Women’s Basketball: BU drops close one in OT against Loyola
By James Noyes
The Boston University Terriers (16-10, 8-7 Patriot League) lost to the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds (14-12, 9-6 PL), 70-65, in overtime on Saturday in Baltimore. Despite holding the lead at the end of the first, second, and third quarters, the Terriers ultimately could not come up with a win amidst a storming Loyola comeback.
It seemed as though the odds were stacked against BU from the start; on the road, it was playing Loyola Maryland during its senior night. Multiple Greyhound alumni were in attendance, and the Loyola crowd was raucous to start the game. The Terriers, however, seemed unfazed by the noise. They shot out to a commanding 11-0 lead at the beginning of the first quarter, and a combination of hot shooting (8-for-14 from the field) and lockdown defense (they held Loyola to 2-for-19) had BU up 16-7 at the end of the quarter.
“We had them taking shots that we wanted them to take, those shots that are out of their range,” said BU head coach Melissa Graves. With their strong point-of-attack defense and aggressive closeouts, the Terriers forced Loyola to take poor shots throughout the first quarter.
BU’s shooting prowess continued into the second quarter, while Loyola turned around its shooting woes. Both teams scored 18 points in the quarter, and Loyola guard Kimmie Hicks started to roam the court more freely. Hicks made two shots near the end of the half, but the Terriers still led, 34-25, at the break.
Hicks, a freshman guard, put on a show for Reitz Arena. She scored a career and game-high 27 points on her way to stunning the Terriers. “Kimmie has been so diligent while watching the older players start in front of her,” said Loyola Maryland head coach Danielle O’Banion. “She’s a matchup problem and I’m really happy for her.”
“She’s very athletic, very quick,” said Graves. “She had a tremendous game today and she was a hard matchup for us.” The matchup problems imposed by Hicks continued into the third quarter. Although she is not known as a prolific shooter, Hicks was 2-for-3 from 3-point range against the Terriers. Her gravity drew BU defenders past the 3-point line, freeing up shots for the other Loyola players.
Led by Hicks, the Greyhounds creeped closer to the lead with every passing minute after halftime. Greyhound guard Meliah Van-Otoo swished a 3-pointer with three-and-a-half minutes left in the third quarter to bring Loyola within 3 points, but Terrier star forward Caitlin Weimar hit an and-one layup at the other end of the court on the next possession. Kimmie Hicks took the ball up the court for Loyola and hit a deep two-point shot to cut the lead to 44-42. At the end of the third, the Terriers were still grasping on to the lead, 46-43.
Hicks and Weimar traded buckets at the beginning of the fourth quarter, going back and forth in a display of size and skill. A layup for Loyola’s Lex Therien made it 48-47, but junior guard Alex Gianarros hit a 3-pointer on BU’s next trip to give the Terriers some much-needed breathing room.
After both teams went back and forth, Loyola guard Kelly Ratigan made a deep 3-pointer to tie the game at 54 with four minutes left to play. Despite Hicks hitting two big shots in the final three minutes, the Terriers led 60-58 with nine seconds left. A controversial foul called on the Terriers sent Loyola’s Lex Therien to the free throw line, where she stayed cool under immense pressure and sunk both foul shots to send the game to overtime, tied 60-60.
With all of the momentum of a four-quarter comeback propelling them, the Greyhounds easily outshot the Terriers in overtime. BU scored five points in the extra period, all coming from the free throw line. They missed nine shots from the field compared to Loyola’s two misses. The Greyhounds made their free throws in the final seconds to put away the Terriers.
Next, the Terriers will take on Lehigh University at home on Wednesday at 6 p.m.