The Terrier Twelve: No. 4 - Women's Basketball Runs America East Table

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June 26, 2009

This summer, GoTerriers.com is counting down the top 12 achievements of Boston University teams and student-athletes in 2008-09, one of the greatest years ever for Terrier athletics. Check back each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we reveal this year's Terrier Twelve.

Coming in fourth in this year's Terrier Twelve is the women’s basketball team’s historical 2008-09 season, which was highlighted by its perfect America East regular season and record-breaking 25 win campaign. As the paged turned on the calendar year, the Terriers reached new heights as they embarked on a school-record 19-game winning streak that spanned nearly three months. At season’s end, BU took home three major year-end America East honors and won its first-ever postseason game in a national tournament.

Led by a quartet of senior leadership, BU was one of just four teams in the nation that went unbeaten in its respective conference this year. Seniors Christine Kinneary, Jesyka Burks-Wiley, Kristi Dini and Amarachi Umez-Eronini capped off brilliant careers and will go down in history as the all-time winningest class in the program with 78 career victories and a .624 winning percentage.

After beginning the season with a 5-6 record through December, an early January meeting with in-state foe Massachusetts set off a dream run that would extent into the America East Women’s Basketball Championship. After completing just the fifth undefeated AE regular season in league history – including a trio of overtime thrillers against Binghamton, Hartford and Vermont – BU secured a spot in postseason action, as the America East receives an automatic bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) for the highest finishing team in the conference's regular-season standings that does not advance to the NCAA tournament.


 

 

With a loss to preseason AE favorite Vermont in the title game, the Terriers learned their fate as they would host Central Connecticut in the program’s first-ever national postseason game at Case Gym in the WNIT first round. The squad went on to win the game – its first in a national tournament – with a thrilling come-from-behind victory. A few days later, BU headed down Commonwealth Avenue to take on cross-town rival Boston College in the WNIT second round, where its magical 2008-09 season came to an end.

In addition to the team accomplishments, the senior class raked in numerous individual honors throughout the season. Burks-Wiley was twice named to the WBCA National Player of the Month Honorable Mention list for January and February, and then garnered the program’s first-ever America East Player of the Year accolade in addition to her AE All-Conference First Team honors. Following the season, she also learned that she was a Region I finalist for the State Farm Coaches’ All-America Basketball Team.

Umez-Eronini took home major hardware as she was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and America East All-Conference First Team honoree, while Kinneary was the Fan’s Choice Player of the Year and first-team all-conference selection. Dini, who was named to the AE All-Conference Third Team and was the NCAA 3-point champion, recently signed a one-year contract with Umana Reyer Venezia, an Italian team in the EuroLeague, from next fall.

Head coach Kelly Greenberg was also honored as the America East Coach of the Year and signed a two-year contract extension effective through the 2013-14 season. Greenberg is the first BU women's basketball coach to win 20 games in consecutive seasons. Her record at BU stands at 93-63, and her career mark, which includes five seasons as head coach at Penn, is 177-117.


The Terrier Twelve

No. 5 - Men's Crew Charges to Grand Finals at IRA Regatta

No. 6 - Lacrosse Extends AE Dynasty as Dalton Wrecks Records

No. 7 - Women's Soccer Maintains Reign Over America East

No. 8 - Women's Tennis Continues America East Dominance

No. 9 - Conference Crown and All-Americans for Women's Track

No. 10 - Women's Swimming & Diving Conquers America East

No. 11 - Women's Ice Hockey Cracks National Rankings

No. 12 - Rickett Rewrites Records at America East Championship

A Letter from Athletic Director Mike Lynch