BOSTON – Junior Anete Adler reset her career high with 19 points to pace three Terriers in double figures as the Boston University women's basketball program triumphed over Holy Cross, 52-49, in a Turnpike Trophy clash on Monday evening at Case Gym.
 
BU (8-12, 2-7 PL) held the Crusaders (14-6, 7-2 PL) to 49 points, a season best for the Terrier defense, and blocked the potential game-tying attempt in the final seconds to snap its five-game losing streak while ending Holy Cross' five-game winning streak.
 
Adler canned nine of her 12 shots while scoring five points in the final two minutes. Sophomore Audrey Ericksen tallied all 11 of her points in the second half, while senior Alex Giannaros drilled the go-ahead three-pointer with 38 seconds left en route to a 10-point effort.
 
Mary-Elizabeth Donnelly paced Holy Cross with 14 points, though she had just one point in the second half. Lindsay Berger and Kaitlyn Flanagan added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game's first three buckets were three-pointers, where Donnelly countered Giannaros' triple with two of her own in the game's first 4:18.
• The first quarter featured six lead changes, though Donnelly's jumper and two Flanagan foul shots gave the Crusaders a 12-9 edge after 10 minutes.
• Adler opened the second frame with a layup, but a 9-0 Holy Cross run that Donnelly started with five points gave the Crusaders their largest lead of the game, 21-11, with 6:35 until halftime.
• Sophomore Bella McLaughlin halted the drought with an underhanded layup through the right lane, and followed classmate Aoibhe Gormley's corner triple with a free throw as the clock read 1:07 to pull BU within 25-21 at halftime.
• Ericksen drained two three-pointers in the first 3:34 of the third quarter to hand the Terriers their first lead since the first quarter, 27-26.
• With 1:32 remaining in the stanza, Lauren Huber sank a baseline layup to push Holy Cross on top by one, but Adler bookended Berger's foul shot with a pair of baskets to make it 35-33 Terriers heading into the fourth quarter.
• Giannaros answered Huber's jump shot with a driving layup through the left lane, but Flanagan and Huber made their own shots to give the Crusaders a 39-37 advantage 1:45 into the final period.
• Ericksen regained the lead for the Terriers at the 6:48 mark with a corner three off Gormley's feed to make it 40-39.
• The Crusaders pushed ahead, 45-42, with 3:03 to play in regulation when Berger swished multiple midrange baskets near the foul line.
• BU did not score until Adler's back-to-back layups, giving the home team a 46-45 edge with 1:12 on the clock.
• Flanagan made a midrange shot nine seconds late for a 47-46 Crusader lead, but Giannaros shook off her defender on the possession with a stepback three-pointer on the right wing with under 38 seconds on the clock.
• Gormley then corralled an errant Flanagan pass on the next play to allow Giannaros to hit two free throws to make it 51-47 BU with 27.4 seconds to go.
• Berger hit a second-chance jump shot, then Adler sank one free throw with 6.5 seconds on the timer for a 52-49 edge. Gormley and Giannaros teamed up to swat Hannah Griffin's potential game-tying three at the buzzer.

STATS

• BU finished the game shooting 43.5 percent from the field while making six three-pointers.
• Holy Cross made just under 40 percent of its shots and was limited to under 22 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
• The Crusaders sported a slight 31-27 edge in rebounds.
• BU turned 15 Crusader turnovers into 17 points.
• The Terrier bench accounted for 24 points.
• Gormley paced BU with five assists and two steals. 

NOTES

• Adler's nine baskets matched teammate Allison Schwertner's performance on Dec. 5 at Le Moyne for the most in a game this season.
• The junior ranks second on the team in scoring during Patriot League play and is averaging 10 points in her last five games.
• Ericksen drained a trio of three-pointers for the second time in her last three games as she registered her fourth game in double figures this season.
• With two triples on the evening, Giannaros moved into fourth place on BU's all-time three-pointers list, surpassing Kristi Dini '09 with 209 makes from downtown.
• BU improved to 5-1 this season when leading after three quarters.
• The Terriers notched their first Patriot League home win in 2024-25 and their first at The Roof since Dec. 1, 2024.
• Holy Cross now leads the all-time series 24-16 as the Terriers notched their fourth-straight regular season home win over the Crusaders.

UP NEXT

• BU hosts Loyola Maryland for an evening league contest on Saturday, Feb. 1. Opening tip is slated for 5 p.m.