Women’s Basketball: Terriers hit the road to face tough Marist team

By: Ethan Fuller

BOSTON — After a convincing 72-51 win over Brown, the Boston University women’s basketball team looks to build momentum when it travels to Poughkeepsie, New York to play Marist College on Friday. The Terriers currently sit at 1-1 on the young season, while the Red Foxes of Marist hold a 1-0 record.

In their home-opener victory, BU fielded a balanced offensive attack, with four Terriers reaching double figures. Junior forward Nia Irving notched her ninth career double-double, scoring 16 points to go with 12 rebounds. Senior Payton Hauck added 16 of her own to go along with four assists.

The home crowd also saw two of the newest Terriers turn in impressive performances. Forward Ashley Sieper put up 10 points and grabbed four boards in just 11 minutes of action. Chiara Tibbitt contributed six points on three of four shooting.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of BU’s game was their energetic, aggressive defense. Sophomore Katie Nelson was all over the ball, managing four steals along with numerous unrecorded tipped passes. Payton Hauck, tasked with shutting down dynamic Brown guard Justine Gaziano, did just that; Gaziano scored just seven points on a 30 percent field goal rate.

After Northeastern put up 81 points on the Terriers in their first game, Brown was held to just 51. They shot 33 percent from the field and only 15 percent from behind the arc in Case Gym.

Monday saw a critical victory for a Terrier team looking to build a winning culture under new head coach Marisa Moseley. The Boston University alum (’04) came back to the scarlet and white after playing a key role as an assistant coach for legendary University of Connecticut.

BU’s defensive intensity will be put to the test versus Marist. A perennial MAAC contender, the Red Foxes handled Navy in their opener, winning 72-48. Junior Rebekha Hand led the squad with 20 points on 8-16 shooting (4-7 3PT).

As a whole, Marist shot a blistering 39 percent from long range.

Meanwhile, the Terriers still struggled to convert threes in their lone victory. This season, they’re shooting just 29.5 percent from deep, a number that will be a major handicap against high-powered offenses.

Marist has a historically suffocating defense as well. Four of their last nine opponents have failed to eclipse a 30 percent shooting clip. This includes Navy, who was held to just 26 percent shooting in their first game.

BU must also continue to get to the free-throw line. Last game against Brown they demonstrated command at the charity stripe, shooting a robust 12-16. Drawing fouls and getting easy points can help spark momentum, should the Terriers struggle to shoot effectively again.

Look for Moseley to lean heavily on her veterans in an already short-numbered lineup. Payton Hauck played 38 minutes against Brown, and fellow senior Lauren Spearman played 37.

The third game of the 2018-19 season tips off at 7:00 p.m. in Marist College’s McCann Arena.