BOSTON – Senior Maggie Pina and junior Caitlin Weimar each tallied 11 points, but the Boston University women's basketball program sustained its first conference loss of the year with a 57-53 setback to Holy Cross on Wednesday evening at the Hart Center Arena.
 
BU (22-7, 17-1 PL) led by as many as 12 points, but a 15-4 extended run handed the lead to Holy Cross (21-8, 13-5 PL) early in the third. The two teams were tied with under seven minutes remaining, but the Terriers were held to 2-of-12 shooting in the fourth quarter to suffer their first loss in the 2023 calendar year.
 
Weimar also recorded seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Senior Maren Durant notched a game-high 12 rebounds and three blocks.
 
Lindsay Berger paced the Crusaders with 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting. Janelle Allen added six rebounds and five assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Sophomore Alex Giannaros got BU on the board with a stepback jumper near the foul line, then drilled a right-wing three for an early 7-4 Terrier advantage.
• As the clock rolled to 2:12 in the first, junior Sophie Beneventine found Weimar in transition for a floater that drew a foul, leading to a nostalgic three-point play and a 14-8 BU lead.
• Weimar scored nine of the Terriers' final 10 points in the stanza, which closed on a 10-2 run over the final 4:25 for the visitors to make it 19-10.
• BU led by as many as 12 points, 24-12, in the second quarter, occurring when freshman Sam Crispe found Pina near the top of the key for a three 2:22 into the second.
• Holy Cross rattled off a 13-2 extended run from that point, however, with Berger's layup at the 2:58 mark cutting the Terrier advantage to 26-25.
• BU never coughed up the lead, however, as sophomore Lauren Davenport responded with a right-handed floater on the left elbow. After another Berger basket and two foul shots from each side, the Terriers went into halftime ahead 30-29.
• Holy Cross came out of the break with five-consecutive makes, going ahead 40-34 with 6:37 remaining in the third.
• Trailing 46-40, two Davenport free throws, a left-wing Pina three, and a Durant foul shot helped BU tie the game at 46-46 as the third quarter concluded.
• Berger found her jumper to roll 46 seconds into the final period to return the lead to the Crusaders, and Allen's free throw pushed the lead to 49-46 with 7:08 to play.
• On the ensuing possession, Durant's outlet pass to senior Liz Shean at the top of the key resulted in a banked three for the latter, tying the game with 6:54 remaining.
• Bronagh Power-Cassidy countered with her own three-pointer on the next Holy Cross possession, however, making it 52-49.
• Ahead 52-50 with 1:48 to play, Berger secured an offensive rebound following a BU offensive foul and drained a jumper in the high paint for a four-point advantage.
• In front of her own bench, senior Sydney Johnson drilled a crossover three just before the shot clock expired to pull the Terriers within 54-53 as the clock read 1:02.
• BU got a defensive stop, but another offensive foul returned the ball to Holy Cross. Kaitlyn Flanagan went 1-for-2 from the charity stripe with 12 seconds to go, making it 55-53.
• Following a Terrier timeout, BU lost the ball just outside the arc with 11.1 seconds remaining, as Simone Foreman's steal and foul shots sealed the Crusader win.

 
STATS

• BU shot just under 39 percent in the game, its lowest shooting percentage in a Patriot League game this year and lowest since Dec. 21, 2022.
• Pina canned two of the Terriers' five three-pointers on the evening, as the team shot just 31.3 percent.
• Holy Cross was 39.6 percent from the field, and just 20 percent from distance.
• Rebounds were even at 33-33 for both teams.
• The Crusaders turned 20 Terrier turnovers into 17 points.

 
GAME NOTES

• The Terriers' winning streak concludes at 17 games, its second-longest run in program history.
• BU is the third team in the Patriot League to finish the regular season with a 17-1 conference record. The Terriers' 17 league wins is a program record.
• Weimar wraps up Patriot League action with 16.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game on 63.5 percent shooting. She reached double figures in 16 of her 17 league appearances.
• Pina has scored 11 points exactly in three games in a row, accruing double digits in six of her last eight contests.
• Durant registered at least 12 rebounds in a game for the fifth time this year, and first time since Jan. 21.
• Holy Cross now leads the all-time series 21-14.

 
UP NEXT

• In the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinal round on Monday (March 6), top-seeded BU welcomes the winner of the No. 8 Lafayette/No. 9 Loyola Maryland bout to Terrier Town.
• Opening tip is slated for 6 p.m.