Working overtime, again

Not since Feb. 19, 2005, had the University of Hartford lost a regular-season home game to an America East foe.

Fueled by career-high scoring performances from senior co-captain Christine Kinneary (27 points) and freshman Alex Young (19), the Boston University women’s basketball team snapped the Hawks’ streak in an 80-75 overtime thriller last night.

The Terriers (19-6, 13-0 AE) overcame a 17-point second-half deficit to down the defending America East champions, breaking a seven-game losing streak at Hartford that included three dropped conference title bouts.

‘It’s nice to be able to win on their court,’ Kinneary said. ‘We want to be a great team, and great teams can win on the road. It shouldn’t really matter where you play.’

The win gives BU an inside track to the top seed in the America East Tournament. However, since the tournament will be held at the Hawks’ Chase Family Arena, and since BU and Hartford are the odds-on favorites to reach the conference finals, the win means much more than just a No. 1 seed.

‘I think people thought last year us beating them [at BU] was a fluke and maybe even this year,’ senior Kristi Dini said. ‘Going into the conference tournament knowing that we can beat them on their home court really takes some weight off our shoulders. It shows that when we go in and do what we have to do, we can beat them.’

Kinneary was voted BU’s America East Player of the Game, and for good reason. Not only did Kinneary set a new career high in scoring, but the 5-foot-8 guard also set a career high with nine rebounds to go along with a game-high six assists.

‘From the beginning, Christine just stayed solid and came up huge,’ BU coach Kelly Greenberg said. ‘Some of her layups, she just had no right making them.’

Kinneary shined in the extra frame, scoring eight of BU’s 10 overtime points, including a pair of carbon-copy layups over Hartford (16-10, 11-2) defenders while falling out of bounds on the right side of the lane.

Dini said her classmate did a fantastic job recognizing the Hartford defense, which held its focus on the rest of BU’s array of scorers throughout the game.

‘[Kinneary] always brings it as a leader, even when she’s not scoring,’ Dini said. ‘She’s always a leader on the court with the assists and the defense.’

The Terriers will miss Kinneary’s abilities and leadership when she graduates in May, but after Young’s breakout performance last night, BU’s future still looks bright.

The Hickory, N.C. native came off the bench to net 19 and shoot 60 percent from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, all while playing a career-high 25 minutes.

Young was BU’s run-buster of sorts last night, helping the Terriers bounce back after a pair of huge Hartford scoring runs. After the Hawks opened the game on a 10-2 run, the freshman scored seven points in a 3-minute span, helping the Terriers tie the contest at 19-19.

When the Hawks opened the second half on an 18-1 run, putting BU behind by 17 points, Greenberg called a timeout to settle and refocus the troops. Young responded, knocking down a pair of uplifting 3-pointers to cut Hartford’s lead and give the Terriers a much-needed boost.

‘When she hit the back-to-back 3s in the second half, that kind of gave us new life,’ Greenberg said. ‘Her two 3s were just awesome, and it just gave us a new sense of urgency like, ‘OK, we’re back in this game.”

Following Young’s game-changing treys, BU slowly chipped away at Hartford’s lead, and with 1:21 left, Young’s layup on a baseline drive ‘-‘- a play Greenberg called specifically for the freshman ‘-‘- brought the Terriers within one at 68-67.

After a pair of free throws from Hartford freshman Illicia Mathis (15 points, 10-of-10 free-throw shooting) put the Hawks up by three, Greenberg called a timeout with 12 seconds left to draw up a final play.

Dini caught the inbound pass following the timeout and moved toward the right corner. The play was designed for her to work off a screen set by junior Aly Hinton, but when Dini came off the screen, Hartford junior Erica Beverly was waiting for her. Dini passed the ball back to Hinton, and when she did, Beverly backed off a step.

Hinton threw the ball straight back to Dini, who knocked down a trey over Beverly from the corner with eight seconds left in regulation, tying the game at 70-all.

Hartford senior Lisa Etienne received the Hartford inbound pass and drove to the basket, beating the BU defense and finding space for a wide-open left-handed layup. The ball bounced off the backboard, off the rim and, ultimately, off the hardwood floor, but never fell through the mesh netting, sending the game into overtime and setting the stage for Kinneary’s takeover.