In a matchup determining first place in the Patriot League standings, the Boston University women’s basketball team defeated the College of the Holy Cross 74-56.
The Terriers (15-10, 11-3 PL) were led by senior forward Chiara Tibbitt and freshman guard Alex Giannaros, who each scored 16 points. The Crusaders (16-9, 10-4 PL) had strong performances from senior guard Avery LaBarbera, who scored 20 points, and sophomore forward Janelle Allen, who had 14.
Head coach Melissa Graves called the victory “a tremendous team win.”
“We had a lot of contributors, people who didn’t play positions that they’ve ever played before,” Graves said. “The morale was great. We shared the basketball really well.”
Tibbitt echoed Graves, adding that the team “needed to win after our last loss.” The Terriers fell to American University 70-57 on Saturday afternoon before rebounding in yesterday’s win.
Despite a slow first quarter where the Terriers shot 4-of-15 and finished the quarter down 10 points, BU came back to take the lead with a layup by junior forward Maren Durant with just over three minutes to go in the first half. Durant capped off her 14-point night with her second double-double of the season.
“We’ve been talking about trying to win the first half and I think we did that today,” Graves said. “That was a goal of ours because we’ve been struggling a little bit in our first half, how we’re coming out of the gate. So I was proud of them for that effort.”
Through strong second-quarter defense — including 11 defensive rebounds, two steals and three forced turnovers — the Terriers were able to dig their way out of the early hole to finish the half with a 34-29 lead.
Graves commended her team on their defensive versatility.
“Being able to switch between man and zone and be able to focus in on that and talk within that was really, really big for us,” she said.
Going forward, Graves said she is emphasizing “respecting every opponent but fearing none” to her players for the upcoming Patriot League competition. The Terriers have four more games in the regular season, all of which are against Patriot League foes.
Graves, in her first season at BU, has continued to coach the team to success despite being due to give birth to her first child on Friday.
The Terriers will welcome Colgate University to Case Gym on Saturday afternoon for their second-to-last home game of the season.
“Every game is a big game, especially coming in, in the first place,” Graves said. “Everyone’s going to play their best every time. They’re going to bring everything they can at you, so just being ready for that.”
