Photo of women's basketball senior Kelsi Mingo shooting a three-pointer.
Matt Woolverton
65
Merrimack Merri 1-7,0-0 NEC
73
Winner Boston U. BU 5-4,0-0 Patriot
Merrimack Merri
1-7,0-0 NEC
65
Final
73
Boston U. BU
5-4,0-0 Patriot
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Merrimack Merri 22 9 11 23 65
Boston U. BU 17 17 19 20 73

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

BU Defeats Merrimack For Third Straight Home Win, 73-65

BOSTON – Three Terriers scored 11 points, including a double-double from senior Maren Durant, and the Boston University women's basketball program defeated Merrimack 73-65 on Wednesday evening at Case Gym.
 
BU (5-4) captured its third-consecutive win at home after playing at The Roof for the first time since Nov. 23. The Terriers, previously trailing the Warriors (1-7) by as much as seven points, outscored the visitors 36-20 in the second and third quarters combined.
 
Durant finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists, Classmates Maggie Pina and Liz Shean each shot 3-for-5 from three-point range to drop 11 points. Senior Sydney Johnson posted 10 points and five assists.
 
Marissa Hamilton led Merrimack with a game-high 20 points, while Alana Fursman chipped in with 12 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Merrimack jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening minute, as Hamilton secured a layup off the opening tip and nailed a three-pointer.
  • BU briefly took a 12-11 lead following Johnson's second three-pointer of the game and two free throws from Shean, but Alana Fursman countered with five-straight points in 26 points to replenish the Warrior lead to 16-12 with 3:05 left in the first.
  • Amaya Staton's layup at the 7:41 mark of the second gave Merrimack its largest advantage of the first half at 24-17, but the Terriers scored six points, all on layups, in a 59-second span to claw back within one.
  • After a layup in transition, junior Kelsi Mingo knocked down a three-pointer to give BU a 26-24 lead with six minutes until halftime.
  • Both teams went quiet on offense for two minutes before Pina drilled back-to-back threes for a 34-26 advantage with 2:09 on the clock.
  • Entering the third quarter on top 34-31, BU hit of the frame's first seven baskets, featuring two layups each from Durant and freshman Sam Crispe, and a pull-up jumper on the left elbow for Pina. The Terriers led 44-35 with 5:27 left in the period after the latter bucket.
  • Shean and sophomore Lauren Davenport close the third with threes as BU entered the final quarter ahead, 53-42.
  • Over the course of nearly three minutes, beginning at the 7:16 mark, BU scored four consecutive three-pointers. Shean hit a pair while Pina nailed her own, and freshman Anastasiia Semenova flushed a straightaway triple to make it 68-48 with 4:46 to play, BU's largest lead all night.
  • Durant drew two fouls in succession, including one as she caught an inbounds pass from the end line to lay in a basket. She would score the foul shot to put the Terriers on top, 71-52 as the clock read 3:15.
  • Hamilton ended the game with eight consecutive points, but BU kept the Warriors at bay thanks to two free throws from junior Sophie Beneventine.
 
STATS
  • The Terriers shot over 49 percent from the field, compared to 39.4 percent from Merrimack.
  • BU sank 11 three-pointers on a .478 shooting percentage. The Warriors went 8-for-18 from beyond the arc.
  • The Terriers collected 19 assists on 27 made buckets.
  • Both teams brought down 36 rebounds and turned the ball over 14 times.
  • BU led for over 26 minutes in the game.
  • The Terriers had the edge with 25 bench points and eight fastbreak points.
  • Every Terrier that appeared scored, the third time this season that has occurred.
 
GAME NOTES
  • Durant's double-double was her first of the season, and first since Mar. 2 at Holy Cross. She now has eight in a BU uniform.
  • Her five assists tied her career-high as well. She has 22 assists in her last six games.
  • Pina, who entered the day tied for fifth in Division I in three-point percentage, moved into eighth place on the Terriers' all-time three-pointers last, passing Katie Meinhardt '07.
  • She is averaging 14 points per game in her last six contests.
  • Shean has recorded consecutive games in double figures for the first time since Feb. 9-12. She is 8-for-11 from distance in her last two appearances.
  • Johnson has scored 10 or more points in 51 of her 81 career games.
  • The Terriers have made 11 three-pointers in back-to-back games for the first time in 10 years. BU last accomplished this from Dec. 29-30, 2012 against FDU (11) and Lehigh (12).
  • BU improves to 2-0 all-time against Merrimack, with Wednesday serving as the first-ever home win against the Warriors.
 
UP NEXT
  • BU treks to Yale on Tuesday (Dec. 13) for its non-conference road finale. Opening tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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