Jacquie Klotz ’18 and Claire DeBoer ’17 traded off scoring efforts to bring the Bison to a 72-59 victory over Boston University. The women’s basketball team improved to 20-6 overall and 14-1 in Patriot League play after the Feb. 20 game. Kaitlyn Slagus ’19 tallied five rebounds and an impressive 14 points. Sune Swart ’17 contributed a stellar defensive game, recording two blocks and two steals, as well as five rebounds. Kyi English ’19 had three assists for the team-high of the game.

“The highlight of the game for me was the third quarter,” Slagus said. “In the third quarter when our offense started to click, it carried over to help our defense as well. As we are approaching the Patriot League Championship, our mindset is to focus on one game at a time. We cannot look too far ahead and overlook the final games in league play.”

Klotz’s impressive performance put her fourth in the program’s history for a single-season three-point record with a tally of 60. Her efforts put the Bison in a comfortable 30-25 lead at halftime after tallying 18 points in the first two quarters. In addition to her stellar offensive performance, Klotz also shines defensively, recording nine steals throughout her past four games. Despite Boston’s efforts to remain in the game, Klotz answered with a three-pointer to secure the lead for the Bison with about three minutes left in the first half.

“I was proud of our team for finding a way to get two wins last week. Winning is hard, period; winning two conference games on the road after a trip like that is more difficult than it may appear. We were not at our best Saturday but we did enough to assert ourselves and get the win. My thinking is simple: we need to improve each day. I don’t think our defense is championship-caliber yet and we need to continue to make strides to get it better,” head coach Aaron Roussell said.

As offensive control shifted in the second half, DeBoer took over for Klotz. DeBoer recorded 17 points in the final two quarters to help contribute to the victory. Her impressive streak left her four for four in free throws, and with a team record of eight rebounds. In the third quarter, the Orange and Blue broke away with a 26-13 lead, which allowed DeBoer to begin her tear.

English also recognized the third quarter to be a turning point for the Bison. As the offense began to fall into place, the rest of the team’s mechanics followed.

“I believe this gave us a boost of energy on defense,” English said. “With just a week left in regular season, I am approaching the Patriot League Championship with confidence and I am extremely excited for what we can do as a unit.”

Heading into the final week of regular season Patriot League play, the Bison will take on Navy at home on Feb. 27 to vie for their current tie in the first place standing.