a loss against Bucknell on their homecourt last Saturday, the Terriers returned with even more precision, energy and determination.
“I think it was really important, obviously not just for standings, but just for morale, for confidence pieces, and to add more competence on our home floor again,” BU head coach Melissa Graves said.
Senior forward Caitlin Weimar opened up the first quarter with a jump shot to get the Terriers on the board. Weimar’s layup was swifty followed by senior guard Sophie Beneventine with another layup, putting BU ahead early.
The Black Knights began to put the pressure on the Terriers. Senior guard Lauren Lithgow scored five consecutive points, giving the Black Knights a five-point lead.
Freshman wing Taylor Wilson and sophomore guard Reese Ericson were causing problems for the Terriers, both putting up three-pointers, giving the Black Knights a double-digit lead. Senior guard Kelsi Mingo hit a three-pointer with 21 seconds left to open the Terriers’ first-half comeback.
The Terriers were still trailing but slowly made their way back.
With a minute left in the half, the Terriers finally tied the game 34-34 with a clean three-pointer from junior guard Alex Giannaros.
Freshman guard Inés Moneagudo kept the offensive attack going on the next possession.
She stole the ball from an Army player and outran them down the court to score, putting the Terriers in the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
“I thought we did a good job finding out those pieces, but I thought we handled the physicality pretty well compared to the last time we played them. I thought we prepared ourselves in practice,” Graves said.
BU led 36-34 at the break.
The third quarter was a nail-biter as Army kept it close with the Terriers. The Black Knights had taken back the lead for less than two minutes.
Weimar quickly tied the game, followed by another three from Monteagudo to push the Terriers ahead.
The Terriers only had a three point lead going into the fourth quarter, but knew exactly what they had to do.
Offensive combinations of Giannaros, Weimar and Mingo kept Army at an arm’s length.
“A lot of times if I can’t make the move quick enough before the double comes, I like looking opposite and having trust in my shooters,” Weimar said. “[Mingo] and [Monteagudo] did a really great job hitting [those shots].”
Freshman guard Ava Gormley had an exciting moment in the 4th quarter, connecting a three-pointer and widening the score gap. Gormley has played a big role this season, averaging more than 20 minutes a game.
“I’m just trusting myself [and trusting] what we do in practice,” Gormley said. “I’m surrounded by good players so they can help me out and then just stay the course, don’t get too high or too low.”
The Terriers are on the road next as they are matched up to play at Navy on Saturday.
