BOSTON – Freshman
Allison Schwertner posted a career high 22 points and senior
Alex Giannaros dropped 20 points herself, but the Boston University women's basketball program could not dispatch Loyola Maryland in a 72-68 setback on Saturday evening at Case Gym.
Despite the Greyhounds (8-13, 2-8 PL) shooting nearly 58 percent from the field, BU (8-13, 2-8 PL) nearly came back from a 13-point deficit late in the third quarter. However, the Terriers were unable to erase the gap in the final seconds.
Schwertner went 8-for-10 from the field and added six free throws. Giannaros was a perfect 9-for-9 from the foul line while dishing out four assists.
Laura Salmerón dropped a game best 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Amandine Amorich added 14 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- BU opened up a 12-3 lead in the first 4:49 of the contest, with Giannaros contributing a pair of three-pointers and Schwertner sinking two layups.
- Junior Anete Adler nailed a jumper just inside the arc to extend the lead to five before Salmerón's floater found the bottom of the well as time expired to make it 18-15 in BU's favor after 10 minutes.
- That basket jumpstarted a 14-2 Greyhound run that stretched to the 6:38 mark of the second quarter that gave the visitors a 27-20 lead, with sophomore Bella McLaughlin's driving layup halting the burst.
- After Lily Bottomley's two free throws brought Loyola's edge to 33-26 with 3:39 until halftime, the Terriers closed the stanza on a 7-0 spurt. Sophomore Aoibhe Gormley beat the buzzer in the waning seconds with a drive to the rim and a right-handed floater that banked in.
- Jumpers from Giannaros and Schwerter early in the third period gave BU multiple leads, but the Greyhounds answered the latter basket with an 11-2 run as Salmerón nailed a pair of three-pointers. Bottomley's layup and Kailey Kalet's foul shot pushed the gap to 46-39 with 3:30 on the clock.
- Gormley halted the run with two free throws, but Amorich's three and layups from Koi Sims and Salmerón, the latter nail the and-1 foul shot, gave Loyola its largest lead of the night, 54-41, with 54 seconds left in the third quarter.
- BU utilized its own 7-0 run on sophomore Audrey Ericksen's triple and four McLaughlin points to pull within 54-48 just 17 seconds into the fourth quarter.
- Salmerón would score five straight points to replenish the double-digit Greyhound advantage at 59-49.
- Trailing by 12 with 6:17 to play, Schwertner and sophomore Sisi Bentley accounted for six points in a row throughout 63 seconds to bring BU within 63-57.
- Giannaros hit two foul shots with 1:29 on the timer to cut it to 66-60, then Ericksen stole an errant Salmerón pass and found Giannaros on the right wing for a three-pointer to make it a three-point game with 1:17 left in regulation.
- With 7.4 seconds remaining, Giannaros knocked down a trio of free throws to pull BU within 70-68. Amorich went just 1-for-2 from the charity stripe to give the Terriers a chance to tie the game with a three, but Gormley's shot hit the back of the rim and bounced out to seal the result.
STATS
- BU made nearly 46 percent of its shots, including 14-of-26 (53.8 percent) in the first half.
- However, the Terriers were limited to 4-of-17 shooting (23.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
- In addition to its 57.8 field goal percentage in the game, Loyola Maryland went 7-for-10 from distance.
- The Terriers made 22 free throws in 29 attempts.
- Rebounds favored the Greyhounds, 30-18. That marks a season-low for BU.
- BU assisted on 15 of its 21 buckets. Giannaros and Gormley each had four helpers.
NOTES
- Schwertner surpassed her previous personal best of 21 points, which she accomplished against Maine on Nov. 21, 2024.
- With her 20 points, Giannaros moves past former teammate Sydney Johnson for 12th place on BU's all-time scoring list and now features 1,261 career points.
- Schwertner and Giannaros were the last Terrier duo to both score 20-plus points in a game, also occurring against the Black Bears on Nov. 21, 2024.
- The all-time series now stands at 15-8 in the Terriers' favor. BU has lost consecutive games to Loyola Maryland for the first time since 2016.
- After the game, the team held a postgame shootaround with fans to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which is formally recognized on Feb. 5.
UP NEXT
- The Patriot League bye week arrives for all 10 teams. BU's next game takes place at Holy Cross in a Turnpike Trophy doubleheader rematch on Saturday, Feb. 8. Opening tip for the women's game is slated for 3 p.m.