Women’s Basketball: Poor shooting too much to overcome as Terriers fall to Yale

By Eli Cloutier

Boston University Women’s Basketball (5-5) fell 58-46 to the Yale Bulldogs (6-6) on Tuesday afternoon at John J. Lee Amphitheater.

Yale, a usually slow starter, came out quickly and took an early 11-1 lead over their Patriot League opponent. The Terriers turned the ball over on three of their first four offensive possessions. BU’s sloppy offense would continue to be a theme, as they finished the game with 18 turnovers.

“Our unforced turnovers; it’s an Achilles heel of ours and it’s something that we really got to focus on and fix,” BU Head Coach Melissa Graves said.

Terriers junior forward Caitlin Weimar didn’t play, as she is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, according to Graves. Weimar averages 12.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories.

Even without Weimar, the Terriers held a definite size advantage against Yale. Despite this, the smaller Bulldogs were able to control the glass, out-rebounding their opponent 43-34, including 14 offensive rebounds.

Both teams struggled from the floor early, as the first quarter ended 16-10, Yale in front. BU came out quickly in the second quarter, tying the game up at 16.

Offense was limited in the first half as Yale took a 25-22 lead into the break courtesy of junior guard Jenna Clark, who made a running three as the buzzer sounded. Both teams shot poorly from the field in the half, 5-for-23 for the Terriers and 8-for-31 for the Bulldogs. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Sydney Johnson was held scoreless in the first half, as she shot 0-for-5 from the field.

BU came into this game as the second-best 3-point shooting team in the nation, shooting a collective 42.5%, only trailing the University of Connecticut. This was not the case today, as they only went 3-for-12 from behind the arc.

“You’re not going to be able to control making shots every night, ” Graves said about her team’s shooting struggles.

One bright spot for the Terriers was sophomore guard Alex Giannaros. She had a team-high 12 points, shooting 3-for-5 from the field, along with 2-for-2 from three and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

As for Yale, junior forward Haley Sabol had a career-high 14 points, along with making two 3-pointers, her first of the season. Clark had a game-high 15 points while adding seven assists, and two steals.

As the second half progressed, the Yale defense continued to make it difficult for the Terriers to get anything going, as their effort was notable. They accumulated eight steals and six blocks in the game on top of scoring 22 points off turnovers. BU was never able to find its rhythm.

The Terriers cut the Yale lead to 52-44 late in the fourth, behind an 8-0 run led by Sydney Johnson, whose shots finally began to fall, albeit too little, too late. She finished with 10 points on 5-for-14 shooting.

Nyla McGill, who guarded Johnson for much of the game, did a fantastic job defending her throughout the entire contest, constantly forcing her into tough shots.

As time expired, the Bulldogs came away with a 12-point win.

The Terriers will look to improve as conference play approaches, with the main focus being limiting turnovers.

“If we can take care of the ball, give ourselves some extra possessions, I think we’re going to be in a really good place,” Graves said.

Next time out, BU will host Harvard on Dec. 21 at 6 p.m. to wrap up its non-conference schedule.