Women’s basketball suffers first loss at home to St. Joseph’s

Boston University women’s basketball team fell short 62-47 marking their first home loss against Saint Joseph’s University, who remains undefeated.

Sophomore forward Anete Adler started the game off hot for the Terriers (5-3), scoring six points on two jumpers and a layup within the first four minutes. About 30 seconds later, she fell awkwardly, gripping her right knee. She did not return after being helped off the court.

A week prior, Adler struggled offensively against the University of Colorado in a blowout loss to the then-seventh-ranked team, only racking up seven points.

“She came out really dominant. I had a conversation with her before the game just about getting her confidence back after Colorado,” head coach Melissa Graves said. “I think that she’s obviously disappointed that she didn’t get to finish the game, but I didn’t think we necessarily held our heads down.”

In Adler’s absence, junior guard Alex Giannaros tallied four points to complete the Terriers’ first-quarter scoring, cutting St. Joseph’s lead to just five points.

The Hawks (8-0) came out strong in the second quarter with an onslaught of shots from beyond the arc, though none landed until sophomore forward Laura Ziegler sank a jumper in the third minute.

Junior guard Mackenzie Smith created issues for the Terriers defense throughout the game alongside Ziegler. Smith totaled 22 points, going 9-16 from the field, while Ziegler led the team with 11 rebounds at the end of the game.

The Terriers were down 37-25 at halftime after the Hawks scored 22 points in the second quarter.

“We really re-grouped at halftime,” Graves said. “Making those adjustments at halftime and honing in on what we needed to do, we got some really good stuff out of our press.”

BU committed three fouls within the first minute to open the third quarter, but they only surrendered one point to St. Joe’s.

Senior forward Caitlin Weimar made a run early in the quarter, making both free throws after a Hawks foul. She finished two layups to bring the score to 41-31, with the Hawks still holding the lead.

Senior guard Sophie Beneventine displayed some smooth footwork on the Hawks before drilling a jumper with just over three minutes left in the quarter. Just 43 seconds later, senior guard Kelsi Mingo sank a three-pointer and stole the ball off the rebound immediately after.

Weimar finished the run with a layup from the paint, cutting the Hawks’ lead down to eight points, the tightest margin St. Joe’s allowed for the rest of the game.

Weimar scored 16 points by the end of the third quarter, ultimately leading the Terriers in points with 18 before she committed a fifth personal foul in the fourth and was subbed by Mingo. 

Freshman guard Audrey Ericksen started the game, playing 29 minutes with no points to show for it, but she collected four rebounds.

Sophomore forward Anastasiia Semenova played strong defense while putting up a layup in the fifth minute to cut down the Terriers’ disadvantage to nine points. Those would be her only two points of the game after she played 29 minutes, but she contributed with a block and a steal in an unfamiliar position.

“Audrey stepped up, had to play the four, and Ana had to play the five, which I don’t know that she’s ever really played the five,” Graves said. “We had some good pieces there where people stepped up and got stops in the fourth quarter where we needed to get stops.”

The Terriers had four turnovers in the last five minutes that cost the team offensive opportunities and widened the score gap as time ran out.

“As disappointing as this is, we did some really good things, and there’s some positive things to take away from it,” Graves said. 

The Terriers will play Harvard University on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. in Case Gym.