BU Women’s Basketball Still Dreaming Big, Eager to Bounce Back This Season

BU Women's Basketball Still Dreaming Big, Eager to Bounce Back This Season

Terriers have their sights once again on a return to the Patriot League championships

Each year the Boston University women's basketball team comes up with an acronym to help define its upcoming season and build team chemistry. This season, it's PACK-purpose, achievement, champion, and kin.

"We were built [as a team] on the basis of, 'Let's work hard, let's work together, and then let the good things happen,'" says captain Bella McLaughlin (Sargent'27).

That foundation starts with the leadership group of McLaughlin, Aoibhe Gormley (COM'27), Audrey Ericksen (COM'27), and Anastasiia Semenova (CAS'26). Each has a different personality and each leads differently on and off the court.

Bella McLaughlin (Sargent'27), a team captain, at a September 22 practice.

"Some people can have the hard conversation. Some are the mothering figure who are gonna just pump you up," head coach Melissa Graves says. "It speaks to the dynamic of our team."

Graves is entering her fifth season at the helm. Last season's 12-19 overall finish wasn't as successful as the previous two: BU reached the Patriot League championship game in her second and third years. Graves, the rest of the staff, and the players are focused on growing over the course of a season rather than on game-to-game results. "When you looked at the beginning to the end [of last season], you did see growth," the coach says.

Consistency is an emphasis for the Terriers as they prepare for the November 3 season opener against Quinnipiac. McLaughlin is up-front in her evaluation of last year's team, saying the players struggled to stay even-keeled over the course of a game's ups and downs. "We're working on just staying level all the time, not getting too high or too low, playing to our strengths, and then coming together if something's not going well," she says.

Last season's BU squad was young, which contributed to its inconsistency. This year's team, however, has only two newcomers, Kate Allard (CAS'29) and Rose Azmoudeh (CAS'29). And so far this preseason everyone is playing their role, McLaughlin says.

Coming back this year is the 6-foot-2 Semenova, who missed her junior year to injury after a strong sophomore year that saw her starting 18 games and averaging 8 points and 26.5 minutes per game. "It's awesome being back," Semenova says. "I feel like I've grown a lot, having learned from the outside perspective."

Semenova's return to the lineup is massive, according to Graves. She can affect the flow of BU's offense, and she brings a veteran presence, knowing what it takes to reach the Patriot League championship game. "She's talking, she's dictating what's happening. She's in a huddle, in game situations, tight situations," the coach says. "Now we get that veteran and that leadership on the floor with us."

Practice is key in any sport: Anastasiia Semenova (CAS'26) shooting over Sisi Bentley (CAS'27).

"Ana's huge for us," adds McLaughlin, who's looking forward to growing with her teammates and finding success as a unit. "A lot of versatility. Being able to come off the screen and be a shooter is huge because people don't really know how to guard her."

The 2025-2026 iteration of the Terrier team is different, in that they lack a proven go-to player-unlike in the past two seasons, when they relied heavily on Alex Giannaros (Wheelock'25) and Caitlin Weimar (COM'24) for scoring. Graves says that in a way it's more fun to be able to run different plays for different players. It also creates equal opportunities for a team eager to prove itself.

"Everyone has to come ready to play and step up. You can't say, 'Hey, Alex will do it. Hey, Caitlin will do it. Hey, this person will do it.' Everyone's got to come and show up. That's the cool thing about this team," the coach says.

And Anete Adler (Questrom'25) is one of the players to look out for this season, Graves says. Her strength with the basketball, her ability to block shots, and her willingness to find her teammates will all impact how the Terriers play.

"She's gonna get doubled, but she passes," Graves says of the 6-foot-5 Adler. "She's the best post I've had here who's been able to pass out of the post, because she can see over the top of everybody."

But the Terriers still have lofty goals. They might not have the one star player they've had in the past, but the team has a number of capable players who've earned the trust of the coaching staff, and this year's excitement stems from that.

McLaughlin is looking forward to growing with her teammates and finding success as a unit.

"Patriot League Championship," she says. "Ultimately that's the goal for all of us."

The BU women's basketball team hosts Quinnipiac in the season opener on Monday, November 3, at 6 pm, at Case Gym. Tickets are free for students with a sports pass, $5 for faculty, staff, and students without a sports pass, and $8 for the general public. Fans can stream the action on ESPN+.

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