Terriers Outlast Crimson In 80-77 Victory

Saturday, December 9

Boston, MA

7 PM

Boston University

6-3,0-0Patriot

Harvard

5-5,0-0Ivy League

Harvard

Boston U.

Photo by: Jon Ratner

December 9, 2023 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Highlights Postgame Audio - Melissa Graves, Caitlin Weimar, and Audrey Ericksen

BOSTON – Senior Caitlin Weimar scored her 1,000th collegiate point in a 29-point performance, junior Alex Giannaros dropped 20 points, and the Boston University women's basketball program triumphed over local rival Harvard in an 80-77 win on Saturday evening at Case Gym.

Though the Crimson (5-5) rallied from an 18-point, second-half deficit, BU (6-3) pulled ahead on freshman Audrey Ericksen's jumper with 31 seconds to play. The Terriers forced two Harvard turnovers in the final moments, and Lola Mullaney's final shot before the buzzer was off the mark.

Weimar notched a double-double with her 29 points and 10 boards. Giannaros nailed four three-pointers in the effort. Ericksen registered a career-high 17 points, as did sophomore Anastasiia Semenova with her 12 points.

Mullaney paced Harvard with 21 points on 8-of-22 shooting to lead four Crimson student-athletes in double figures. Elena Rodriguez collected 16 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Weimar achieved her milestone with BU's first points of the game, a floater 57 seconds into the game on a dish from Giannaros.
Late in the first quarter, after three ties, Giannaros found Semenova on the right wing for a three to put BU ahead 16-13 with 1:49 on the clock in the opening frame.
Harvard called timeout less than two minutes into the second after Weimar converted a second-chance layup from her own offensive rebound, and then found Ericksen for her own basket to make it 22-17 Terriers.
BU's lead grew to 27-20 when Semenova zipped a pass from the top of the key to Giannaros on a backdoor cut for the reverse layup at the 7:06 mark.
After Weimar snagged an offensive rebound, Giannaros worked free from a crossover dribble and nailed a floater while drawing a foul, completing the old-fashioned three-point play to put BU up 42-31 with 24 seconds left in the first half.
The Crimson converted the opening bucket in the third quarter, but Semenova's putback and Giannaros' triple grew the lead to 47-36 1:48 into the period, coxing another Havard timeout.
At the midpoint of the frame, Weimar swatted Katie Krupa's shot, then banked in a layup in stride on the other end. Giannaros' ensuing three gave the Terriers a 59-43 edge.
BU's largest lead in the stanza was 63-45 before the Crimson closed the quarter on a 7-0 run, including Mullaney's jumper right before the buzzer.
Ericksen answered another Mullaney basket with a three from the left wing for a 66-54 Terrier lead, but Harvard ripped off a 12-0 run that knotted the score at 66-66 with 6:28 to play on Krupa's foul shots.
After Mullaney's corner triple halfway through the fourth, Giannaros dumped off the ball to Weimar on the right block to make the layup and the foul, making her free throw to level the score at 71-71.
With 1:36 to go, Mullaney knocked down a straightaway three to hand Harvard a 75-77 advantage.
Weimar secured an offensive rebound and drew contact to make a pair of foul shots with 1:09 on the clock. Semenova stole the ball from Mullaney on the next possession, allowing Ericksen to nail the 12-foot jumper along the left baseline with 31 seconds remaining.
Senior Sophie Beneventine drew a charge with 14 seconds on the clock for a Harvard turnover. Though BU surrendered a turnover of their own on the inbound, freshman Aoibhe Gormley anticipated a pass to deflect the ball off of a Crimson player on the left wing, handing possession to the Terriers with six seconds to play.
Giannaros made one of two from the charity stripe, and Mullaney's runner bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

STATS

BU shot a season-best 58.5 percent from the field, and 56.3 percent from three-point range.
Harvard made over 44 percent of their shots and 10 of its 24 attempts from beyond the arc.
The Terriers posted 22 assists on 31 made baskets. Giannaros paced the team with seven, with Weimar not far behind at five.
The junior also had four of BU's seven steals.
Rebounds favored BU 30-29.
After surrendering seven turnovers in the first quarter, BU gave up the ball just seven times the rest of the way.
The Terriers also held the edge in points off turnovers (15-10), points in the paint (40-20), and second-chance points (13-4).

NOTES

Weimar reached 1,000 career points in 83 career games. With BU, she has recorded 853 career points.
Giannaros' 20-point game is the fifth in her career, and first since Jan. 18 against Navy.
Ericksen, who added six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks, set her new personal-best in scoring from 13 points, which was accomplished at Rider on Nov. 18.
Semenova's 12 points mark her first-career game in double figures. She made multiple three-pointers for the first time in her collegiate tenure.
The Terriers' six non-conference wins are the most since the 2012-13 campaign, when BU recorded nine.
BU last scored 80 points against a non-conference foe on Dec. 4, 2022 at Boston College. The last win with 80 or more points against an out-of-league opponent was Nov. 19, 2017, an 85-79 overtime triumph over Delaware.
The Terriers captured their first win over Harvard since Nov. 17, 2014. The Crimson now hold a 22-16 advantage in the all-time series.

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