Women’s Basketball: BU Falls to 4-6 as Comeback Falls Just Short

By Michael Wax

Boston University’s second-half comeback fell just short Sunday afternoon, as the Terriers fell to the University of Rhode Island Rams 54-44.

BU now sits at 4-6 on the season, but head coach Melissa Graves was very proud of the effort her squad put up.

“I thought a lot of people stepped up today,” Graves said. “Being down 20 in the middle of a third and then coming back and making it in a close game, I thought it was really good.”

BU started the game red-hot defensively, holding a 13-12 lead after one quarter. From there, Rhode Island found its stride, going on a 19-8 second-quarter run to take a 31-21 lead into halftime.

The Rams’ lead eventually ballooned to 20 points in the third quarter, but the Terriers stayed with their game plan and began to chip away at the deficit. Some key makes, in addition to stifling defense, gave BU a sliver of hope as the game was winding down. 

“I think we did a good job of using our defense as energy,” Graves said. “Our team did a really really good job of keeping people in the front and rebounding the basketball and limiting them to one-and-done opportunities.”

A layup by junior Maren Durant made it a two-point game with just under four minutes to play, but the Terriers managed just one basket in their next six attempts and couldn’t pull off the comeback.

Rhode Island improved to 10-3 with the win. Redshirt senior Emmanuelle Tahane paced the Rams with 19 points and 12 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds. 

“We knew it was going to be tough to box her out,” Graves said. “I thought we could have done a better job on her but she’s a very, very talented player.”

For their part, the Terriers dominated the offensive glass, putting up a season-high 23 offensive rebounds and 15 second-chance points. The willingness to go to the basket was a key in BU’s comeback.

“Other teams that have played against Rhode Island were pretty successful in that area,” Graves said. “We didn’t shoot the ball very well at 24%. It’s really tough in that case, and I thought we did a good job at least giving ourselves a second chance opportunity.”

With junior Sydney Johnson out for a second consecutive game due to COVID-19 protocols, freshman Alex Giannaros once again started at the point guard position. Graves was complimentary of her young point guard.

“She’s just helping us out a lot at the point right now, getting us into our offense, protecting the basketball, things like that,” Graves said. “I thought she did a good job on the glass today.”

Sophomore Kelsi Mingo recorded a career-high 12 points in the loss and made several 3-pointers during the second-half comeback. Graves was very pleased with how Mingo stepped in during the Terriers’ tough shooting day.

“She was ready when her name was called,” Graves said. “I thought she did a really good job not only shooting the basketball, but she did a really good job defensively.”

BU will look to bounce back on Monday at 1 p.m. against #18 Georgia Tech, and Graves is looking forward to a competitive game against a ranked opponent.

“I think what’s going to be the biggest thing is looking at this as an opportunity,” Graves said. “Obviously we’re still short-handed, but just look at it as an opportunity for us to compete, get better, and be able to. If we could rebound like we did today, I think we’ll be in a good position.”