BOSTON – Freshman Allison Schwertner posted a career-high 21 points and senior Alex Giannaros added 20 points to guide the Boston University women's basketball team to a 67-57 victory over Maine on Thursday evening at Case Gym.
 
BU (2-2) overcame a 12-point deficit late in the first, shooting over 47 percent in the final three quarters and force the Black Bears (2-3) to under 28 percent shooting from deep.
 
Schwertner made seven of her 10 shots while snagging eight rebounds, while Giannaros led all student-athletes with six assists. Sophomore Bella McLaughlin made her first career start, dropping 14 points and six boards.
 
Asta Blauenfeldt was the lone Black Bear in double figures, draining 9-of-11 shots for a game high 24 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Giannaros and Olivia Rockwood each traded two buckets on the opening two possessions, with Rockwood's threes handing the Black Bears an early 6-5 lead.
• That second triple ignited a 12-0 Maine run that spanned nearly five-and-a-half minutes.
• Trailing 21-11 after one quarter, McLaughlin's driving layup opened the second-quarter scoring, only for both teams to trade buckets in the first three-and-a-half minutes for a 25-15 Maine lead.
• From there, Schwertner scored six consecutive points, then Giannaros drilled a right-wing three to close the gap to one with 1:46 until halftime.
• Blauenfeldt cashed in a layup, but Schwertner nailed an open three, then received Giannaros' pass from the paint for a left-block layup that beat the buzzer, giving BU a 29-27 lead at the break.
• The duo connected again on BU's first second-half possession, then Giannaros notched a nostalgic three-point play on a drive down the right lane. McLaughlin's layup on the next Terrier possession extended the lead to 36-29 less than two minutes into the third quarter.
• Freshman Hildur Gunnsteinsdóttir feigned a three and drove down the right lane for a layup, only for Blauenfeldt to respond with a triple. However, the Iceland native drilled a Terrier three from the corner to make it 45-36 with 3:56 left in the stanza.
• The BU advantage ballooned to 13, the highest of the night, after Schwertner's two free throws and McLaughlin's basket at the 2:58 mark of the third.
• Maine trimmed the gap to 49-41 heading to the fourth, but McLaughlin nailed a three-pointer 35 seconds into the period to replenish the double-digit edge.
• Sarah Talon hit a Black Bear three to pull Maine with five with 2:24 to go in regulation, but Giannaros shed her defender at the foul line for a key jumper 22 seconds later, making it 59-52.
• BU made eight free throws from there as the Black Bears drained just two field goals from there. 

STATS

• For the game, the Terriers shot nearly 46 percent, including 6-of-14 from downtown.
• Overall, Maine shot just over 36 percent. After making three of its first four three-point attempts, the Black Bears went 3-for-25 (12 percent) the rest of the way.
• Both teams corralled 34 rebounds, 24 paint points and 14 points off turnovers.
• Twenty of BU's rebounds came from guards.
• Junior Anete Adler swatted three shots while collecting four rebounds.

NOTES

• Schwertner's 21 points mark a career high for the freshman. She is the first Terrier rookie to eclipse the 20-point plateau since teammate Aoibhe Gormley did so against Lehigh with 21 points on Feb. 28.
• That also marked the previous instance where two Terriers each scored 20-plus points, with Schwertner and Giannaros achieving that feat on Thursday.
• Giannaros moved into sole possession of sixth place in the Terrier record books with a pair of three-pointers, surpassing the program's all-time leading scorer, Katie Terhune.
• Overall, Thursday marked Giannaros' 11th career game with 20 or more points.
• McLaughlin made her first collegiate start en route to her first career game scoring in double figures. She had scored eight points in BU's first three games combined, and eight in her entire freshman season at Providence.
• The all-time series now shifts to 41-34 in Maine's favor. BU has won 14 of the last 16 meetings between the schools. 

UP NEXT

• The Terriers continue the homestand when they welcome Georgetown ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on Wednesday (Nov. 27). Opening tip is slated for Noon.