Women’s Basketball Advances to Patriot League Semifinals for First Time
Nia Irving (Sargent’20) (from left), Liz Shean (COM’23), and Vanessa Edgehill (COM’20) after BU’s 46-44 quarterfinals victory over American University March 9.
Women’s Basketball Advances to Patriot League Semifinals for First Time
Terriers will take on Lehigh Thursday at home
For the first time in the seven years since the BU women’s basketball Terriers joined the Patriot League, they will play in the conference semifinals. Following a 46-44 victory over American University Monday night, BU will host Lehigh on Thursday, March 12, at 6 pm at Case Gym.
The second-seeded Terriers (18-12, 12-6 Patriot League) split this year’s two regular season games with the sixth-seeded Lehigh Mountain Hawks (19-11, 10-8). On March 9, Lehigh upset third-seeded Colgate on the road in the quarterfinals.
“It’s now the postseason, so everything’s a little different,” says Maren Durant (Sargent’23). “This is still Terrier basketball. Our mindset is still to have a killer mentality. It’s just that we now have extra responsibilities.”
The Terriers have relied heavily on their young players during this year’s regular season, with three freshmen starting in the lineup: Patriot League Rookie of the Year and All-Patriot League Third Teamer Maggie Pina (CAS’23), All-Defensive Team honoree Durant, and Sydney Johnson (CAS’23). All were named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.
“I think we’re still learning,” BU coach Marisa Moseley (CAS’04) says of the freshmen. “We’re still growing. It’s their first time in the postseason and they want it really bad, but they’re also nervous.”
It’s important for the team to balance their aggression on the court, Moseley says. “When we come back in we have to play with a little bit more control, but those are young players.”.
All-Patriot League Second Teamer Katie Nelson (CGS’19, Questrom’21) is the team’s point guard and leading scorer. Moseley credits Nelson’s on-court leadership with anchoring the young players.
The 6-foot-3 Durant had a team-high 12 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the quarterfinal victory over American, followed by Nelson, with 11 points and Pina, with 10.
For Moseley, who was appointed head coach in April 2018, it was her first playoff win as a head coach. During nine years as a University of Connecticut assistant coach, the Huskies won five national championships. She hopes that Monday’s win is the first of many more playoff victories for the Terriers, starting Thursday.
“I felt a little relief,” Moseley says. “I wasn’t necessarily thinking about my first win in the playoffs, I was just thinking about winning the game. Sometimes you’ve got to grind it out like that. We made some big plays when we had to.”
The Boston University women’s basketball team hosts Lehigh in the Patriot League semifinals at Case Gym on Thursday, March 12, at 6 pm. Bucknell and Holy Cross play at Bucknell in the other semifinal game, also on March 12 at 6 pm. Both games will be televised on the Patriot League Network. Purchase tickets here.
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