Before the season, Boston University women’s basketball coach Kelly Greenberg said that her players made it a goal of theirs to win 13 America East games. They may have underestimated their own abilities.
The Terriers (15-6, 9-0 AE) extended their program-best winning streak to 10 games with an enthralling 64-61 overtime victory against the University of Vermont on Saturday in front of a hostile Patrick Gymnasium crowd of 1,062. BU’s 9-0 start in the conference ties it with the 1987-88 team for the best start in program history.
Just like in the first meeting with the rival Catamounts (12-10, 6-3) ‘-‘- a 58-47 home victory on Jan. 10 ‘-‘- the Terriers’ defense carried them. BU’s three-headed monster of senior guards Kristi Dini, Christine Kinneary and Amarachi Umez-Eronini held UVM’s Courtnay Pilypaitis and May Kotsopoulos ‘- who came in ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference in scoring with a combined 29.4 points per game ‘-‘- to 6-of-23 shooting and 22 points.
‘We played a lot of man,’ Greenberg said. ‘The last time we played them, we played a lot of zone, so we said, ‘Let’s mix it up this time and play more man.’ We just played great team D.
‘We know their strengths. We prepared for [Pilypaitis and Kotsopoulos] just as much as the rest of the team. A lot of teams focus just on them and someone else steps up. We didn’t want to focus too much on them and allow someone else to beat us. Christine [Kinneary], Amarachi [Umez-Eronini] and Dini really bothered Kotsopoulos when she tried to drive and you could tell she was getting frustrated.’
Senior forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley (16 points, 11 rebounds) and junior forward Aly Hinton (12 and 10) each recorded double-doubles, but Umez-Eronini posted the most impressive statline. The Washington, D.C. native accrued 13 points, five rebounds, four assists and a career-high-tying six steals.
‘Amarachi had some steals 1-on-1 and some off the ball,’ Greenberg said. ‘She did a great job pressuring the ball and getting in passing lanes. Her desire to win was really there [Saturday].’
After trailing for the entire first half, BU forced the game’s first tie (33-33) when Kinneary (10 points, 3 assists) drove hard into the lane and hit a layup 5:20 into the second half. With 9:50 remaining in the game, Burks-Wiley ripped the ball away from a driving Kotsopoulos and hit Umez-Eronini with an outlet pass. Umez-Eronini then dished to Dini (8 points) for a 3 from the wing that gave the Terriers their first lead, 40-39.
The Catamounts reclaimed the lead a little over two minutes later, but the Terriers took it right back when Hinton knocked down a trey from the top of the key off an assist by Kinneary to make it 45-43 with 7:16 remaining. Less than 20 seconds later, Umez-Eronini picked Pilypaitis’ pocket and drove the length of the court to make it a four-point game.
With 1:20 left in regulation, Pilypaitis hit two free throws to cut BU’s lead to one. With 31 seconds left, UVM had a chance to take the lead. Pilypaitis drove into the lane and attempted a turnaround jumper, but Dini got a hand on the ball and forced the turnover.
The Catamounts were forced to foul Hinton, who leads BU in free-throw shooting at 82.9 percent. But Hinton missed the front end of a 1-and-1, giving UVM a chance to hold for the final shot.
Unfortunately for the Catamounts, Pilypaitis blew a tire at half court, handing the ball right over to Umez-Eronini. Umez-Eronini was then fouled going up for a layup and made one of two from the line. Pilypaitis redeemed herself, though, by pump-faking Burks-Wiley in the lane and hitting an open J with four seconds left to tie the game at 54 and force overtime.
‘We played pretty good D [on the final possession],’ Greenberg said. ‘But Jes went for the ball fake, went flying, and gave [Pilypaitis] an open look. We didn’t get too down, though, and we stayed composed for overtime.’
Burks-Wiley opened the OT scoring with a layup 10 seconds in, and two free throws apiece from Dini and Umez-Eronini made it a quick six-point lead for the Terriers. UVM battled back, though, and a layup by Pilypaitis with 27 seconds left cut the deficit to 62-61.
Hinton hit two free throws at the other end to up the lead to three. After a missed Kotsopoulos 3-point attempt went out of bounds off BU with eight seconds left, the Catamounts inbounded the ball to Pilypaitis in the corner. Her 3 was heavily contested by Kinneary and clanked off the front of the rim to give the Terriers their third straight win over UVM.
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