Women’s Basketball: Late run propels UC Davis over the Terriers

In the first game of a rare California road trip, it was more Death Valley than Disneyland for Boston University women’s basketball, as the squad could not overcome a rough third quarter and lost to UC Davis, 75-68.

It was the first time that BU (3-3) had ever faced UC Davis (3-5) and marked the first time that the Terriers had entered the Golden State since 2003.

After falling behind by as many as 13 points in the third and being outscored 26-16, BU was able to tie the score at 59 with six minutes to play. However, UC Davis ended the game on a 16-9 run, including a 9-0 run once the score was tied, to clinch their third win in four games after starting the season 0-4.

For the Big West’s representative in the NCAA tournament last season, it seems as if the Aggies have righted the ship and are on the way to another season of contention with conference play right around the corner.

Even after a week off and a six-hour plane ride, the Terriers did not seem to show any ill effects of a long flight or a little bit of down time over the holiday. They shot 43.9 percent from the field and a very effective 11-20 from the three point range. Maggie Pina and Katie Nelson each went 5-8 from downtown, leading the team with 22 and 20 points respectively.

After scoring a season-high 12 points in a loss to Harvard last week, Pina set another personal best in just a matter of days. The freshmen has looked more confident over the past two games and has knocked down a strong 37.5 percent of her threes during the stretch.

If nothing else, BU can be encouraged that they kept the score close on the road against a strong opponent. In their last game at home against Harvard, they were blown out 66-39.

It seems as if being ready coming out of halftime could be a point of emphasis for the team moving forward. In their last two games, the Terriers have been outscored 49-24 in the third quarter.

On the home team’s end, Cierra Hall led the Aggies with a game-high 32 points and 13 rebounds on 10-15 shooting. She also got to the foul line 14 times and made 11 free throws. Both of those figures were higher than the entire BU team combined, who got to the line for 12 shots and made 7 of them.

No one else on the team took more than 9 shots from the field. Katie Toole was the only other Aggie in double figures, scoring ten points.

Sydney Johnson also had four steals for the Terriers, by far a team high. Leading scorer and rebounder Nia Irving was held to just 5 points and 3 rebounds on 2-10 shooting. She played a season-low 27 minutes while picking up four fouls, losing the matchup with her counterpart, Hall.

Up next, BU will keep avoiding the ugly weather back home with a road game against UC Berkeley (Cal) on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET. After falling back down to a .500 record at 3-3, the Terriers will look to snap a mini two-game slide and get back to their winning ways.

Featured image courtesy of Ethan Fuller.