Leading scorer Blanca Millan went down with a head injury in the first minute of play on Sunday afternoon, and the visiting Boston University Terriers took advantage racing out to an early lead and never trailing en route to a 62-49 win over the Maine Black Bears in non-conference women’s basketball in the home opener at the Cross Insurance Center.
Millan left after a collision and was later seen with a bandage above her left eye. Former Lawrence High standout Nia Irving and Boston University (2-1) had a pair of six point leads in the first quarter, but Maine point guard Dor Saar held the Bears in scoring all 11 of the home points as BU led 14-11 after the first 10 minutes. Saar actually would score the first 14 points for Maine, before Anna Kahelin knocked down a three-pointer to bring the Black Bears within 18-17 halfway through the second quarter. BU responded though with a three point play by Irving and a three-pointer by Katie Nelson, and the Terriers led 24-18 at halftime.
Millan would return with 1:10 left in the third quarter but the advantage was 15 at that point for Boston University. Maine (1-2) got within four early in the quarter but that is close as they would get the rest of the way. The Terriers would lead by as many as 17 in the fourth quarter to pick up their second consecutive win over a team from America East. This is the 12th straight victory for Boston University in this series over Maine, in the first matchup since 2013. It also starts the home schedule for the Black Bears at 0-1, where they only lost one home game all season in 2018-19.
Irving led the way for Boston University with 20 points and nine rebounds. Nelson added 13, Sydney Johnson 12, and Annebelle Larnard had 11 points. The Terriers shot 49% from the floor and 81% from the foul line in the win. Saar had a game high and also a career high 21 points (6-10 three-pointers), with four assists and three steals. Millan added 10 points and four rebounds in her 12 minutes. The Black Bears shot only 35% from the floor and 54% (6-11) from the line.
Maine plays at NC State on Tuesday morning with a rare start time of 10:30 a.m.
