The Boston University women’s basketball team will look to get back in the win column on Saturday, when it returns home to take on the United States Naval Academy.
The Terriers (8-9, 3-4 Patriot League) have dropped their last two Patriot League matches after falling to first-place American University Wednesday night by a score of 66-50. On the other hand, Navy (15-3, 5-2 Patriot League) enters Saturday’s matchup riding a four-game win streak.
BU’s offense struggled throughout the loss to American (14-4, 7-0 Patriot League), as only 24 points came from the team’s starters. The Terriers also allowed 22 turnovers, which created opportunities the Eagles were able to take advantage of.
Throughout the game, many of BU’s opponents were left open and managed to connect from beyond the arc — junior guard Elina Koskimies shot seven of the team’s 12 three-pointers. This, along with missed BU opportunities inside the paint, allowed American to run away with the victory.
“[Koskimies] is a really good shooter, and we knew that going in and we talked about how we need to play her,” BU head coach Katy Steding said. “They did set themselves up for success and we didn’t close out quickly enough. We didn’t recover quickly enough out of our actions so we ended up with a deficit there.”
Despite the loss, there were many positives for Steding to take away as her team looks forward to its meeting with Navy.
Sophomore forward Nia Irving put up 18 points off the bench, and also contributed seven rebounds and a steal.
Irving leads the team with an average of 12.1 points per game and has scored at least 20 points in two of her last five games. She has proved to be a dynamic threat on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
“[Irving] really likes to score,” Steding said. “She wants the ball in her hands, she’s a great rebounder. She has a really nice touch around the rim and she’s learned to find space and be creative with where she finds shot attempts.”
Senior guard Corrine Williams has heated up recently as well. She added 15 points and nine rebounds of her own in the game against the Eagles, including three successful attempts from beyond the arc, as well as 10 consecutive points for her team.
With a 3-4 record in conference play so far this season, the Terriers are still in the middle of the pack. As BU prepares for its matchup against Navy, it sits tied for sixth place with Lafayette College.
While there are still many conference games left to be played, Steding noted the importance of the upcoming game against second-place Navy.
“This season is long, but it ain’t that long,” Steding said. “We have to start to convert some of these close games into W’s again. We’ll continue to address some of the things we’re doing not as well, and we’ll continue to try and attack with our strengths. Obviously we want to get in a rhythm here.”
That will be no easy feat for the Terriers, as they will have to go up against a challenging Navy team that has steadily gained momentum as conference play has progressed.
The Midshipmen are led by senior guard Taylor Dunham, who put up 11 points and led the team with six assists in Navy’s 65-59 win against Lafayette (7-10, 3-4 Patriot League) on Wednesday.
Her teammate senior guard Hannah Fenske scored 15 points of her own. Fenske has proved to be a consistent offensive threat for Navy this year, averaging 13.1 points per game.
Steding hopes her team can limit these players’ chances and clean up its defense to secure the win.
“Navy really prides themselves on defense,” Steding said. “They have some really good shooters… We’ll change defenses quite a bit and try to give them different looks and make them make adjustments.”
However, BU may have to do so without junior guard Payton Hauck, who may or may not return after suffering a small sprain against the College of Holy Cross last Saturday.
Despite this, Steding has confidence that her players can step up and get the job done.
“We have to know [Navy’s] personnel really well and we have to make sure that we’re engaged in whatever defense that we’re throwing at them,” Steding said. “If we play like we did last night, and we play really hard, that will help us in the long run. We can do better and we will.”
