BOSTON – Senior Alex Giannaros led three Terriers in double figures with 15 points, but the Boston University women's basketball program couldn't hold off Navy in a 74-64 defeat on Wednesday afternoon at Case Gym.
 
BU (7-11, 1-6 PL) closed what was as highest as an 11-point deficit to one possession in the final three minutes of regulation. However, the Mids (14-4, 6-1 PL) ended the contest on an 11-2 run to hand the Terriers their fourth straight loss.
 
Giannaros drained a trio of three-pointers and led BU with four assists. Sophomore Bella McLaughlin collected 11 points and six rebounds while classmate Aoibhe Gormley scored 10 points.
 
Zanai Barnett-Gay led all scorers with 26 points on 50 percent shooting. Julianna Almeida and Lizzie Holder respectively recorded 15 and 13 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• BU opened the first 1:34 of the game with a pair of triples from Ericksen and Giannaros, though Navy countered with five consecutive points afterwards to make it 6-5 Terriers early.
• McLaughlin kept Navy away with a pair of layups that each gave BU a three-point lead, then Monteagudo found Warren in transition for a layup that made it 14-9 with 1:25 left in the first.
• A trio of Navy threes in the first 88 seconds of the second quarter gave it the lead, only for Gormley to drive for a layup on the next possession to return the edge to the Terriers, 20-19.
• Another McLaughlin basket pushed the Terrier advantage to 27-23 midway through the stanza, but Navy rattled off a 15-0 run across a three-minute span to go up 38-27 with just over two minutes until halftime.
• BU cut the deficit to six upon Gormley's take to the rim, but Almeida nailed a right corner triple to put Navy ahead 41-32 at the break.
• A Giannaros three and two foul shots from Bentley allowed BU to pull within 43-37 at the 6:45 mark of the third quarter.
• BU ended the stanza on an 8-1 run over the final 4:33 to make it 50-47 Mids, fueled by an Ericksen triple, second-chance jumper from Monteagudo and a fast break layup from McLaughlin.
• A potential game-tying three from Giannaros was off the mark to start the fourth quarter, and Navy punished BU with an 8-0 stretch that spanned four minutes for a 58-48 advantage.
• Giannaros would score five straight points on a three-pointer and two free throws, only for Navy to counter with Barnett-Gay's triple and Almeida's layup to return the gap to double digits, 63-53, with 4:05 left.
• Junior Anete Adler sank two consecutive buckets by the right block, then sophomore Sisi Bentley scored three points in a row to complete seven straight Terrier points to close the deficit to 63-60.
• Navy found breathing room in the form of two Barnett-Gay jump shots and two Holder free throws, bringing the visitors up 69-60 with 1:15 on the clock and allowing them to ice the contest with foul shots.

STATS

• BU sported a higher field goal percentage than its opponent for the third time in the last four games, shooting 44.7 percent compared to Navy's 41.3 percent.
• The Terriers shot 6-for-13 from deep, while Navy was 11-for-32 from beyond the arc.
• Navy won the rebounding battle, 37-28, corralling 18 offensive rebounds.
• BU held a 28-24 advantage in paint points and 22-7 in bench points.
• The Terriers went 16-for-20 from the foul line.

NOTES

• Giannaros notched her 31st career game with 15 or more points.
• McLaughlin now has six games this season with double figures, while her 28 minutes played were the highest for her in a Patriot League contest.
• Gormley, who shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field.
• BU sustained its first four-game losing streak during Patriot League play since 2017-18.
• Students from Trotter Elementary School, Mason Elementary School, Boston Green Academy, Blackstone Elementary and O'Bryant High School attended the game as part of the program's first Boston Public Schools Day.
• Navy snapped the Terriers' seven-game winning streak in the rivalry and knotted the series at 11-11.

UP NEXT

• BU travels to Bucknell on Saturday (Jan. 25). Opening tip is slated for 2 p.m.