Two teams that have had disappointing starts to their America East conference schedules so far will meet tonight at Case Gymnasium when the Boston University women’s basketball team (9-9, 1-4 America East) takes on the University of New Hampshire (6-11, 1-4) at 7 p.m.
The two teams are tied for last in the conference, but neither could have predicted such a poor start at the beginning of the season. The Terriers were picked to finish third in America East in the coaches’ preseason poll but have been disappointing so far in conference play, with their only win coming Jan. 14 against the University at Albany. BU’s most recent loss came to the University of Maine this past weekend, 78-73.
The poll picked UNH to finish fifth in the nine-team league this year, but was only one point away from being slotted right behind BU in the fourth spot. The Wildcats recently picked up their first conference win against Binghamton University on Jan. 17, beating the Bearcats, 58-55, in overtime. UNH followed that win with a loss to the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Jan. 20, falling 59-56 to remain as BU’s cellar-dwelling roommate.
But BU coach Kelly Greenberg knows that neither one of these teams is as bad as their records might suggest.
“I don’t think anyone on our team, especially because of our record, really looks at someone else’s record,” Greenberg said. “They’re good. They’ve had some injuries earlier and lost some close ones. We’re very similar.”
If the Terriers want to avoid falling into sole possession of bottom rung on the conference ladder, they will have to contain senior Danielle Clark tonight. The 6-foot Maine forward averages 14.1 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game, leading the Wildcats in both categories. She is also second on the team in both 3-pointers attempted and made (33.3 percent on 20-of-60 shooting).
“She can move for a forward,” Greenberg said. “We are definitely going to be keying in on her. We have to know where she is at all times in our zone and not get too anxious on her in our man [defense] because she can put it on the floor.”
The Terriers hope the re-emergence of sophomore forward Jesyka Burks-Wiley will help the team handle Clark. Burks-Wiley scored a season-high 12 points in the game against Maine over the weekend in addition to grabbing three rebounds in 24 minutes of playing time. Last season’s freshman sensation has been battling her way back from a knee injury all season, and her health is finally close to 100 percent.
“Jes is definitely here now. There’s no question she’s going to get minutes,” Greenberg said.
But the Terriers will still struggle to match up against the UNH frontcourt even if Burks-Wiley is playing well. Senior forward Ray Williams promises to give problems to whichever Terrier forward isn’t guarding Clark.
“They have a big center, so if we go with two smaller forwards, we have a matchup problem,” Greenberg said.
The Terriers have an interesting recent history with the Wildcats. Last year, the Terriers struggled against UNH, losing both regular season games before beating them in the first round of the America East Conference Tournament.
“We know last year why we lost to them twice. We just don’t match up well with them – they’re bigger,” Greenberg said. “We made some great adjustments last year for the tournament that they weren’t ready for. I think that we are very familiar with what they want to do.”
Greenberg expressed hope the Terriers can continue to improve as their players get healthier each week.
If the Terriers can improve on their half-court game tomorrow that they’ve been working on during the season, they may be able to avoid becoming the sole inhabitant of the America East cellar.