The Boston University women’s basketball team wrapped up a two-game tournament trip over Thanksgiving break in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Terriers split the two games with a loss against the University of New Mexico Friday and a win against Stephen F. Austin State University Saturday.
BU’s (3-3) first game was against tournament host New Mexico (1-5). The Terriers came into the game following a 66-61 home win over the University of Vermont on Nov. 22. BU started the first half slow against the Lobos, who started off the game with a 16-6 run over the first eight minutes of play. During this span, the Terriers shot 20 percent from the field, sinking just three of 15 field goal attempts.
However, BU answered back before the half ended, going on a 20-8 run to give BU a first-half lead of 26-24. The Terriers found more success on offense over the final minutes of the first half, shooting 50 percent from the field (7-14). Overall the Terriers just outshot the Lobos in the first half by 34.5 percent to 33.3 percent.
The bulk of the second half saw both teams trade baskets with each side, occasionally going on a quick four or five-point run. The main turning point of the game came with under five and a half minutes left to play.
The Terriers trailed the Lobos 46-45 after a layup by freshman forward Kara Sheftic, but BU then experienced a scoring drought, as New Mexico went on a 10-4 run to end the game. The Terriers shot 25 percent from the field in that time after making only two of their final eight shots, eventually falling to the Lobos 56-49.
Sophomore guard Sarah Hope tied her career high of 19 points, shooting 5-8 from 3-point range and 7-10 from the field.
“I thought we played very well for 37 minutes against an athletic, skilled, experienced team playing at home,” said BU coach Katy Steding in an email. “Our plan was solid, but they ended up being very strong rebounders down the stretch, and ultimately the game got away from us with box outs and second effort fouls on our part.”
The Terriers’ second game came Saturday against the Ladyjacks (3-3), who lost to the University of California – Riverside, 90-62, the day before.
The Ladyjacks jumped out to a quick 7-2 start over the Terriers with just over three minutes gone in the contest. BU then answered with an 8-0 run of its own, as Hope and senior forward Mollie McKendrick contributed three points apiece and Sheftic added two. But SFA fought back, going on a 10-0 run over the next four minutes.
The Terriers finished the half trailing SFA 29-25, though BU outshot the Ladyjacks 37.5 percent (9-24) to 30.6 percent (11-36).
The game as a whole was a close one throughout, but when sophomore forward Meghan Green gave BU a 33-32 lead after her layup with just over fifteen minutes left to play in the game, the Terriers never looked back.
BU held onto the lead for the rest of the game, even leading by a game-high ten points when McKendrick’s jumper put BU ahead 51-41. SFA eventually cut the lead to 58-57 with 1:03 left in the game. However, the Terriers made some key stops on defense, which forced SFA to commit fouls.
BU ended up winning the match, 62-57, after sinking some crucial free throws to end the game. McKendrick finished the game with a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds, good for a double-double.
Hope registered 15 points and seven rebounds on the day and was named to the All-Tournament Team for the weekend.
“This team has been great from the start at staying focused on what’s ahead rather than ruminating on what’s in the rear view mirror,” Steding said. “I think they did a great job at the end on Saturday of saying we are not going to give this one back the way we did on Friday. And that paid off for us. We try to stay positive and focus on the things we can control each time.”
Alexander mainly covers field hockey for the Daily Free Press. On his days off, he catches up on playing basketball and soccer and cheers on the New York Giants, Knicks, and Yankees. He previously interned at the office of U.S. Senator Edward Markey.
