Emily Esposito shoots a jumper from the left elbow over a Loyola defender.
Matt Woolverton
47
Loyola Maryland Loyola 3-13,0-6 Patriot
65
Winner Boston U. BU 10-7,6-0 Patriot
Loyola Maryland Loyola
3-13,0-6 Patriot
47
Final
65
Boston U. BU
10-7,6-0 Patriot
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Loyola Maryland Loyola 11 8 17 11 47
Boston U. BU 22 2 22 19 65

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

Terriers Improve To 6-0 In PL With Win Over Loyola, 65-47

BOSTON – Junior Maggie Pina nailed four three-pointers for a season-best 17 points, classmates Sydney Johnson and Liz Shean scored 16 points each, and the Boston University women's basketball team has won its first six Patriot League games for the first time in program history with a 65-47 triumph over Loyola Maryland on Wednesday evening at Case Gym.
 
The short-handed Terriers (10-7, 6-0 PL), who dressed eight players, shot 50 percent or better in three different quarters. After notching just two points in the second stanza and nursing a five-point lead at halftime, BU outscored the Greyhounds (3-13, 0-6 PL) 41-28 in the second half, shooting 15-for-25 (60 percent) in that span.
 
Johnson also posted team-bests of seven assists and four steals, and Shean matched Pina with four three-pointers. Classmate Maren Durant also secured four steals, adding game-highs of 10 rebounds and three blocks.
 
Taleah Dixon was the lone Greyhound in double figures, tallying 16 points on 54.5 percent shooting.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • BU started the contest on an 8-0 run. Redshirt senior Emily Esposito hit a midrange jumper from the left elbow, then Shean and Pina buried threes to force a Loyola timeout 2:45 into the game.
  • That lead ballooned to 17-2 at the 3:05 mark when Johnson nailed a right-wing three, then corralled an errant pass near midcourt and laid it in.
  • The Greyhounds settled down to score nine points in the final 2:34, putting BU on top 22-11 after 10 minutes.
  • After shooting 9-for-18 from the field in the first, BU did not hit a shot from the field in the second, scoring just two points off free throws. Loyola chipped away and pulled with 24-19 at halftime.
  • Pina started the third quarter with two three-point plays, one conventionally and another on a three-pointer, to replenish the Terriers' double-digit lead.
  • In a span of 2:03 shortly thereafter, two Johnson steals led to buckets. Shean drilled a three, then Johnson pulled up for a jumper at the 5:59 mark to make it 37-23 Terriers.
  • Pina drilled a three after a Loyola offensive foul to regain the 14-point edge, but Dixon's triple with 39 seconds left locked the score at 46-36, BU, at the end of the third.
  • The Greyhounds scored five of the first seven points in the fourth to pull within 48-41, but Johnson lofted a pass to Pina in transition, and she found freshman Lauren Davenport underneath the basket for the layup to make it 50-41.
  • Emily McAteer responded with a left-wing three-pointer, then Loyola called for the time down six with 4:41 to play.
  • Out of the break, Davenport blocked Lax Therien's attempt under the rim, and Greyhound's second-chance effort was off. Durant snagged the carom, and Johnson's crossover dribble split a pair of Greyhounds for a foul line floater for a 52-44 lead.
  • With less than three minutes to go, Esposito sank two floaters in 63 seconds. After Johnson free throws put the Terriers at 60 points for the evening, Pina iced the game with a second-chance triple as the clock read 52 seconds.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Despite not making a shot from the field in the second quarter, BU finished with a .414 shooting percentage, and went 9-for-20 (45 percent) from deep.
  • The Terriers won the rebounding battle, 35-29. With 13 offensive boards, BU has secured 10-plus offensive caroms in seven of its last eight games, and nine times overall.
  • BU also assisted on 14 of its 24 baskets, and scored 26 points off 22 Loyola turnovers.
  • This marks the Terriers' first season starting 6-0 in conference play since 2012-13 in the America East.
  • Pina eclipses her previous season-high of 16 points, which came at Merrimack on Dec. 9, 2021. She now has four games in double figures this year.
  • Shean played a career-high 34 minutes in the win. In games where she plays 18 minutes or more, she is averaging 14.8 points per game (five contests).
  • Johnson has scored 13-plus points in all six Patriot League matchups so far, ranking third in league play with 15.7 points per game.
  • Making her first appearance since Jan. 5 at Loyola, Esposito finished with 11 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and four assists.
  • With the three blocks, Durant became the ninth Terrier in program history with 100 career rejections. She is three swats away from eighth place in the BU annals.
  • BU improves to 12-6 all-time against Loyola.
  • Postseason included, the Terriers have won 19 of their last 22 home contests against Patriot League foes.
 
UP NEXT
  • BU looks to extend the winning streak to seven games in a rematch of the 2021 Patriot League Championship, visiting Lehigh on Saturday (Jan. 22). Opening tip is slated for 2 p.m.
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