Their classes may end Tuesday, but the Boston University women’s basketball players are not yet thinking about finals. First, they have to take on Harvard University in a cross-river showdown at Case Gymnasium tonight.
The Terriers (5-4) return home in hopes of staying above .500 and beating Harvard for the third consecutive season. Harvard is coming to the Roof with some momentum, as the team beat San Jose State, 83-62, in the Contra Costa Times Classic consolation game earlier this month.
Though the Crimson picked up the win in California, they are just 1-6 on the season. However, the Terriers have shown they can struggle against one-win teams this year, as they barely squeaked by Brown University on last second heroics from senior captain Katie Meinhardt.
In order to get back on the winning track, the Terriers will need to stop 5-foot-11-inch sophomore guard Niki Finelli. Finelli has led the Crimson in scoring in five of their seven games, averaging 15.4 points per contest. Also averaging in double digits are sophomore guard Emily Tay (11.6) and junior guard Lindsay Hallion (11.0).
The Terriers will have to play big against Harvard, a much taller squad than BU. Boston’s 6-foot-5-inch bench player Kristen Folk, who will likely match up with Harvard’s 6-foot-7-inch Emma Moretzsohn, will not be the only Terrier who needs to play big, as BU’s guards, forwards and role players all are at a height disadvantage.
Even so, BU has averaged three more points and three more rebounds per game than Harvard. If the Terriers hope to pull out a win, they will need not only to play big, but also to have to see a better performance from Cheri Raffo than they have in the past two games.
The Terriers are coming off a 20-point loss to the 8-1 University of Delaware. Meinhardt once again led the women in scoring with 24 points. Her 20-plus-point game was her second of the season and the 11th of her career. Freshman starter Aly Hinton also had a solid outing against the Fightin’ Blue Hens, scoring 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds.
Though few shined, the team as a whole could not get any type of steady offense going due to sloppy play. The women racked up a season-high 29 turnovers, with five players turning the ball over four or more times. Junior captain Raffo had another poor showing, going 2-of-13 from the field for four points and giving up the ball a team-high six times. In her past two games, Raffo has shot a combined 2-of-21 and has turned the ball over 10 times.
After the Harvard game, the Terriers will begin their winter schedule. On Dec. 17, BU will play its first consecutive home games of the year when it takes on Big East powerhouse St. John’s University. The Terriers will round out their December schedule at the Dartmouth University Tournament, starting with a game against the University of Dayton. Depending on how the tournament plays out, the Terriers could face national power No. 4 Duke University.
