Women’s Basketball: Terriers extend Patriot League streak with win over Lafayette
By Aniya Sumner
Boston University Women’s Basketball (8-6, 3-0 PL) defeated the Lafayette Leopards (3-9, 0-2 PL) with a score of 66-48, making it the Terriers’ third straight Patriot League win.
Junior forward Caitlin Weimar led the team with 23 points and 12 rebounds, her eighth double-double of the season and a career-high in points. Breaking barriers as well, senior guard Sydney Johnson added 11 points and four assists, making her the 25th Terrier in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
Despite the milestones, BU struggled coming out the gate, allowing Lafayette to go on a 7-2 run in the first three minutes of the game. The Terriers were able to capitalize on a few of Lafayette’s turnovers in the latter half of the quarter to go on a 11-0 run of their own, ultimately giving the Terriers the lead and ending the first quarter at 15-13.
“The first quarter was kind of a struggle,” BU Head Coach Melissa Graves said. “We were trying to get action without moving the ball. [However], we regrouped about how we wanted to move the basketball to multiple sides of the floor.”
The second quarter followed suit with the first, as both teams went back and forth, exchanging baskets in the first four minutes of the quarter. Tied at 22-22 with five minutes left of the first half, Weimar would go on to score 10 out of the remaining 12 points that would give BU an even bigger advantage.
Shooting 50% in the second quarter alone, the Terriers were able to build momentum and continue the ball movement that was absent in the first quarter, allowing the team to exit the first half with a 34-27 lead over Lafayette.
The pace of the game continued to improve, as BU took control of the game defensively, holding Lafayette to a mere seven points in the third quarter.
“We really hunkered down and talked about trying to keep [Lafayette] in front,” Graves said. “They’re a very athletic team, so just trying to get downhill and limit their paint points, which is what we did well in the third quarter.”
Senior forward Maren Durant played a crucial role in the second half turnaround, collecting 13 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks in the game, essentially giving the Terriers the defensive boost they needed to solidify the win.
Durant’s tenacity on defense, and offensive contributions from sophomore guard Alex Giannaros and senior guard Maggie Pina, who had a combined 15 points in the third quarter, gave the Terriers a 23-point lead, ending the quarter at 57-34.
Lafayette finished strong, outscoring the Terriers 14-9 in the fourth quarter, along with getting their highest number of rebounds in the game (14). However, the Terriers’ solid defense and a five-point effort from Johnson early in the quarter, allowed the team to maintain the lead and end the game at 66-48.
BU looks to continue their Patriot League win streak as they take on American at home on Sunday at 2 p.m.