A Senior Day to Remember: The Terriers Use Their Competitive Fire to Come Out on Top 79-76 in an OT Thriller

Photo by Troy Bolduc

By Jane Guay

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Terriers knew it wasn’t going to be just another Patriot League matchup. Rather, this game honored senior forwards Anete Adler and Anastasia Semenova and what they have put into the program for the past four years.

While this game had its ups and downs with contributions from all members, Boston University Women’s Basketball Senior Day did its job by correctly showcasing Adler and Semenova’s growth in confidence against the American University women’s basketball team.

This by no means was a clear and easy win for the Terriers, especially with the consistent mistakes being made in the first quarter alone. While Semenova was the first to get the Terriers on the board 42 seconds into the quarter, she was also the reason the Eagles got their hands on the ball after a messy turnover beforehand. If the first quarter showed anything for the Terriers, it was that this was going to be a game of defense — with Adler’s shot-blocking ability creating initial momentum for junior guard Inés Monteagudo to hit the Terriers’ first 3-pointer of the day with less than six and a half minutes remaining in the first quarter. Little did she know that would be the last they heard from the Terriers for a while.

The Eagles then went on a 14-0 run, the result of several Terrier turnovers that made for easy buckets. With Adler’s two missed free throws with under two minutes to go in the first quarter, the team lost any rhythm they had started with.

“In that timeout that I called in the beginning, when they had gone on a pretty big run and we were not defending well — we really tried to regroup. We made some adjustments. They locked in,” Coach Graves said in a postgame press conference when discussing how the Terriers were able to overcome certain obstacles.

Sophomore guard Rose Azmoudeh eventually ended the Eagles’ ongoing streak with a made 3-pointer with just over a minute left in the quarter.

While there was a clear height difference between the two teams, that did not stop Eagles sophomore guard Madisyn Moore-Nicholson, listed at 5-foot-7, from showing up and out. She opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Senior guard Laura Nogues continued to build on the lead for the Eagles, making the score 30-20 with just over five minutes to go in the second quarter. This is where the distinction between quality and quantity became apparent. With plenty of back-and-forth action and chances with the ball, the Terriers struggled to convert quality shots to finish out the shot clock. Post players were having difficulty getting established under the basket — but eventually, a competitive fire emerged.

With Adler’s two made free throws followed by a layup, just like that, the Eagles’ lead was cut to six heading into halftime. It was just the beginning of the confidence surge the crowd was about to witness from the senior forward.

To open the third quarter, Adler continued cutting into the lead with three easy buckets in the first two and a half minutes. Sophomore guard Hildur Gunnsteinsdóttir followed with a 3-pointer, and junior guard Bella McLaughlin added a driving layup, ultimately putting the Terriers ahead by three with just under seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. With that growing offensive confidence — and several Eagle miscues that made them look like the first-quarter Terriers — the lead extended to nine with just over five minutes left in the third.

While Adler finished the quarter with 23 points, she wasn’t entirely the star of the show. Players like Gunnsteinsdóttir and Azmoudeh, who each hit a 3-pointer in the third, are what made it a true team effort.

“I started a little rough, but my team had my back, kept feeding me the ball, and I’m grateful for them,” Adler said when asked how she was able to put together an all-star performance. “I can’t score in the paint if they don’t pass me the ball, so I want to give credit to my team.”

The ability to spread contributions across the roster, rather than relying on a single player, is what makes a team come out on top. Because of that — along with a growing confidence and faster pace — the Terriers finished the third quarter with a 59-55 lead.

“We have a really good connection off the court, and it’s amazing. It translates on the court,” Semenova said when asked about her bond with Adler over the past four years.

After building that momentum, the Terriers unfortunately surrendered what had once been such a commanding lead. Moore-Nicholson opened the fourth quarter with a driving layup, cutting the Terriers’ lead to two. Moments later, Driscoll hit a 3-pointer to put the Eagles back in front just over two minutes into the fourth. From there, it was anyone’s game. Before the crowd knew it, Eagles freshman forward Charlotte Tuhy hit a pull-up jumper to extend their lead to five — their biggest since the start of the second half.

Eyes were on both the scoreboard and Adler’s own milestones. With just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Adler surpassed her career high with her 28th point of the night, cutting the Eagles’ deficit to two. With more back-and-forth action, the Terriers had one chance to send the game into overtime, trailing 68-71. With Monteagudo’s 3-point range, that is exactly what happened.

“She’s been very consistent, which is why she entered the starting lineup weeks ago. She’s been pretty consistent on the defensive side, too, which is what we need,” Coach Graves said.

The first two minutes of overtime mirrored much of the game itself, with neither team scoring. Then, already riding her momentum, Monteagudo hit yet another 3-pointer.

To close out Senior Day in the best way possible, Adler capped the Terriers’ scoring with a layup, free throw, and jumper to lead Boston University to a 79-76 overtime victory over the Eagles. Adler ended Senior Day with several updated career highs on the BU Athletics website, including points, assists, blocks, field goals made, and free throws made. With Patriot League Tournament play right around the corner, this was the confidence boost the Terriers needed.

For their final regular-season home game, Boston University is set to face Holy Cross on Wednesday, March 4. Tip-off at Case Gym is set for 6 p.m., with a livestream available on ESPN+.