Women’s Basketball: BU rolls Holy Cross, sets new record with 9-1 start
By: Ethan Fuller
BOSTON, MA — The 2021 basketball was already historic. But after Wednesday’s 71-53 win over Holy Cross, Boston University women’s basketball can add another layer to the unprecedented season: an all-time best 9-1 start.
BU used an 11-0 run to take a double-digit lead by the end of the first quarter, and built the gap up to 20 points en route to another dominant win. It didn’t feel quite like the bombardments of last weekend versus Army, however, and head coach Marisa Moseley still had some critiques after the game.
“I think we put some great stretches together, but we talked about [how] we can’t relax,” she said postgame. “It’s a game of runs, but I think we got a little sloppy in the second half.”
Sophomore center Maren Durant took another step forward in Wednesday’s win, posting 16 points on 8-of-9 shooting to lead the Terriers on the score sheet. Durant scored the first six points of the evening and has taken on a larger role in BU’s offense during the past few weeks.
Moseley had some high praise for Durant, saying that outside of Lafayette (who has Natalie Kucowski) and Bucknell (with Tessa Brugler), there may not be another player in the conference who can dominate inside.
“She’s continuing to want to demand the ball, and her teammates want to get her touches,” Moseley said. “And they know that she’s unselfish, so if she’s guarded, she’s going to throw it back out.”
Frontcourt mate Riley Childs added 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists in an efficient all-around effort, while redshirt junior Emily Esposito came off the bench for 13 points. Despite shooting just 26.7 from long range, the Terriers dominated the paint, outscoring the Crusaders 50-24 inside. BU outrebounded Holy Cross (6-6) 38-21 and grabbed double-digit offensive boards for the ninth time in ten games this season.
The Crusaders kept things competitive in the second half, led by dynamic junior guard Avery LaBarbera. She scored a game-high 22 points and made 8 of 11 shots, often navigating screens to find a clear look at the basket. If BU isn’t familiar enough with LaBarbera, the team will be soon, as the next two games are also against Holy Cross.
“She is really smart, she has a high basketball I.Q. [and] she knows how to use screen,” Moseley said. “We went under on some screens on her at the end of the shot clock when we can’t do it. We weren’t getting enough help. We were supposed to be icing her on the wings and we would forget, and you can’t forget with a kid like her.”
It can be difficult to find fault with a 9-1 team, but BU is still prone to some slow starts. Holy Cross built up a quick 8-4 lead before the Terriers found their footing, and also outscored them 7-2 coming out of halftime.
“I think I’m gonna look at some stuff that we’re running off the jump to get us going,” she said.
But mindset also could be affecting the slow starts. Moseley noted that she had the team run a more conservative defense to start in an effort to preserve energy. As she explained, taking the pressure off could have subconsciously dampened the intensity.
“It’s human nature, I guess, that if you’re not pressing, you [think you can] kind of can relax a bit,” Moseley said.
The schedule doesn’t slow down for the Terriers, who face the Crusaders twice more this weekend. The first contest, a Saturday afternoon road game, is currently scheduled for 1:00 p.m.