Women’s Basketball Earns Top Seed in Conference Tournament

For the first time in 21 years, the Boston University women’sbasketball team (20-6, 14-0 America East) earned at least a share of the AmericaEast regular-season crown and a top seed in the conference tournamentwith its 71-57 victory over Maine (4-24, 2-13 America East) on March 1at Agganis Arena. The Terriers guaranteed themselves a spot inpostseason play, as Kristi Dini (SAR’09) and Jesyka Burks-Wiley (CAS’09) led BU with 17 points apiece. The squad also earned its second straight 20-win season for the first time in program history.

Dini, the Terriers’ America East Player of the Game, wasintegral in the first half as the team, backed by her 4-for-6 three-pointshooting, created an insurmountabledouble-digit deficit for the Black Bears. Burks-Wiley was 6-for-16 from the floor and 5-for-7 from thecharity stripe to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.

As a team, BU shot 45.2 percent for the game and forced Maineinto 24 turnovers. The Terriers were able to penetrate the Black Bears’defense, posting 34 points in the paint and outscoring them12-0 on the fast break.

The Terriers opened on a 6-0 run and held the Black Bearsscoreless for the first four and a half minutes beforeSamantha Baranowski broke the stretch with a layup at 15:25. BUresponded with four quick points to extend its lead to 10-2 just 20seconds later. Over the next five minutes, the Terriers built a12-point lead, 23-11, at 7:46. BU took its largest lead of the half,31-15, when Alex Young (COM’12) nailed a three-pointer off an assist from Christine Kinneary (CAS’09).The Terriers had a 40-25 lead at halftime, backed by a first-half14-point performance from Dini on 5-for-6 field goal shooting.

In the second half, BU maintained its 15-point advantage, and with 11:07remaining in regulation, owned a 57-39 lead. The lead never dippedbelow 14 points the rest of the way, as the Terriers earned their 14thdouble-digit victory of the season.

BU will take its 15-game winning streak on the road on Wednesday, March 4, when it travels to UMBC for a 7 p.m. start.

Holland’s two made free throws send game to BU’s fifth OT contest of the year

Like in the season opener against GeorgeWashington at Agganis Arena, the Boston University men’s basketballteam scored the final two points to send the March 1 game against Hartford to overtime. But theTerriers came out the victor in the regular seasonfinale by holding Hartford to one point in the extra session, for a67-57 win. John Holland(CGS’09) hit two free throws with six seconds left to help BU improve to 17-12and 11-5 in league play, while the Hawks fell to 6-25, 2-14 America East.

Trailing 37-16 with 2:34 remaining in the first half, UH went on a28-6 run to take a 44-43 lead with 10:57 remaining in regulation.Hartford’s America East Player of the Game Morgan Sabia’s trey at 4:22 gave theHawks a 6-point lead, 53-47, but BU’s AE Player of the Game Corey Lowe (SHA’10) completed a 3-point play off a layup and made free throw to give the Terriers a 54-53 edge with 1:26 left.

Jaret von Rosenberg drained a trey at 1:02 to put UH back up, 56-54,and on the ensuing possession, the Terriers turned the ball over with44 seconds left on the clock. BU’s defense held, though, as Marques Johnson(MET’09) grabbed the rebound off Turner’s contest three-pointer at 14 seconds.Eventually the ball ended in Holland’s hands as he drove toward thebasket, getting fouled in the process.

Holland tallied 3 points in the extra session to finish the gamewtih 13 points, while Lowe had a game-high 20 along with 6 assists. Jake O’Brien (CGS’10) posted 12 points and a game-high 7 boards, and Scott Brittain (MET’10) finished in double-figures with 10 points. Playing a valuable season-high 16 minutes of action, Sherrod Smith (CAS’10) scored a season-high five points and tied a career high in steals with two.