In another chapter of the Turnpike Trophy, the Boston University women’s basketball team will travel to the College of the Holy Cross Saturday afternoon for a conference clash.
The Terriers (3-24, 3-13 Patriot League) and Crusaders (12-15, 9-7 Patriot League) are both coming off a loss and will try and rebound. BU was routed Wednesday night 72-38 at the hands of the United States Military Academy, while Holy Cross dropped a 59-49 decision against Loyola University Maryland.
When Holy Cross and BU met Dec. 30, the Terriers suffered a 60-41 defeat. It was their first Turnpike Trophy encounter, and sophomore Infiniti Thomas-Waheed and senior Molly Hourigan performed at a high level for the Crusaders. Thomas-Waheed finished with 20 points, six rebounds and three blocks, while Hourigan pulled in 13 rebounds and recorded four blocks. The Terriers will try and keep these two contained throughout the game.
Many different BU players have contributed this season. Although their record is not where BU head coach Katy Steding said she and her staff would like it to be, the distribution of ball has been impressive and could lead to potentially lead to victory against the Crusaders.
Sophomore guard Meghan Doogan has played well in her last few games, impressing Steding with her distribution of the ball and overall unselfishness. She totaled a career-high 23 points in BU’s Feb. 17 win over Colgate University.
“Meghan has worked very hard all season,” Steding said. “She is a very unselfish kid and moves the ball really well and finishes shots. She gets it.”
Also catching Steding’s attention this season is junior guard Courtney Latham and graduate student guard Troi Melton, two players who have been reliable in all facets of the game. Melton had a career-high 24 points and eight boards in BU’s Feb. 20 game against Bucknell University, and she will play a big role to finish out the season.
“Troi is somebody who is simply a good basketball player [and] a good athlete,” Steding said. “It helps us when she is out there. Courtney has been rock solid. She doesn’t do everything perfect every night, but she is very reliable.”
While BU has been inconsistent throughout the year, Steding noted how her team has improved defensively. Particularly, BU has tried to corral opposing shooters and rebounders as a unit, as opposed to five individuals.
“We’ve worked really well at playing team defense,” Steding said, “We’ve slowed the tempo down effectively at times. We still struggle with rebounding on an everyday basis. Overall, I think we have improved in a lot of different areas.”
Holy Cross will challenge the Terriers despite the progress they have made over the course of the season. Senior Raquel Scott, who leads Holy Cross with 16.4 points per game, will be out with a knee injury, but the Terriers will still have their hands full.
“They have good players,” Steding said. “They don’t have anybody who jumps off the page, especially with Scott out, which is kind of sad. They work very well together. They run a ton of different sets and different looks, so it is hard to prepare for them.”
Steding said she knows that Holy Cross will be ready to come out fighting, especially since the game will fall on its Senior Day. Despite this, she believes the Terriers will come out and compete hard.
“We have to match their intensity,” Steding said. “It’s Senior Day and they are going to be amped up, but we just need to come out and battle on every possession.”
