BOSTON – Hosting American on Play 4 Kay Night, the Boston University women's basketball's team second-half comeback fell short to the Patriot League frontrunner, 61-54, Wednesday night at Case Gym.

The Terriers faced an 18-point deficit midway through the third quarter, but came within single digits heading into the fourth quarter. BU condensed the Eagle's lead to just five at with five minutes left in the game, but American used the free throw line to pull away and remain undefeated in Patriot League contests.
 
How it Happened

• American exploded out of the gates, taking a 7-2 advantage two minutes in.
• Katie Nelson connected from just inside the arc to breathe life into BU's offense, but the Eagles responded with a 15-2 streak to go up 22-6 with 2:42 left in the opening stanza.
• Vanessa Edgehill snapped American's run with a 3-pointer, though American took a 17-point command as the first quarter came to a close.
• Nia Irving and Edgehill opened the second quarter scoring, while the defense held the Eagles to misfire on their first five shots of the frame.
• Irving stayed hot with back-to-back layups before hitting a pair from the charity stripe, putting the score at 28-19 with three minutes left before the break, though the Eagles seized a 32-23 lead at the end of the first half.
• American kicked off the third quarter with a 9-2 run to take an 18-point lead, its largest of the game with 5:23 on the clock.
• Irving and Sophie Beaudry got BU back on the board from the free throw line before Payton Hauck kept the momentum going with a drive and finish at the basket to put the score at 43-29.
• Nelson netted five of the next six points for the Terriers before Vanessa Edgehill closed out a 12-4 Terrier run over the final five minutes of the third quarter, drilling a 3-pointer in the waning seconds to reduce the gap to 47-38 heading into the final frame.
• Irving and Corrine Williams started the fourth quarter with back-to-back layups to put BU within two possessions at 51-46.
• Irving erupted for another scoring streak, netting eight straight points, including six from the charity stripe, to put the score at 56-50 with five minutes left.
• Lauren Spearman put the Terriers with six points again with just over a minute left, but American went 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch to seal the game.

Game Notes

• Irving led the Terriers in scoring for the fourth straight game and tabbed her second straight 20-point game.
• Irving has five 20-point performances on the season. The rest of the team has a combined three 20-point games as Hauck, Nelson and Williams and Nelson have all eclipsed that mark.
• American win its first game at Case Gym since 2014. BU is 3-3 at home against the Eagles and had taken the past two matchups on its floor.
• BU swiped a season-high 16 steals and forced 20 turnovers.
• The defense proved stellar in the second quarter, guiding BU to outscore the Eagles 14-6 after holding them to just 23.1 percent (3-13) shooting from the floor and 0-6 from 3-point range.

Up Next

•  BU will head to Navy for a 5:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday, Feb. 17.