Feb. 17, 2008

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BOSTON - The Boston University women's basketball team will host Maine on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at Case Gym. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. The Terriers will be looking to avenge an early conference loss to the Black Bears, who took an 82-77 decision in Orono on Jan. 23. BU enters the contest with a 13-10 overall record and 6-4 America East mark, while Maine is 7-17 overall and 4-7 in conference play.

The series between BU and Maine dates back to the 1977-78 season, when the Terriers defeated the Black Bears, 66-54. BU won the first five games, before suffering four consecutive setbacks. Throughout the late `80s, the teams traded wins, before Maine surged as a program in the `90s. From Jan. 24, 1990 to Dec. 11, 1999, the Black Bears won 18-of-23 games, during which time they picked up six conference championships and made six NCAA Tournament appearances. Over the past eight seasons, Maine has taken 13-of-20 games.

Maine is fresh off a 55-53 thrilling victory over Stony Brook on Saturday. Colleen Kilmurray led with a game-high 17 points and seven rebounds, followed by Amanda Tewksbury with 16. Kris Younan hit two clutch free throws with seven seconds left, which gave Maine enough of a cushion, 55-51, as SBU's Kairsten Nunn hit a jumper with no time remaining.

Brittany Boser is leading the team with 9.5 ppg with Tanna Ross close behind with 9.3 ppg. Kilmurray is the team's leading rebounder with 5.5 rpg. The Black Bears' offense has struggled, averaging 58.1 ppg with a -8.9 scoring margin, however, they have been proficient from the free throw line (.749) - ranking third in the conference.

BU recently defeated Binghamton, 82-75, splitting the season series. Junior point guard Christine Kinneary upped her career high to 23 points on 9-for-12 shooting. She also dished out five assists and earned three steals in the victory. Juniors Jesyka Burks-Wiley and Amarachi Umez-Eronini joined Kinneary in double figures with 15 and 14, respectively. In the game, BU overcame an 11-point first-half deficit, as it shot 50.9 percent (29-for-57) and 95 percent (19-for-20) from the charity stripe. BU was able to penetrate the Binghamton defense, scoring 32 points in the paint, while holding the Bearcats to 14. The Terriers also made the most of 20 Binghamton miscues, posting 34 points off turnovers.

In conference-only games, Burks-Wiley and sophomore Aly Hinton lead the squad with 12.9 and 11.7 ppg, respectively. Hinton is also the team's rebounding leader with 7.0 per game. Kinneary's 160 assists ranks third all-time in a single season. Her 7.0 average is seventh in the nation, while her 2.5 assist/turnover ratio ranks fifth nationally. Kinneary has also surged offensively posting back-to-back 20+-point games.

As a team, the Terriers have minimized their turnovers to 13.7 per game and rank ninth nationally. BU boasts the conference's most prolific offense with 69.0 ppg, and lead the AE in free throw percentage (.772), 3-point field goal percent defense (.282), assist/turnover ratio (1.09), turnovers per game (13.7).

Following Tuesday's game, BU will travel to Vermont on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2:00 p.m.