Women's Basketball Comes up Short in Final Minutes to BU, 66-62

BOSTON – Junior Denise Beliveau (Framingham, Mass.) earned her seventh double-double of the season, registering a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds, but the University of New Hampshire women's basketball team fell to Boston University, 66-62, Saturday afternoon at Case Gymnasium.

The loss drops the Wildcats to 6-15 overall and 3-6 in America East play, while the Terriers improve to 12-9 overall and 9-0 in conference action.

Beliveau was tabbed the America East Player of the Game for New Hampshire earning her 11th double-double of her career in the contest. She scored 23 of her 24 points in the second half on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor, 4-of-6 shooting from three and 6-of-7 shooting from the line.

Jill McDonald

Chantell Alford earned player of the game honors for the Terriers, notching 16 points, four boards, four assists, three steals and three blocks. She finished 7-for-14 from the field and 2-for-5 from beyond the arc.

Jill McDonald (Middlebury, Vt.) also scored in double-digits for the 'Cats, posting 14 points, five rebounds and two blocks. She finished 6-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-3 from the charity stripe.

After being down by 13 points following a 17-9 Terrier run that lasted 6:24, the Wildcats made a push midway through the second stanza, piecing together a 19-3 run that put the visitors on top, 55-52, with 5:55 remaining.

Beliveau anchored the 'Cats with 15 points during the stretch, including a pair of free throws that ignited the run at 11:45. New Hampshire followed up scoring on seven consecutive possessions, as Beliveau drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key and McDonald sank a 10-foot jumper in the paint to get the 'Cats off and running.

UNH kept up the pace when Beliveau knocked down a runner in the paint and Cari Reed (Oswego, N.Y.) banked in a fastbreak layup on consecutive possessions to cut the score to 52-47 with 8:42 on the clock. Beliveau added a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from the left wing on the next two trips up the floor, knotting the score at 52-52.

Beliveau provided the go-ahead basket for New Hampshire just over a minute later when Jilliane Friel (Durham, N.H.) found her wide open on the right wing for another trey, putting the Wildcats ahead, 55-52.

On the ensuing possession Jacquelin Kuczynski ended the scoring rut for BU draining a trifecta that evened the score at 55-55, setting off a 12-2 run that lasted just over three minutes, helping the Terriers take a 64-57 lead with 2:46 remaining.

However, the Wildcats weren't going down without a fight, as McDonald drained a jumper and Beliveau earned three points the old-fashioned-way, taking the ball hard to the rack on the right side and banking it off the window with contact on back-to-back possessions, cutting the deficit down to just two points with 1:23 to play.

Neither team found the bottom of the net for the next 1:03, until Kat Briggs secured the win with a pair of free throws with 10 seconds remaining.

New Hampshire held the early edge in the contest, posting a 12-6 run sparked by a Reed trifecta and capped off with a pair of Kate Early (Corning, N.Y.) layups on back-to-back possessions, giving the Wildcats a 14-10 advantage with 11:52 remaining in the first frame.

The two squads would trade baskets for the next 3:30 until the Terriers caught fire, scoring on three straight trips up the floor on their way to posting a 7-0 run. Briggs iced the scoring stretch with a 3-pointer that gave BU a 22-18 lead with 6:47 left in the stanza.

McDonald snapped the scoreless streak for UNH with a jumper at 6:25, as both teams exchanged buckets the rest of the way, but the Terriers still held a 32-27 edge at the intermission. Kelsey Hogan (Nashua, N.H.) set up Lauren Wells (West Chester, Pa.) with the final basket of the frame, darting a pass to her on the left block in midair for a layup off the window just before the halftime buzzer sounded.

The Wildcats return to action Thursday, Feb. 3 (7 p.m.) when they return home to take on the University at Albany at Lundholm Gymnasium.