Women's Basketball Edges Delaware, 61-59
November 27, 2005 | Women's Basketball
BOSTON - Senior Rachael Vanderwal and sophomore Kasey Devine each recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds to help the Boston University women's basketball team earn a hard-fought 61-59 victory over Delaware on Sunday afternoon at Case Gym. The Terriers improved to 2-1 with the victory, while the Blue Hens suffered their first loss of the season and dropped to 3-1.
BU trailed by as many as nine points in the second half before rallying to take the lead with under four minutes left in regulation. The Terriers went just 4-of-10 from the free-throw line in the final 2:11, but it was enough to hold off the Blue Hens, who missed eight of their final nine attempts from the floor.
Delaware got a career- and game-high 24 points from junior Tyreesa Smith, who also tied for the game best in both assists (5) and steals (5). However, Smith's two missed free throws with the scored tied at 57-57 proved to be crucial in the closing minutes. Fellow junior Chrissy Fisher also had a strong performance for the Blue Hens, netting 19 points and hauling in a game-best 13 rebounds.
Devine set career highs in three categories with 13 points, six blocks and four assists, while her 10 rebounds matched a career high set in last year's America East title game against Hartford. Two other Terriers scored in double figures, as sophomore Corinne Jean tallied 11 points and freshman Christine Kinneary recorded 10 points to go along with six rebounds and team highs of four assists and three steals.
Neither team held a big shooting advantage, as Delaware shot 39.7 percent from the floor and BU made 38.0 percent of its shots. Each team gathered 40 rebounds.
The win ended BU's eight-game losing streak in its series with Delaware, which left America East to join the Colonial Athletic Association in 2001. The teams hadn't met since the 2001 America East semifinals, a 67-48 win by the Blue Hens.
The opening half was a back-and-forth affair, as the lead changed 12 times and there were five ties. Trailing 10-7 in the early stages, BU constructed a 10-2 run spanning just under four minutes to take what would be its largest lead of the first half at 17-12. The visitors responded quickly, reeling off 11 straight points, including seven from Smith, to earn the largest lead before halftime at 23-17.
Before the first half ended, the Terriers took one-point leads on three occasions, but the Blue Hens broke a 32-32 tie on a lay-up by Fisher in the closing seconds of the half to take a 34-32 lead heading into intermission.
While Fisher (12) and Smith (11) combined for 23 of their team's 23 first-half points, the Terriers put forth a balanced scoring attack, as six different players recorded four points or more before halftime.
Smith threatened to take over the game in the early stages of the second half, as the junior connected on five of her first six shots following halftime. Her streak was capped by a fast-break lay-up with just over 14 minutes left in regulation to propel the visitors to what would be the largest lead of the afternoon at 46-37.
The Terriers remained poised, however, as Vanderwal scored five quick points to cut the deficit back to four at 46-42. Delaware's lead would reach as high as six only once more, as BU went on to tie the score twice in the following six minutes before finally regaining the lead at 55-54 on a fast-opportunity basket by Kinneary with 3:38 left in regulation.
Delaware senior Amanda Blackstone made one of two attempts from the free-throw line and answered a bucket by Devine two possessions later, creating a 57-57 deadlock with 2:12 left to play. A steal by Smith followed by a BU foul put her on the charity stripe, but her two key misses kept the score knotted.
The Terriers worked the ball into Devine, and after a Delaware foul, the sophomore went 1-of-2 from the line, giving the home squad a slim 58-57 advantage with 1:44 left. On the ensuing Blue Hen possession, BU junior Erica Kovach made a big steal near mid-court and was fouled before reaching the basket. She also connected on 1-of-2 attempts, creating a 59-57 lead one-and-a-half minutes to go.
The Blue Hens missed their next three shots spanning two possessions and Vanderwal collected caroms on two of the misses to complete her double-double. Forced to foul, Delaware put the senior co-captain on the line with 16 ticks left on the game clock. She sank the pair, giving BU its largest lead of the second half at 61-57.
With the Blue Hens desperate to score, junior Alena Koshansky drew a foul while attempting a 3-pointer to give the visitors a chance with just seven seconds remaining. After sinking the first two, Koshansky appeared to intentionally miss the third, but BU corralled the rebound and drew yet another foul while clinging to the 61-59 lead.
Having already scored nine points, sophomore Cheri Raffo looked to become the fifth Terrier to reach double-digits, but both offers from the free-thow line came up short. However, Kinneary collected a long rebound and visited the line with just three seconds left. She also misfired twice, but all Delaware could muster was a heave from halfcourt that came up well short.
The Terriers will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 30, when it visits Buffalo to take on Canisius for a 6 p.m. contest.
To purchase tickets for Terrier home games, or for more information, click here or visit the Ticket Office at 925 Commonwealth Avenue, Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., or call 617-353-GOBU (4628).
