BOSTON – Junior Sydney Johnson dropped a game-high 21 points, sophomore Caitlin Weimar added 13 points and nine rebounds, and the Boston University women's basketball program celebrated its seniors with a 69-51 triumph over Bucknell on Saturday afternoon at Case Gym.
 
BU (16-12, 12-5 PL) snapped its two-game losing streak, trailing for just 2:32 in the entire game and outscoring the Bison (20-8, 11-6 PL) 51-36 in the final three quarters.
 
Before the game, the Terriers honored Chiara Tibbitt and Riley Childs, inserting the duo in the starting lineup. In her first game since Jan. 12, Childs tallied five points and six boards. Tibbitt registered seven points on 50 percent shooting.
 
Taylor O'Brien paced Bucknell with 14 points, shooting 6-for-18 from the field. Marly Walls notched 12 points on 14 shots.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Childs made her first bucket since Jan. 8 on a right-wing three-pointer 1:51 into the game.
• Tibbitt got a pass from her classmate, Childs, and sank a right-handed floater by the foul line to push the Terriers' lead to 10-6, but a 7-0 Bison run gave the visitors a 13-10 lead at the midpoint of the first.
• BU utilized an 8-0 towards the end of the period to retake the lead at 18-15 after one.
• The Bison briefly gained a 19-18 lead, but freshman Alex Giannaros blew past a Bucknell defender to the cup and found junior Maren Durant underneath for the layup.
• That started an 8-1 run for BU, capped with Johnson streaking alone to the basket after Bucknell couldn't secure a turnover, to give them a 26-20 lead with 4:28 until halftime.
• Junior Liz Shean drilled a three from the corner as the clock hit 25 seconds to push the Terrier advantage to 33-24, which served as the halftime score.
• Both sides got buckets in the first 32 seconds of the third, but BU kept the Bison scoreless for the next 4:57. Shean nailed consecutive baskets to make it 43-28, coaxing a Bucknell timeout with 4:41 to go in the stanza.
• O'Brien scored four of seven straight Bison points to trim the lead to eight, but BU replenished the 11-point edge before Johnson drilled a step-back, buzzer-beating three at the end of the third, making it 49-35.
• With 6:14 to go, Giannaros drew attention in the paint and passed off to Weimar on the right block, and she bounced her layup off glass and in for an and-one play. Her ensuing free throw extended the lead to 56-39.
• Tibbitt iced the game thanks to a straightaway triple with 1:34 to play. Sophomore Kelsi Mingo then hit a jumper 32 seconds later for the lone 20-point lead of the game, 69-49.

 
GAME NOTES

• BU shot 49.2 percent from the field, including 51 percent from inside the arc.
• Bucknell was held to 30.6 percent shooting, and was just 3-for-14 from deep.
• The Terriers won the rebounding battle, 43-33, while having the edge in points in the paint (44-30), points off turnovers (13-4) and bench points (21-13).
• Johnson notched her eighth 20-point game this season. She has reached double figures in 16 of BU's 17 league contests.
• Seven of Weimar's 13 points came in the fourth quarter.
• BU has matched its program-best with its 12th Patriot League victory of the season, which was also accomplished in 2019-20.
• The Terriers have now won 10 games at home for the second time as a Patriot League program. BU went 11-5 in Beantown back in 2019-20.
• Of their 10 wins, eight have come by double digits.
• Though Bucknell remains on top 11-5 in the all-time series, the Terriers have won two straight against the Bison for the first time in the rivalry.

 
UP NEXT

• BU closes the regular season at Holy Cross on Wednesday (Mar. 2) at 6 p.m. With a win, the Terriers would earn a share of the 2021-22 Patriot League regular season championship.