In the last home game for the Boston University women’s basketball team this season, “The Roof” was practically on fire.
BU (12-18, 5-13 Patriot League) and Loyola Maryland both struggled in-conference during the regular season, but the Terriers were unphased as the first round of the Patriot League championship tournament unfolded.
BU led by as many as 31 points at the close of the third quarter, ultimately blowing out the visitors in a 75-51 victory.
Coach Danielle O’Banion ran a ten-player rotation for the Greyhounds (9-22, 3-15 Patriot League). Not one of them scored more than nine, meanwhile BU had four players in the double digits: sophomore guard Audrey Ericksen, sophomore forward Sisi Bentley, senior guard Alex Giannaros and junior forward Anete Adler.
While Ericksen wowed the crowd with three made 3-pointers, she exerted just as much effort on the other side of the ball with three rebounds and a block.
“Defense has been a big piece of growth for me,” said Ericksen. “I’m happy that I’m getting better at that this season.”
Bentley did it all on Saturday afternoon with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals.
“Sisi did a tremendous job at the top of the press,” said Graves.
One thing Bentley did exceptionally well was guard Laura Salmerón, who was 3-for-12 from the field despite averaging 13.7 points for Loyola this season.
Loyola senior Koi Sims intimidated many other teams this season, ranking fourth in the PL in blocked shots and nearly averaging a double double, but BU seems to have her figured out.
In their last meeting Feb. 19, the Terriers held Sims to seven points, and on Saturday, they held her to just five.
“This is our third time playing them,” said Bentley. “So we kind of already knew what [Sims] wanted to do.”
The Greyhounds made a series of defensive errors throughout the game, yielding 14 turnovers and team fouls each. In the first quarter, sophomore guard Inés Monteagudo Pardo was fouled yet capitalized on the three-point play, making all three attempts from the behind line.
The Terriers never trailed throughout the game, even when they turned the ball over four times and Loyola got away with five points from fast breaks during the second quarter.
BU maintained their composure under the direction of Graves, who encouraged them not to get flustered or “run away from the basketball” when they got pressed.
The Terriers grounded themselves during halftime, returning after the break to score 27 points in the third quarter.
Sophomore guards Aoibhe Gormley and Bella McLaughlin had four assists each, joining Giannaros in creating plays for the frontcourt which resulted in Adler’s team-high 13 points. Despite getting into significant foul trouble, seven of freshman forward Allison Schwertner’s eight rebounds were defensive.
To mark the team’s final appearance in Case Gym this season, Coach Graves and the players thanked fans and the BU Marching Band for their loyalty and support.
The band energized the crowd by playing and cheering without ceasing, with Graves acknowledging how the band’s commitment and presence “makes such a huge difference.”
On Monday, The Terriers will travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to face off against top-seeded Lehigh in the Quarterfinals.
Coach Graves says the team will “definitely have to be locked in on both sides of the ball,” but “we know we can compete with them if we are.”
