The Boston University women’s basketball team will travel across the Charles River to play Harvard University on Wednesday in an attempt to build off of its back-to-back wins last weekend.
Despite finishing last season with an 18-10 record and being picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason poll, Harvard (1-4) has had a challenging start to the season.
The Terriers (3-2) and the Crimson only have two common opponents so far this year in Providence College and the University of Rhode Island.
The Crimson fell to Providence, against which the Terriers secured their season-opening win against, and, like the Terriers, triumphed over URI.
“[The 1-4 record] doesn’t mean anything to me,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “They’re very good, they’re very talented. They’ve just had a very tough schedule.”
Harvard’s win was a 69-57 victory over URI in the Crimson’s home opener, and serves as their lone win of the season.
Guard Christine Clark scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds during the win, while junior Elle Hagedorn and sophomore Elise Gordon each hit a career-high, scoring 14 points and 10 points, respectively.
The Crimson were not so fortunate last Sunday when College of the Holy Cross posted a strong comeback in the second half to eventually win 73-68.
Although Harvard outscored Holy Cross in the first half and opened the second half on a 12-5 run, the Crusaders jumped ahead during the second frame.
The Terriers, on the other hand, defeated Northeastern last Tuesday, knocking in 15 3-pointers and never trailing after the first three minutes of the game.
Although the Huskies took a quick 7-3 lead at the start of the game, BU held a strong offense with three players reaching double digits.
Junior guard Chantell Alford was the leading scorer with 21 points, and was named America East Player of the Game.
Senior guard Alex Young was close behind with 20 points, while junior guard Mo Moran scored 11 points.
“We feel pretty good coming off of two wins,” Greenberg said. “We’ve learned a lot. It’s certainly enjoyable to win [those games] but we were put in situations that we can learn from and be more prepared for next time.”
BU held strong to secure another victory later last week, sailing past URI on Saturday. With three consecutive 3-pointers, the Terriers took a 14-point lead in the second half, and did not look back.
Alford was once again named America East Player of the Game, totaling a career-high of seven steals and netting 15 points – second only to Young, who had 18 points.
Young currently leads the team with 18.6 points per game this season, and is tied for the lead in 3-pointers with 11. The captain has been one of the most consistent performers this season for BU.
When the Terriers faced off against Harvard last November, they fell 69-58.
Both Young and senior forward Caroline Stewart scored in the double digits, but the Crimson still built a lead as large as 13 points in the first half.
BU came within three points in the second half
However, strong scoring from Harvard allowed the team to extend its lead, which the Terriers could not close.
“They really are fast,” Greenberg said. “They push the ball up the floor quickly – our transition defense has to be better. I always expect our game with Harvard every year to be a real battle.”
