To kick off our coverage of conference play in America East basketball, the Sixth Man series will be running over the next few weeks. We reached out to the student media at each of our nine institutions for guest posts on men's and women's basketball. Today, we have Conor Ryan, a sports writer for the Boston U. Daily Free Press, writing about the Terrier women's basketball team. A big thanks to Conor and the Sports Editor at the Daily Free Press, Greg Davis, for participating!
After a successful 2011-12 season that saw the Boston University
women’s basketball team finish the year with a 23–9 record, including a 15–1
mark against America East opponents, the Terriers seem to have picked up right
where they left off this year, as the team looks poised to make a run at the America
East regular season championship in its final season in the conference.
 |
| Chantell Alford |
Despite a daunting non-conference schedule that included
games against then-ranked opponents No. 15/17 St. John’s University and No.
17/22 West Virginia University, as well as tough road games against the
University of Michigan and Marist College, the Terriers prevailed. Thanks to their
tenacious defense and lights-out three-point shooting, the Terriers closed out the
first half of their schedule on a five-game winning streak. BU enters the break
with an 8–3 record.
The Terriers’ defense, fourth among America East teams with
55.2 points allowed per game, has stepped up big in many of the team’s
victories, such as its 54–29 victory over the University of Rhode Island on
Nov. 27, as well as its huge 66–49 upset win over St. John’s (5–4) on Dec. 1. (Editor’s note: As of 1/15, Boston U. is second
in the America East in team defense, yielding 51.5 points per game).
Many teams have had problems establishing an inside game
against the Terriers, as the duo of junior forwards Rashidat Agboola and
Whitney Turner has been fantastic on the defensive side of the ball. Agboola is
first amongst all America East players with 9.2 rebounds per game, while Turner
ranks seventh with 6.4 rebounds per game. (Editor’s
note: As of 1/15, Agboola remains first in rebounding with 9.2 per game, Turner
is now eighth with 6.1 per game).
Both forwards have also been dynamic shot blockers this season,
as Agboola and Turner are first and second, respectively, amongst America East
players in blocks per game.
“I think our defensive effort has been extremely consistent
every single game,” said BU coach Kelly Greenberg. “We’re just playing really
well together on the defensive end and finishing out with some rebounding.”
The Terriers’ offense, third in the America East with 62.5
points per game, has also been outstanding this year. Much of the credit goes
to the team’s incredible shooting from beyond the arc and the tandem of senior
guards Chantell Alford and Mo Moran. (Editor’s
note: As of 1/15, Boston U. is second in scoring offense with 62.4 points per
game).
The Terriers have been able to both cut down deficits and
add to their leads due to their three-point shooting this year. BU leads all
America East teams with a .380 three-point field goal percentage this season.
It has made 93 3-pointers this season for an average of 8.5 per game. (Editor’s note: As of 1/15, Boston U. is
shooting 36.9 percent from the three-point line, having made 136 on the season
for an average of 8 per game).
The closest school in America East that can rival BU’s three-point
shooting prowess is the University of Maine, which has made 57 three-pointers
on the season. Despite being second in America East in made three-pointers,
Maine still trails BU by 37 in the category. (Editor’s note: As of 1/15, Maine remains second in three-point
shooting, having made 83 on the year).
In her final season at BU, Moran has been one of the main
cogs in the Terriers’ offensive machine, as she tops America East with 7.1
assists per game, and ranks 6th in scoring with 10.8 points per game. Moran’s
excellent play calling and decision making on the court has been one of the
main reasons why BU is the only team in America East that has an assist/turnover
ratio greater than one on the season, with a ratio of 1.1. (Editor’s note: As of 1/15, Moran leads the conference with 6.5 assists
per game and ranks 10th in scoring at 10.4 points per game. Boston U. continues
to lead the conference with a 1.2 assist/turnover ratio).
However, the MVP and most important offensive player this
season for the Terriers has undoubtedly been Alford, who has won the America
East Player of the Week award four times this season.
A two-time America East Player of the Year award winner,
Alford is leading the America East in scoring with 18.9 points per game. With
an average of 3.3 3-pointers made per game, Alford has made numerous clutch
shots for the Terriers this year. (Editor’s
note: As of 1/15, Alford is leading the conference with 17.1 points per game
while making 2.9 three-point field goals per contest).
“[Alford] has so many weapons on the offensive end,”
Greenberg said. “She can put it on the floor, pull up, take it all the way to
the glass, and this year she’s just really knocking down the three.”
While the Terriers’ stint in non-conference play was marked
with big wins over teams such as St. John’s, Boston College and Harvard,
Greenberg believes the team’s biggest win was a 62–56 overtime victory over
Marist (4–5) in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on Dec. 8.
 |
| Rashidat Agboola |
“Traditionally, in the past ten years, [Marist] haven’t lost
many games at home,” Greenberg said. “They are one of the more highly regarded
mid-major teams in the country year in and year out, and it was a really great
win for our program to win at their place.”
Coach Greenberg said the Terriers expect a real battle to
ensue in the upcoming head-to-head match ups with America East teams,
especially in the four games against Hartford and Albany, who both boast
impressive records on the year.
“All three of us were picked at the top of the conference,
which is no surprise. We’ve been there the last couple of years, together,”
Greenberg said. “They are both well-coached teams and they have a lot of
talent. … I think it’s going to be a real battle all the way to the end.”
Prior to the start of the season, BU was tabbed second in
the America East preseason poll, trailing Albany by five points.
While the team finished the first half of the season strong
and seems poised to take on its America East opponents, Greenberg said that
there are still are things that the team needs to focus and improve on.
“We can always improve on just little things we do in our
offense, like screen action and … getting to the free throw line more and
certainly rebounding,” Greenberg said. “It’s just one of those things that you
have to constantly keep doing and can’t let up.”
The Terriers will open America East conference play with a
game against Stony Brook University on Jan. 2. (Editor’s note: Boston U. currently leads the America East with a 4-0
record in conference play).
Linked Up
Check out the newest CollegeInsider.com men's
Mid-Major Top-25 poll, which includes Stony Brook and Vermont in the receiving votes section.
Tommy Brenton is featured on a list of the
Top 10 "Glue Guys" in college basketball.
