Seniors Kerry Cashman, Kat Briggs and Krystyn McIntyre walked off the hardwood of Case Gymnasium Saturday for what might be their final time in Boston University uniforms. The seniors ended their regular-season college careers at home on top with a 75-52 win over University of Vermont.
All three seniors were honored before the game with a ceremony, a decorated locker room and posters before being named starters in the regular season finale.
“Our underclassmen prepared a great day for us,” Cashman said after leading the team with nine rebounds against the Catamounts. “They made it very special for us and reminded us why we are here. The girls are really great.”
McIntyre and Briggs both had rare starts for the Terriers. Briggs has been a consistent defensive specialist in the lineup all season, while McIntyre had not yet appeared in a game. Whether or not their play was stellar, BU coach Kelly Greenberg planned to continue playing them.
“For the first time in my coaching career I actually said, ‘No matter what happens, how they play, I’m going back to the two of them,’” Greenberg said.
McIntyre proved her value early on when she scored the first points of the game and then followed up soon after with a 3-pointer. The senior guard scored five of the team’s first nine points and had a career-high five points in the game within the first five minutes.
“I was just really excited to get in the game,” McIntyre said, who finished the game with five points and three rebounds in 17 minutes of play. “I remember Kat had the assist on the 3 so I thought it was very fitting that the assist came from another senior.”
McIntyre stole the show early with her quick points, but Briggs kept the spotlight on the play of the seniors all night. Briggs’s defense was relentless, as she had three steals and her high pressure caused many Catamount turnovers. While Briggs is known for her defensive effort, she performed well on the offensive end too, scoring 10 points and drawing consistent fouls with her drives.
“Kat certainly proved that ‘I can bother the other team’s point guard’ so yes, she did a great job,” Greenberg said. “Even if she didn’t get the turnover, she flustered.”
As a team captain this year, Cashman has led the Terriers to a No. 2 seed in the America East Tournament. Cashman only scored two points on Saturday, but she was a solid defensive force and led the team with 34 minutes played. As the team’s leading rebounder on the year, Cashman is one of the five finalists for the AE Player of the Year.
“It feels good,” Cashman said. “Obviously it is nice to get recognized like that. But I’m not really concentrated on that now. I am more concentrated on bringing our team strong into the conference championship.”
While the three seniors all played a big role in the team’s win against Vermont, the Player of the Game honor went to sophomore Chantell Alford, who scored a career high 29 points.
“I think we wanted to start out strong because it was senior night,” Alford said. The night was energetic for everyone, including the coaches, players and fans. The stands were crowded at Case to cheer on the seniors, and the spectators went ballistic whenever a senior made an impressive play. McIntyre received consistent “K-Mac” chants from her faithful fan section and as all three seniors walked off the floor together with two minutes remaining in the game, the cheer changed to “Thank You Seniors.”
“This was a different senior day for us than we have had in years,” Greenberg said. “They stand for a lot of things for us. So it was fun.”
There is still a chance for another home game if BU makes the tournament finals and top seed University of Baltimore-Maryland County loses before the championship game. Still, the thought of their BU basketball career ending made the three seniors emotional.
“It has been an amazing experience,” Briggs said, “with past players and recent players. Right now I probably have 13 of my best friends all with me all the time, and I know that they will be lifetime friends. I can come back and I know that I will remember them all for what we had, and I think that this experience, this journey with them, that’s what I will take with me when I leave here.”
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