After losing four starters and a multitude of talent, Boston University women’s basketball coach Kelly Greenberg asked an impressive rookie class and an underrated cast of returnees to pick up the pieces. The players responded with an 11-5 conference record, good for third in America East.
On Friday, everything the team has worked toward is under the spotlight as the team travels to the University of Hartford for the conference tournament. In the first round, BU (15-13, 11-5 AE) will face off against sixth-seeded University of Maryland-Baltimore County (7-9, 13-16).
The Retrievers have given the Terriers fits this season. UMBC have won both meetings between the two teams by a total of three points. The Retrievers’ 65-63 victory in late January snapped BU’s six-game winning streak against the Maryland squad.
A month later, the rematch ended in even bigger heartbreak. BU let a 23-point lead disintegrate as UMBC went on a 19-0 run midway through the second half to earn a 58-57 victory. The Retrievers’ comeback was the fourth-largest ever by a Division I team.
Coach Greenberg admitted that UMBC’s style matched up well against the Terriers, compared to other lower-ranked teams.
“They just play a different style of basketball,” Greenberg said. “They slow down, they spread out and they play four, sometimes five guards. We just can’t relax. They kind of lull you to sleep and we just have to stay ready. When we’re not firm, we get a little anxious on both ends of the floor and we’re almost too aggressive.”
Greenberg has taken extra steps to prepare her team this time around. After watching tape on UMBC, BU had one of its longest practices of the season, prior to leaving for the tournament Thursday morning.
“For our team, they’re excited that we’re playing them because we’re disappointed that we lost to them both times,” Greenberg said. “We feel like we lost opportunity in those two games.”
A bevy of regular season honors should boost the Terriers morale going into the tournament. Freshman guard Chantell Alford was unanimously voted as the AE Rookie of the Year, the first for a Terrier player in seven years. Alford became the first rookie in 15 years to be named to the AE All-Conference First Team.
A pair of other guards also received honors. Sophomore guard Alex Young and freshman guard Mo Moran were named to the All-Conference Third Team. Moran also joined Alford in the AE All-Rookie Team.
For UMBC, the lone regular season superlative winner was senior guard Carlee Cassidy, a second team honoree.
A match against highly touted University of Vermont likely waits in the next round if the Terriers advance.
“If we can win Friday, we need to win while playing our style and not changing our game because of who we’re playing,” Greenberg said. “We want to win our way. [UMBC is] a type of team that changes the tempo of the game so much, and we want to keep the tempo in our favor. If we can do that, we will win and then hopefully we will realize that our momentum is going into the next game. In my mind, that’s a successful tournament.”
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