The Boston University women’s basketball team outlasted local rival Northeastern University Friday in their season opener battling for a 74-73 win.
Coming into the game, the Terriers (1-0) knew the Huskies (0-1) would be a formidable challenge with preseason CAA All-Conference honorees Claudia Ortiz and Jess Genco on the team.
BU head coach Katy Steding explained that she was proud of her team and that her players had earned the win.
“I’m really happy for the team because it gives them the boost they deserve and have earned,” Steding said. “It was a challenging way to close the game, but you can’t close the game if you’re not in the game. It was a great way to start the season and I’m happy for the seniors who have toiled and toiled.”
Northeastern’s Genco showed off her shooting ability early on, converting two shots from beyond the arc in the first half enroute to eight first half points.
As the second quarter opened, BU junior Payton Hauck helped to switch the momentum. She created offensive chances for the Terriers and converted a jumper and two layups as part of a career high 15 points.
The Terriers finished with nine steals and eight fast break points.
“It was something that we had been working on last year,” Steding said about her team’s defensive style. “We fed off of that and it helped to spark some runs for us. It’s something that we want to continue to work at and it’s an important part of our game.”
Freshman guard Katie Nelson made her first collegiate debut, starting on Friday. She helped lead a second half charge by making consecutive shots from beyond the arc and added two assists.
“We knew when she was coming in she was going to be pretty tough,” Steding said. “You play scrimmages against yourselves but sometimes you just don’t know, but she’s a gamer and she rose to the occasion tonight.”
The Huskies outscored BU by a margin 24-14 in the final stanza.
The Terriers again shifted the momentum to their side after senior center Sophie Beaudry made a layup and converted on the free throw to complete a three-point play.
A three-pointer from Genco with 40 seconds left brought the game to 74-71. With 22 seconds left, Northeastern freshman guard Shannon Todd went up for a layup that brought the Huskies up to 73, but they were unable to get a shot off in its final offensive chance, and the Terriers held on for the win.
The win was the first for the Terriers against Northeastern in five home openers. Hauck ended up leading in the team in points with 15, while Beaudry followed close behind with 14.
The Terriers will head to Durham, New Hampshire to face the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday. Steding said she hopes her team can build off its momentum and continue to improve prior to the start of conference games.
“UNH presents a really different kind of game,” Steding said. “We’re going to have to be really diligent and disciplined on defense. There were some times tonight where, because of our defense, we were able to recover quickly from mistakes. But with all of the screening UNH does, we can be in trouble if we don’t play smart.”
