Women’s Basketball Captures Regular-Season Conference Title

Kristi Dini (SAR’09) poured in 19 points and classmate Jesyka Burks-Wiley(CAS’09) added 18 as the Boston University women’s basketball team claimed a73-65 victory over UMBC on March 4 to improve to 21-6 overalland 15-0 in America East. With the victory, the Terriers clinchedthe conference’s regular-season title outright and matched a programbest for wins in a season.

Burks-Wiley scored 11 points in the second half, including a crucial 3-point play with one minute to go in regulation, to earn BU’sAmerica East Player of the Game honor, while Dini hit five treys for a team-high 19 points. With one minute left in the game, BU went6-for-7 from the line to secure its eight-point victory.

BU finished the contest shooting 42.9 percent from the field andposting 26 points in the paint. The Terriers won the battle of theboards, outrebounding the Retrievers, 40-28. BU made the most of its 13offensive boards to score 11 second-chance points, while holding UMBCto just 4.

Over the first four minutes of the game, BU and UMBC wentback and forth, with the visitors jumping out to an early lead beforethe Retrievers made three straight baskets to take an 11-6 advantage at15:31, backed by an early eight-point performance from Katie Brooks.The Terriers came back to close the game to within one point, 11-10.After a 7-0 spurt for UMBC, the Terriers responded with end-to-endaction and quickly made it a four-point game, 18-14, at 9:50 on a layupby Aly Hinton (CAS’10).

Amarachi Umez-Eronini(CAS’09) put the Terriers to within a bucket on a layup, then drew an offensivefoul on the opposite end of the court to put the ball back in theirhands. Over the next five minutes, the Retrievers outscored theTerriers, 7-3, to take a 26-19 advantage heading into the last mediatimeout of the half. BU closed the deficit over the final four minutesby outscoring UMBC, 9-4, to go into halftime down by just two, 30-28.In the first half, Brooks shouldered most of UMBC’s offense,scoring 19 points.

Two quick baskets to start the second half gave the Terriers their first lead sinceearly in the game, and they never lost the advantage. By the12:07 mark, they held a 46-39 lead, backed by consecutivetreys from Dini that forced the Retrievers into a timeout. BUmaintained a two-possession lead for the next four minutes and took aseven-point advantage at 4:49 when Burks-Wiley hit a trey to move thescore to 61-54.

With a minute to go, Burks-Wiley scored a crucial layup, drew a foul,and sank the free throw to make it a three-possession game, 68-60, andseal the victory. Down the stretch, the Terriers went 6-for-7 from thecharity stripe to move the final score to 73-65.

BU will host Albany in its regular-season finale on Saturday, March7, at 1 p.m. In a pregame ceremony, the women’s basketball programwill honor the accomplishments of its senior class.

Tickets for Terrier women’s basketball are available in advance of agame at the Agganis Arena ticket office, 925 Commonwealth Ave.,or online.On game days, the Walter Brown ticket office in the Case Gymnasium, 285 BabcockSt., opens one hour prior to a game. Discounted tickets for facultyand staff are available through the ticket office orby calling 617-353-GOBU. For more information, visit AgganisArena.com.