Women’s Basketball: Fourth-quarter comeback propels Terriers over Lafayette

By Joe Eachus

The Boston University women’s basketball team extended its home win streak to six as the Terriers brought down Lafayette 67-57 Wednesday evening.

The Terriers (11-8, 7-1 PL) came into the matchup looking to bounce back from a stinging 12-point loss on the road against Lehigh, while the Leopards (7-10, 3-4 PL) hoped to snap a three-game losing streak.

BU head coach Melissa Graves, following a string of games in which she was forced to work with a limited lineup, had several key players return to her rotation, including sophomore forward Caitlin Weimar and freshman guard Alex Giannaros.

Giannaros made a massive impact in her first game since January 15th against Navy, adding 15 points off the bench, including 11 in the fourth to seal the game away.

Scoring the first four points of the game, the Terriers looked to be off to a hot start, but the Leopards responded by quickly tying things up.

BU held a solid lead of nine points at the end of the half, following a closer second quarter in which the Terriers only outscored the Leopards by three.

It was the third quarter where the tides first changed in favor of the Leopards, exploding for 25 points while holding BU to just eight, and taking the lead for the first time since halfway through the first.

Lafayette shot 66.7% from the field during the frame, while BU shot just 18.2%.

Moving into the final quarter, BU answered back with a massive quarter of its own. The Terriers poured in 29 points and held Lafayette to 11.

A huge momentum shift for the Terriers occurred just three minutes into the frame, with Giannaros taking a foul on a drive to the rim, with the shot still falling and Giannaros scoring the and-one.

BU regained the lead at the 5:07 mark of the fourth on a floater by junior guard Sydney Johnson, and never relinquished it from then on.

“I think the biggest message was just ‘energy,’” Johnson said of the team’s outburst in the fourth. “Knowing that we can win the game, just hav[ing] to play with a lot of intensity.”

Johnson continued her run of impressive performances with her eighth straight outing over double-digits in points, scoring 24 on 47.1% from the field while also adding five rebounds and three assists.

Another notable performance was senior forward Chiara Tibbitt’s 11 points on 5-7 shooting off the bench.

For the Leopards, sophomore guard Makayla Andrews led the way with 13 points and four rebounds, with senior swingman Makaila Wilson right behind her with 12 points.

The Terriers will hope to keep their winning ways going with a visit to Upstate to face the Colgate Raiders on Saturday. Tip-off is schedule for 2 p.m.