Women’s Basketball: Terriers top Patriot League giant Bucknell in first road win

By: Greg Levinsky

For the first time this season, the Boston University women’s basketball team won on the road. After falling in their first six games away from Case Gym, the Terriers flipped the switch in their first conference road tilt.

Boston University (6-6, 2-0 Patriot League) entered the contest ranked 188th in the NCAA RPI, the Bison (10-4, 1-1) were 39th and rolling. However, the Terriers marched into Sojka Pavillion in Lewisburg, PA and came out with an exhilarating 70-62 victory.

Senior Payton Hauck paved the way with 20 points and six rebounds and classmate Lauren Spearman added 19 points, including five 3-pointers. Sophomore Katie Nelson delivered 14 points while junior Nia Irving rounded out the Terriers double digit scorers by collecting 12 points and eight rebounds.

“Today was a huge win for our team just because it’s the first year us upper classmen have gotten a win against them,” Hauck said. “And just beating a top team is awesome.”

The Terriers trailed by one after the first quarter, but outscored the Bison by 16 in the middle frames to build a double digit lead for the majority of the second half. The advanntage ballooned to as much as 17 late in the third quarter, but the Bison came back.

Bucknell senior guard Kyi English scored eight of her 13 points in the third quarter to. She tied for the team lead with classmate Kate Walker and junior Ellie Mack, as the Bison cut the Terrier lead to as little as as two midway though the fourth quarter. The Terriers clamped down, ending the game on an 8-2 run to come out victorious.

After topping Army 63-51 in the Terriers Patriot League opener at home on Thursday at Case Gym, they turned their attention to Bucknell. It was the first road win of first-year head coach Marisa Moseley’s career, and just the second in 11 tries against the Bison as a member of the Patriot League.

“These first few games are huge to set the tone early but it doesn’t stop with those two,” Hauck said. “We have two tough games coming up and we have to keep pushing hard.”

There are still 16 games to go in regular season conference play, and Hauck said her squad just needs to keep do what they’ve been doing.

“In the past two games we have came out strong and set the tone early which is huge, and we need to continue to come out that way every single game,” Hauck said.

Greg Levinsky can be reached at glevinsk@bu.edu. Follow him on Twitter @GregLevinsky

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