After a home loss earlier in the season to Colgate University, Boston University women’s basketball sought revenge on the away court Wednesday night. The Terriers (12–10, 8–4 Patriot League) came away with a 61-53 win thanks to strong performances from junior forward Nia Irving and senior guard Payton Hauck.
“I think [their veteran presences] are huge, those guys have played a lot of minutes in a BU uniform,” BU head hoach Marisa Moseley said about Irving and Hauck. “[Hauck] is one of the quickest players in the league and explosive, so she’s able to get to the rim. Both of their rebounding tonight was huge.”
Irving finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds, her sixth double-double of the season. Hauck had a season-high 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting, and freshman forward Riley Childs also chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds.
Going into the game, Moseley said she knew that the Terriers would need to slow down Colgate (9–13, 5–7 Patriot League) guards Rachel Thompson and Haley Greer, who both scored 17 points in the previous matchup against the Terriers on Jan. 16.
“They got us on a lot of flair screens in the last game, so defensively we really talked about being a lot more alert about what they were trying to do,” Moseley said. “With [Thompson] we really had to give her a step, so we made a concerted effort to pick up the ball early and stop her transition and find their shooters.”
After five minutes in the first quarter and a three-pointer by Raider guard Keelah Dixon, the Terriers were down 8-9. But a fast-break layup by senior guard Lauren Spearman gave BU a lead that they never gave back in the first frame, finishing the quarter with an 18-12 lead.
The Raiders scored five straight points to open the second quarter, but BU did not relinquish the lead until there were four minutes left in the period. It did not take them long to recover, however, as senior forward Naiyah Thompson made a shot to put the Terriers up 24-23.
BU went on to score four more in the period and prevented Colgate from adding any more points in the half. Irving finished the first half leading the game in scoring and rebounding, with eight in both categories.
The third quarter saw the Raiders coming out strong, and they held a 34-32 lead with just under six minutes left in the period. Thanks to six points from Hauck in the remaining time, the Terriers went into the fourth quarter with a three-point lead.
With 12 score changes and eight ties, the Terriers and the Raiders were neck-and-neck for most of the game. It was a three-pointer by sophomore guard Katie Nelson, BU’s first of the game, with just more than a minute remaining that helped the Terriers take the momentum to see out the game.
With neither team having their best shooting game of the season, it came down to the rebounding and turnover battles. The Raiders finished with one less turnover, and one more point off of a turnover.
The Terriers, however, dominated the glass, pulling down 17 more rebounds than their opponents. BU’s 18 offensive boards, nine of which came from Irving, gave the Terriers a few crucial extra possessions throughout the game which helped clinch the win.
“It’s huge,” Moseley said about the Terriers’ offensive rebounding. “I think it really takes the wind out of the other team’s sails when you can get some additional opportunities at the basket.”
BU will be home Saturday to take on Patriot League foe, the College of the Holy Cross (14-9, 6-6 Patriot League), at 2 p.m. When the teams last faced off on Jan. 19, Holy Cross won 75-69.
Moseley said her Terriers are already getting ready for the matchup.
“We went down there, got down about 15 points early, but I think that we have a good opportunity to be hosting them,” Moseley said. “Traditionally this season we’ve played pretty well at home, and I think our kids are looking forward to the rematch.”
This is by far the best article I have ever seen published in The Daily Free Press or any newspaper ever for that matter. What a great victory for the Terriers!