{"id":37023,"date":"2023-03-02T13:06:39","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T18:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=37023"},"modified":"2023-03-02T13:06:39","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T18:06:39","slug":"womens-basketball-unforced-errors-plague-terriers-against-holy-cross-in-first-patriot-league-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2023\/03\/02\/womens-basketball-unforced-errors-plague-terriers-against-holy-cross-in-first-patriot-league-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Women\u2019s Basketball: Unforced errors plague Terriers against Holy Cross in first Patriot League loss"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Sam Robb O\u2019Hagan<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

20 turnovers, only seven fourth-quarter points and five missed free throws down the stretch undid Boston University Women\u2019s Basketball\u2019s undefeated conference record (22-7, 17-1 PL) as the Terriers fell to the Holy Cross Crusaders (21-8, 13-5 PL) 57-53 at Hart Center in Worcester.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trailing by two with 11 seconds left, Sydney Johnson couldn\u2019t clear Maren Durant\u2019s ball screen at the top of the key, colliding with the senior forward and losing possession as she fell to the floor. It was the Terriers\u2019 20th turnover of the game, one too many for BU to overcome in what was their first loss since Dec. 21.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just didn\u2019t execute well,\u201d BU Head Coach Melissa Graves said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t have the spacing we should have [on that play] and I think that was a recurring theme throughout the game.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After jumping out to a 12-point lead early in the second quarter, the Terriers ran out of steam offensively, shooting 33% from the field in the last three quarters. In a seven-point fourth quarter performance, BU was 2-for-12 from the field and 1-for-6 from the free-throw line.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe just tried to do too much on our own,\u201d Graves said. \u201cWe talked about in the huddle, about making sure we create space and making sure we share the basketball.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur guards looked really flustered,\u201d Graves said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson and Caitlin Weimar, the Terriers\u2019 two leading scorers, combined for only seven points in the second half. After a nine-point opening frame, Weimar took a hard fall and turned her ankle at the end of the first quarter. She would return to score just two points in her remaining 20 minutes on the floor.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen she turned her ankle, that was a big turning point for her,\u201d Graves said. \u201cIt was in her head because that\u2019s an injury that has been recurring for her over the year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019ll be fine [for the Patriot League Quarterfinals], but in the moment it was hard for her to come back and be herself,\u201d Graves said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Weimar and the Terriers\u2019 defense couldn\u2019t contain the Crusaders\u2019 size on the opposite end; Lindsay Berger finished with a career-high 22 points on over 60% shooting and postmate Janelle Allen finished with nine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c[Berger] hit a lot of jumpers today,\u201d Graves said. \u201cShe\u2019s been hitting more [jumpers] but not in that capacity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe gave up middle penetration, and that left [Berger] open for a lot of jumpers,\u201d Graves said. \u201c[Middle penetration] was really affecting our rotations.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers entered the game as the third most efficient 3-point shooting team in the nation, but made just five 3s in a shooting performance that, at times, was outright ugly. Save for Johnson\u2019s late 3 to cut the Holy Cross lead to two with 37 seconds left, the Terriers\u2019 3-point attempts rarely came close in the second half.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t give our best today,\u201d Graves said. \u201cWe probably shot one of the lowest percentages we\u2019ve shot in a long time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After their first loss in 17 games over a span of more than two months, Graves finds positives in the lessons learned from a close game against a conference rival. As the Terriers now set their sights on the Patriot League Tournament, Graves said those lessons are critical.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time we had adversity,\u201d Graves said. \u201cYou just gotta learn from that adversity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers\u2019 chance to become the first Patriot League team to win 18 conference games in a season fell heartbreakingly short, but BU still finishes the 2022-23 regular season with a program-record 17 conference wins. They\u2019re the third Patriot League team to reach that mark since the 2013-14 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Graves acknowledged the pride she and her team have for their regular-season success, but emphasized that with the Patriot League Quarterfinals next on the docket, the Terriers are putting the regular season behind them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a new season,\u201d Graves said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to take away what we\u2019ve done the rest of the year, but we have to understand it\u2019s a new season and our record is 0-0.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers\u2019 new season starts on Monday at 6 p.m., when either Lafayette or Loyola-Maryland travels to Case Gym for the Patriot League Quarterfinals.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Sam Robb O\u2019Hagan 20 turnovers, only seven fourth-quarter points and five missed free throws down the stretch undid Boston University Women\u2019s Basketball\u2019s undefeated conference record (22-7, 17-1 PL) as the Terriers fell to the Holy Cross Crusaders (21-8, 13-5 PL) 57-53 at Hart Center in Worcester. Trailing by two with 11 seconds left, Sydney […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21477,"featured_media":36538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,1039,1040],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37023"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21477"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37023"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37026,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37023\/revisions\/37026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}