Women’s Basketball: Pressley makes return in Terriers’ loss at BC
By: Andrew Mason
After missing the 2018-19 season’s first eight games with a stress reaction in her left femur, Tenisha Pressley is now back in the lineup for the Boston University women’s basketball team (4-5).
The sophomore made her debut on Sunday afternoon in the Terriers’ 78-51 loss to the Eagles of Boston College (9-2). Pressley first subbed into the game with 40 seconds left in the first quarter, recording two assists in 13 minutes of action.
While it is expected to take some time to get readjusted to the flow of the game, the Deptford, New Jersey native was excited to get back on the floor with her teammates.
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Throughout her freshman campaign, Pressley provided a key defensive spark off the bench for the Terriers, appearing in all 29 contests while averaging 2.5 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. She put up a career-high 15 points in a November road battle at Bryant University.
For BU’s first year head coach Marisa Moseley, Sunday produced her first opportunity to coach Pressley in a game situation.
“It was nice to have another guard option to get into our rotation,” Moseley said. “[Pressley] is a pretty powerful player.”
Moseley added that building Pressley’s offensive confidence will be key to getting her back into midseason shape as quickly as possibly.
“BC did a really good job of cutting off our driving angles, so we’ve got to make sure we take open shots,” Moseley said. “[Pressley] had a couple reversals in the corner that she could’ve knocked in.”
Pressley, who shot just one attempt all evening, noted that being aggressive offensively will be a major personal point of emphasis throughout the Terriers’ next few contests.
“Being my first game back, obviously I didn’t want to jack up shots,” Pressley said. “But I just have to trust myself and know that I have the skills and the confidence to knock shots down.”
Despite Pressley’s return, BU still missed Nia Irving (13.7 ppg), Chiara Tibbit (6 ppg), Ashley Sieper (3.7 ppg), and Audrey Nicholson due to injuries.
Forward Payton Hauck led all Terrier scorers with 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals, while seniors Lauren Spearman and Naiyah Thompson added 14 and 12 points, respectively. On the glass, freshman Riley Childs grabbed nine rebounds, while sophomore-big Mackenzie Miers pulled in a career-high eight boards against the Eagles.
For BC, Eagle guard Taylor Ortlepp led the way with 19 points off of 5-7 from 3-point range. Sophomore Sydney Lowery contributed 12 points, and junior Emma Guy put up an impressive 13 rebounds to go with seven points of her own.
The loss puts the scarlet and white on a three game losing streak amidst the injury tirade, the longest streak of its kind in the young season.
“We haven’t actually had a full team since the start of the season,” Moseley said. “[Sunday] we had to move people into different spots that they’re not accustomed to, but I didn’t question our effort tonight.”
BU’s next chance to get back in the win column – and pick up its first road victory – comes Friday, Dec. 21 as the Terriers head to Harvard University to take on the Crimson (4-6). Last season, the Crimson grabbed a 80-70 win at home in these teams’ most recent matchup.
Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. inside Lavietes Pavilion.