Caitlin Weimar’s Player of the Year moment: Senior forward inevitable for BU Women’s Basketball in long-awaited triumph of Holy Cross

By Sam Robb O’Hagan

BOSTON — We are 17 games in, and it may be time to declare the first truth about this always-changing Patriot League season. There just might not be anything anyone can do about Caitlin Weimar.

Holy Cross is the defending-champion. It entered Case Gym atop the standings, where it had sat for almost two months. The Crusader defense is the PL’s best — in points and field goal percentage allowed — by a mile. And Maureen Magarity’s group was, before Saturday, one of the only teams that had even kind of slowed down BU’s superstar senior forward.

Magarity threw everything at her. Janelle Allen, one of the conference’s most physical bigs. Lindsay Berger, all 6-foot-2 of her. When she could, her premier perimeter defenders, too. And if all that wasn’t enough, the Crusaders — depending on who you ask, anyway — held her and hacked at her. Over and over and over again.

“I knew it was going to be physical,” Weimar said.

At multiple points during a surreal first half that saw Holy Cross take a 29-8 lead, Weimar — who has a decent shout for being the least animated player in the nation — protested, pleaded, and begged with the officials to do something about it. The refs stood content to swallow their whistles.

The Crusaders sent everything they could. Then they got away with murder. They still couldn’t kill Caitlin Weimar.

The final line: 25 points, 10-of-12 from the field, 5-of-5 from the line, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks.

The final play? A catch at the top of the paint with 23 seconds left, Allen’s elbow dug into her back, before one unguardable dropstep into one cartoonishly casual finish. Plus, finally, the foul. Plus, for the first time since the first minute, the lead over the Terriers’ dreaded rival.

 

Welcome, Caitlin Weimar, to your Player of the Year moment.

“I kind of blacked out after that,” she said.

The superstar’s whose emotions never waver hit the hardwood, closed her eyes, and just screamed. For anyone and everyone to hear. Weimar and BU (18-10, 10-7 PL) had just slayed Holy Cross.

“I can’t even describe it,” Weimar said. “We wanted this win so bad.”

The history with the Crusaders is infamous. Holy Cross was last here for the Patriot League Championship game, which No. 1 BU hosted and lost in devastating fashion. Those Terriers, whom Weimar led in scoring, went 19-2 in the Patriot League over the regular season and postseason. Both losses were to Holy Cross.

“It’s such an emotional game,” head coach Melissa Graves said. “Such a big rivalry, such a big history with them.”

Holy Cross entered on a three-game win streak in the series in part because of their success against Weimar, the conference’s leading scorer and rebounder. To say the Crusaders stopped her in a 61-50 decision on January 29 is a stretch, she finished with 13 points and 17 rebounds, but the Crusaders physical, hounding defense clearly affected Weimar. She spent a good portion of the game in foul trouble, made just five of her 13 shots and scored her fewest points in two months. BU’s offense free-falled. Its 29 percent shooting clip that day remains the Terriers’ lowest of the season, and all Weimar and Graves could do in the press conference that followed was praise Holy Cross’ defense and stand in awe at Magarity’s scheme.

“We’ve repped so much in practice, the way they guard us,” Graves said after the 66-63 win on Saturday. “They have such a great gameplan.”

Only for the Crusaders to walk into Case Gym on Saturday and punch them in the mouth. In the first quarter, BU scored eight points and went just 4-of-14 from the field. After draining a jumper on the game’s first possession, the Terriers didn’t score for almost seven minutes. Weimar, be it due to uncalled fouls or not, could not establish anything.

“They, obviously,” Weimar said, “are very good at defense.”

For a while there, it felt like they were too good. There have been doubts about these Terriers — about a changing roster’s championship pedigree; about a team that, just six games ago, fell under .500 in conference play for the very first time under its head coach. If BU couldn’t beat Holy Cross again, and moreover, couldn’t even put up a fight, was it really a contender? Those were the kind questions being asked when the Crusaders took a 21-point lead early in the second quarter.

Then the best player on the court snapped her fingers.

Weimar turned the Crusaders’ plan on its head. Knowing the doubles were coming, she sped up her process dramatically, catching entry passes and making her move right away to ensure a clean look. When an immediate shot wasn’t available, Weimar invited the extra attention, luring the Crusaders in before finding an open pass. She had three assists in the second half, including a no-looker to a cutting teammate late in the third quarter.

BU went from shooting 28.4 percent in the first quarter to almost 60 percent over the second half. Everything went through Weimar. 

 

“I feel like I’ve improved since the end of (last) season, just realizing when the double is there,” Weimar said. 

This was no easy feat. The court sense required to know where you are, and the whereabouts of everyone else around you, before the ball even reaches you. The mastery of your post moves required to catch it and go right up. The height, length and muscle needed to do it from almost anywhere in or around the paint. If that was what it took to beat Holy Cross’ plan, the Crusaders had a pretty good plan.

Who we’re talking about, though, is the best player in the conference. A superstar in total control.

“Just finding the advantage,” Weimar said. For a player like her, there’s always one to find. 

There was, quite literally, nothing Holy Cross could do. No buttons left to press for the team with BU’s number. No avenue to victory for the team that always beats the Terriers. And for the conference’s immovable object, no way of stopping the league’s unstoppable force.

“Just tried to post up to get an easy shot,” said Weimar of her game-winner.

So about this wild Patriot League season: No, we don’t really know anything yet. BU and Holy Cross are now in a three-way tie at the top heading into the final day of the regular season and are somehow just one game ahead of sixth place. Anyone could be playing anyone, anywhere, at any time once the tournament arrives. 

But one thing feels certain. Caitlin Weimar will be the Player of the Year. Come the postseason, she will be wearing scarlet and white.

And it’s starting to feel like that’s the only thing that matters.

FEATURED IMAGE BY ZUZU JANSEN

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