Photo of women's basketball sophomore Alex Giannaros prepares to drive against an Army West Point defender.
Matt Woolverton

Terriers Gear Up for PL Semifinal Bout Against Army West Point on Thursday

March 8, 2023

No. 1 Boston University (23-7, 17-1 PL) vs. No. 5 Army West Point (13-16, 10-8 PL)
Date & Time: Thursday, March 9,  2023, 6 p.m.
Venue: Case Gym, Boston, Mass.
 
Watch: ESPN+
Twitter: @BUGameDay | @TerrierWBB 
Rosters: BU | Army
Schedule: BU | Army
 
BOSTON – Vying for an opportunity to advance to its second Patriot League Tournament championship game, the top-seeded Boston University women's basketball team hosts No. 5 Army West Point in the semifinal round on Thursday (March 9). Opening tip is set for 6 p.m.
 
BU has moved on to its fourth-consecutive Patriot League semifinal appearance. Thursday marks the second time the Terriers will play a semifinal contest at Case Gym in three seasons, with the previous tilt occurring in 2021. BU is 6-2 all-time in Patriot League Tournament home games.
 
Army West Point, after being the only lower seed to advance past its quarterfinal round, vies for its first title game appearance since 2016, when it captured the league championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Black Knights are the first 5-seed to reach the semifinals since 2019.
 
Fans attending the game can play basketball bingo, with opportunities to win prizes such as a Lululemon Everywhere Belt Bag, Beats by Dr. Dre Powerbeats Pro, an Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, and more.
 
TERRIER TIDBITS
  • BU is 1-1 in the Patriot League semifinals, having played American in both matchups.
  • The Terriers triumphed over the Eagles back in 2021, 72-51, in the previous home Patriot League semifinal bout.
  • Since 1985, BU has reached 21 conference semifinal games.
  • In its last game, BU won its fourth-consecutive Patriot League quarterfinal contest with a 66-52 triumph over Loyola Maryland on Monday (March 6).
  • The Terriers trailed by six early in the third quarter, but a 25-5 burst that lasted nearly 11 minutes put BU in front.
  • Sophomore Alex Giannaros drained a career-high six three-pointers for a team-leading 18 points, while senior Maren Durant posted 12 points, 15 rebounds, and a career-best six blocks.
  • Sophomore Lauren Davenport drilled four triples for the first time in her career, finishing with 14 points.
  • Sydney Johnson added 11 points and a season-high eight assists.
  • With her 6-for-12 performance from downtown, Giannaros became eligible for the NCAA's three-point percentage rankings. Her .553 clip is the highest in the nation.
  • Durant has boosted her program-leading career shooting percentage to .566.
  • She and junior Caitlin Weimar each have 45 blocks on the season, which are two shy of entering the top 10 for most rejections in a single season.
  • The Terriers have won 10 games in a row at Case Gym, dating back to Jan. 2. In 15 home games this season, BU has shot 47.7 percent to score 74.1 points per game.
  • This season, BU has utilized nine different starting lineups. Eight of those sets have won at least one game.
  • With a win, the Terriers would notch 24 wins in a season for just the third time in program history, joining the 2008-09 and 2012-13 teams.
 
SCOUTING ARMY WEST POINT
  • • The fifth-seeded Black Knights will make their first appearance in the semifinals since 2019-20.
  • • On Monday (March 6), Army beat No. 4 Colgate on the road, 55-50. Reese Ericson and Sabria Hunter tallied 19 and 16 points, respectively.
  • • Ericson, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year, averaged 10.1 points with 58 assists and 44.2 percent shooting during conference play.
  • • Hunter is a First Team All-Patriot League pick after pacing the league with 12.2 rebounds per game and 18 double-doubles, top-10 in the nation. The senior also scores 13.5 points per game.
  • • Kamryn Hall garnered Third Team accolades after setting career-highs with 9.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest, with a team-best 36 blocks.
 
SERIES HISTORY
  • Thursday marks the 28th all-time meeting between BU and Army West Point in a series that began in 1980.
  • The Terriers have won seven in a row to take a 17-10 lead in the series.
  • The matchup marks the third for the teams in the Patriot League Tournament, and second year in a row. Each team has won a quarterfinal bout against one another.
  • In 2014, BU's first season as a league member, the No. 2 Black Knights prevailed 49-45 over the seventh-seeded Terriers.
  • Last season, No. 3 BU triumphed over the sixth-ranked Black Knights in the quarterfinal from Case Gym, 80-74.
  • BU swept the regular season series with a 68-52 road win on Jan. 15 and a 77-70 victory in Terrier Town on Feb. 22.
  • In the first meeting, Johnson led four in double digits with 14 points, as the Terriers shot over 63 percent in the fourth quarter to outscore the Black Knights 18-10.
  • The second meeting saw Weimar unload a career-high 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting as BU scored 50 points in the paint.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
  • Thursday's winner will face off against the winner of No. 2 Holy Cross/No. 3 Lehigh in the Patriot League Championship, hosted by the higher remaining seed.
  • The Crusaders and Mountain Hawks tip off from Worcester, Mass. on Thursday at 7 p.m.
  • The Patriot League title game starts at 12 p.m., airing on CBS Sports Network.
Print Friendly Version