BOSTON – The Boston University women's basketball team will begin the 2016-17 season on Friday afternoon when the Terriers face crosstown rival Northeastern at Cabot Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
BU and Northeastern will meet for the 75th time on Friday. The Terriers are 39-35 all-time against the Huskies, though NU has won the last four contests. The two teams played a classic in the last game at Cabot, with the Huskies eking out a 75-74 win over the Terriers. In last year's loss to the Huskies, current senior
Courtney Latham recorded 10 points and also had five steals.
The Terriers will bring a veteran group into this season, as 11 players from last season's squad are back for the 2016-17 campaign, including six that started 10 or more games. Among those returning is senior
Meghan Green, who averaged a team-best 9.6 points per game last season.
Senior
Sarah Hope, one of three captains along with Latham and junior
Corrine Williams, was third on last year's team with an average of 7.3 points per game. Hope also shot a team-best 37.2 percent from beyond the arc. Williams was the Terriers' top rebounder a year ago (4.9 rpg) and also scored 6.8 points per game, while Latham dished out a team-best 81 assists last year. Third-year coach
Katy Steding will also have the services of junior
Kara Sheftic, who started 22 games last year and was second on the squad in rebounding (4.8 rpg). She also averaged just over six points per game.
Northeastern went 15-16 last season and have nine players returning from the 2015-16 squad, though the Huskies did lose leading scorer Samantha DeFreese to graduation. Sophomore Jess Genco's 9.4 points per game will be on the court Friday, however, as will three of the other top five scorers from last season.
Following Friday's contest, BU will remain on the road and remain local as the Terriers travel to Boston College on Monday night.
