Terriers Drop Double-Overtime Duel at American, 91-87

Wednesday, January 10

Washington, D.C.

11:30 AM

Boston University

10-4,2-1Patriot

American

5-9,3-0Patriot

Team	1	2	3	4	OT 1	OT 2	F
Boston U.	18	19	15	17	7	11	87
American	10	22	19	18	7	15	91

Photo of women's basketball junior Alex Giannaros looking at the basket while holding the basketball.

Photo by: Andrew Wevers

Terriers Drop Double-Overtime Duel at American, 91-87

January 10, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Postgame Audio - Melissa Graves

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Junior Alex Giannaros dropped a career-high 30 points and senior Caitlin Weimar posted a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double, but the Boston University women's basketball team fell to American in double overtime, 91-87, on Wednesday afternoon at Bender Arena.

In a game that featured 16 lead changes and 11 ties, BU (10-4, 2-1 PL) led by as many as 10 points in the first half, and had two chances for a game-winning shot after regulation and the first extra frame. However, the Eagles (5-9, 3-0 PL) scored 15 points in the final five minutes to hand the Terriers their first conference loss of the season.

Giannaros shot 10-for-21 from the field, including 5-of-10 from distance, and collected four assists and three steals. In addition to her double-double, Weimar filled the stat sheet with five blocks and three swipes while hitting nine field goals and eight free throws.

Laura Nogues paced American with 24 points, hitting five of her eight three-pointers and dishing out five assists. Emily Johns and Molly Lavin scored 22 and 15 points, respectively.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Eagles took a 10-6 lead in the opening six minutes, as BU made just three of its first nine shots.
However, the Terriers took the lead on back-to-back threes from Giannaros and senior Kelsi Mingo.
That sparked a 12-0 run over the final 3:47, capped with Weimar's feed to freshman Audrey Ericksen on the left block for a layup, to hand the visitors an 18-10 edge after one quarter.
Ericksen converted a conventional three-point play on a floater to put BU ahead 23-13 just 1:34 into the second.
After Nogues drilled a three to level the score at 29-29, Giannaros responded with her own triple, freshman Aoibhe Gormley knocked down two foul shots, and sophomore Anastasiia Semenova hit a left-wing three to provide a 37-31 cushion with 39 seconds until halftime.
Nogues drained consecutive threes to open the second half, putting American on top 38-37 in the first 2:35 of the third quarter.
The rest of the stanza featured six lead changes, with neither side leading by more than one possession. Giannaros recorded her own three-point play the old-fashioned way to knot the game at 44-44 at the 4:31 mark.
Another Nogues three gave American a 51-48 edge, but back-to-back driving layups from Gormley put BU on top by one heading to the fourth.
Knotted at 57-57 midway through the frame, senior Sophie Beneventine shook off her defender by the left wing to stick a midrange jumper to put BU in front by two.
Molly Lavin's nostalgic three-point sequence returned the advantage to the Eagles with 2:10 left, but Giannaros drilled a three by the right sideline. Johns countered with her own triple on the next play, putting American ahead 67-66.
With 12.5 seconds on the clock, Giannaros found Weimar, who banked a shot off glass and in, handing BU the 68-67 lead. She grabbed the rebound on American's next possession following a miss, and hit her first free throw, but missed her second.
The Terriers fouled on the rebound attempt, and Johns sank both shots at the stripe.
In the first overtime frame, Kayla Henning stuck a jumper halfway through as American took a 74-71 lead.
Johns converted a basket for a four-point Eagle edge with 1:41 on the timer. Giannaros drew a foul to make two free throws, and Ericksen did the same on BU's next possession to tie the contest at 76-76.
BU was able to get one more shot after Gormley's defense coaxed Nogues into a carry, but couldn't connect on the lone opportunity.
American scored the first seven points of the second extra period, but BU then scored six in a row on layups from Weimar and Giannaros, plus two Gormley foul shots, to pull within 83-82.
Lavin and Giannaros traded layups before Nogues supplied four-straight points, handing the Eagles an 89-84 lead with 19.5 seconds to play.
Giannaros canned a three-pointer on an inbound play to pull BU within two, but that capped the Terriers' scoring as Ivy Bales made two free throws in the final moments.

STATS

BU shot 49.2 percent from the field, including 38.9 percent from three-point range.
American hit just under 42 percent of its shots, but knocked down 11 threes on a 44 percent clip.
Both teams hit 20 free throws at over 74 percent shooting.
The Terriers won the rebounding battle, 40-38.
BU also sported a 38-14 advantage in points in the paint.
The Eagles turned 24 Terrier turnovers into 32 points, and had 19 second-chance points.

NOTES

Giannaros became the first BU guard to score 30 points in a game since Chantell Alford did so against No. 14 West Virginia on Nov. 12, 2012. She hit five three-pointers in a contest for the first time since Mar. 6, 2023 against Loyola Maryland.
Weimar now has a double-double in six-straight games, and eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the sixth time this season.
The Terriers' winning streak in both the regular season and in overtime games concludes at five.
Wednesday marked BU's first double overtime matchup since Jan. 18, 2017 at Colgate.
The all-time series between the Terriers and Eagles now stands at 17-10 in American's favor.

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