The Boston University women’s basketball team suffered their fourth consecutive loss on Saturday, this one a 71-51 drubbing at the hands of Colgate University. It was yet another loss on the road, dropping their out-of-town record to 4-8.
While the Terriers (8-16, 2-11 Patriot League) kept things competitive in the first half, Colgate (9-17, 9-4 PL) ran away with the game in the back half of the third quarter.
“Taking care of the basketball was the biggest piece,” said head coach Melissa Graves. “We really struggled against their pressure.”
BU took an early lead thanks to a quick layup by sophomore forward SiSi Bentley, but Colgate guard Taylor Golembiewski promptly replied with a 3 and a layup on consecutive possessions, giving the Raiders a lead they would hold onto for the rest of the game.
The Terriers may have been playing from behind, but they stayed within striking distance during the first half. A strong second quarter saw them nearly close the gap between them and the Raiders, getting as close as a one-point deficit after a made three-ball by sophomore guard Inés Monteagudo Pardo.
The careless ball handling that followed, however, allowed Colgate to fall back into their groove. They closed the half out on a 12-4 run that saw the Terriers cough up the ball six times, and Colgate headed into the locker room up 34-25.
BU shot fine in the first half, going 8-for-19 from the floor and 3-for-5 from behind the arc, but their 11 turnovers gave the Raiders too many extra chances to score.
Coming out of halftime, the Terriers kept the game in reach, starting the third quarter on a 13-6 run.
However, their attempt at a comeback was undone by the same ball-handling issues that ruined their momentum in the second quarter. Bentley cut the Raider lead to two after hitting a pair of free throws midway through the third, but a turnover on the following BU possession kicked off a 17-4 Colgate run to end the third.
“We had a couple turnovers and it snowballed,” said Graves. “We tried to force things inside when they were collapsed and [made] poor reads like that.”
Colgate kept their momentum going through the fourth quarter, and the Terriers could not keep up.
The Raiders scored 31 points off of 21 Terrier turnovers, while only committing 10 themselves — a back-breaking differential.
“I don’t think this team has ever lost morale or the belief in themselves to win,” Graves said. “You have to focus on the next thing. You can’t look at the past.”
The Terriers stay on the road for their next match, taking on Loyola Maryland Wednesday at 7 p.m.
