Women’s Basketball: Shean and Johnson power Terriers past Navy

By Hannah Yoshinaga 

Boston University women’s basketball defeated Navy 74-63 Saturday to remain undefeated in conference play, putting on a well-rounded offensive performance and shutting down a mid-game comeback attempt by the Mids.

Junior guard Liz Shean scored a career-high 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half to give the Terriers (9-7, 5-0 PL) a late-game edge over the Mids (5-11, 2-4 PL). Fellow junior guard Sydney Johnson also contributed 20 points to go along with six assists, seven rebounds and a steal, playing all 40 minutes.

Sophomore center Caitlin Weimar recorded her third double-double against Patriot League opponents with 13 points and 10 boards. Similar to Shean, 11 of Weimar’s points came in the latter half of the contest.

BU opened up an early lead against Navy to begin the game and ended the first quarter with a 22-12 advantage. However, the Terriers struggled to convert in the second period, going 3-for-13 from the floor and shooting just 2-of-7 from deep to go into the break with a one-point deficit.

BU stepped up its game in the third and shot 55.6% from the field but could not contain Navy’s scoring attack, allowing the Mids to shoot 64.3% despite attempting only three shots from beyond the arc during the quarter.

Heading into the fourth with a three-point edge, the Terriers locked down the Mids on defense and held them to 5-for-20 shooting. BU also forced Navy to foul, earning seven free-throw attempts during the period compared to six in the first three quarters combined.

A few made threes and free throws from Shean allowed the Terriers to quickly grow their fourth-quarter lead, and the lead increased to as much as 13 points before BU closed out the win.

Except for Shean, bench production was not a significant factor in either BU or Navy’s offensive games. Shean was the only bench player to score for either team, and only four of the Mids’ five starters made a shot all game long.

Navy’s Jennifer Coleman, a multiple-time Patriot League Player of the Week selection, and Sydne Watts carried the bulk of the Mids’ scoring load and each played the entire game. Coleman led with 32 points, 16 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Watts finished with 20 points, six rebounds and an assist.

The Terriers have not lost to Navy since Jan. 22, 2020, their longest such winning streak against the Mids in the 11 years since they first faced off.

BU is the only remaining team in the conference that has not lost to a Patriot League opponent. The Terriers will return to Case Gym Wednesday to take on ninth-place Loyola Maryland, which has yet to win a conference game, at 6 p.m.