Women’s Basketball: Terriers struggle against American

By Joe Eachus

The Boston University women’s basketball team fell flat in the nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon, falling to American 70-57.

The Terriers (14-10, 10-3 PL) failed to eclipse 60 points for the second time in their conference schedule, with the Eagles (15-7, 8-4 PL) capitalizing on BU’s 22 turnovers for 27 of their points.

BU has yet to win a game against American on the road, going 0-11 all-time when visiting the Eagles in D.C.

Junior forward Maren Durant scored a team-high 14 points and added eight rebounds, while junior guard Liz Shean added 10 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

“Just a little disappointed today,” BU head coach Melissa Graves said. “I thought American brought their A-game, and we did not.”

The Terriers’ lead guards, junior Sydney Johnson and freshman Alex Giannaros, struggled from the field in the game, each shooting 3-10. Overall, the team shot 46.8 percent from the field, and 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.

Graves also ran a shorter eight-woman rotation for the second straight game,

BU got off to a hot start, opening up with a 9-5 lead, but American rocketed back with an 11-0 run to put them up 16-9 at the end of the first.

The first-quarter woes over the past several games continued for the Terriers, and Graves noted that “the last couple games, it’s becoming a trend, which isn’t what we want.”

After scoring eight points in the second frame, BU found themselves facing a 16-point halftime deficit.

Though they battled back, narrowly winning the second half overall, it was not enough to mount a comeback as the Terriers came up short.

Despite the loss, BU still sits tied atop the Patriot League with the Holy Cross Crusaders, who come to Case Gym on Wednesday night for the first matchup between the two teams this season.

“The team is pretty pumped [for Wednesday], and we’re pretty excited to be back home. Just to get back home, be in front of our fans, have that atmosphere and know we feel comfortable in our own gym,” Graves added.

With first place in the Patriot League on the line, tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.