Full Court Press

BU vs. Hartford Live Blog

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:02:00 +0000

From the FreeP: Terriers trounce UMBC, get back to .500

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:22:00 +0000

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Freshman guard Zach Chionuma picked the right time to record his first-ever double-figure scoring game for the Boston University men’s basketball team.

After a one-minute appearance in last Sunday’s BracketBusters matchup, the Jamesville, N.Y. native made the most of his extended minutes off the bench against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

Chionuma scored a career-best 12 points in 18 minutes, senior guard Darryl Partin netted a team-high 17 and sophomore forward Travis Robinson and senior center Patrick Hazel each chipped in 10 apiece as BU trounced UMBC 73-52 Wednesday at RAC Arena.

“I thought we played well,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “I felt coming into the game that [UMBC] was one of the more improved teams if you look at their scorers and see what they were doing in their last four or five games. They have played very, very well.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: BU looks to put pieces together in tilt with UMBC

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:13:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

In the HBO drama “The Wire,” among many of the show’s central themes was a simple, succinct phrase – “All the pieces come together.”

Much in the same way, a basketball team is dependent on dissimilar parts coming together to form a coherent, successful product.

After spending the last four days in the Baltimore area, the Boston University men’s basketball team is hoping for all of their pieces to come together at just the right time. Currently riding a two-game losing streak, the Terriers will look to get back on track as they take on the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.

BU (14-15, 10-4 America East) is fresh off of a 69-56 Sunday loss to Loyola University (Maryland) in the annual ESPN BracketBusters game. It was BU’s first BracketBuster loss in three seasons, and it came on the road against one of the better and more undervalued mid-major teams in the country. The Greyhounds’ win over BU was their 20th of the season and they currently find themselves ranked No. 92 in the most recent RPI standings.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: BU falls under .500 after BracketBusters challenge

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:19:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team has been in a consistent battle with the .500 mark throughout the 2011-12 season. Sunday afternoon, The Terriers fell back under .500 in a 69-56 loss to Loyola University (Maryland) as part of ESPN’s annual BracketBusters event in Baltimore.

BU (14-15, 10-4 America East) was down by only one point at the end of the first half, but Loyola (20-7) dropped 40 points in the second on 68.2-percent shooting from the field en route to its win.

BU coach Joe Jones referenced consistency as being the key to the Terriers’ successes and struggles.

“At points in the game, I thought we did a really good job,” Jones said.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Terriers square off against Greyhounds in BracketBusters

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 16:37:00 +0000

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

It’s been 16 years since the Boston University men’s basketball team last faced Loyola University Maryland on the hardwood floor.

The year was 1996 with Terrier great Tunji Awojobi leading the way by netting a game-high 25 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in the 71-51 win. That same year BU went on to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

After a stinging two-point loss to the University of New Hampshire on Wednesday, BU will to look to right the ship against Loyola Sunday in a Sears BracketBusters contest. The game will be played at the Greyhounds’ home court at Reitz Arena with tip-off slated for 12 p.m.

The Terriers post a perfect 4-0 record in the annual BracketBusters, including three wins against Metro Atlantic Athletic opponents. They defeated Saint Peter’s College in 2008, Iona College in 2009 and Canisius College in 2011.

This time around, BU will face its toughest test yet, as Loyola is 4-2 in the BracketBusters and closes out its non-conference slate this afternoon with a matinee matchup with the Terriers.

The Greyhounds have posted a 7-3 mark during the non-conference portion of their schedule and are one win away from breaking the program’s all-time record for most non-conference wins in a season. Earlier in the 2011-12 campaign, Loyola racked up victories over America East competition in the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and UNH.

On Sunday, Loyola will partake in Senior Day, honoring student manager Kevin Farrell and players J’hared Hall and Shane Walker in a post-game ceremony.

Loyola boasts an RPI rating of 89 and trails its conference leader, Iona, by only game in the standings. It is paced on offense by guard Dylon Cormier and forward Erik Etherly, who have registered 13.8 points per game and 13.3 ppg, respectively.

Etherly was just named the MAAC’s Player of the Week this past Monday after he stuffed the stat sheet in games against Fairfield University and Iona, averaging nearly a double-double with 19.5 ppg and 9.5 rebounds per game.

Before its Senior Night in less than a week, BU is not riding the trademark streak that has defined it the past two years in the final stretch leading up to the America East Tournament. It has lost two of its past five games, including a shocking 56-54 loss to the Wildcats on Wednesday.

Senior guard Darryl Partin has sparked the Terrier offense all season long, recording 19.9 ppg to lead the team, while sophomore forward Dom Morris has emerged as one of the team’s bright spots over the course of the past few weeks. The burly forward provided his second career double-double against UNH with a career-high 17 points and 12 rebounds. He is averaging 6.8 ppg to go along with 5.9 rpg, good for first on the Terriers.

BU-UNH Press Conferences

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:23:00 +0000

From the FreeP: Morris shines in loss to New Hampshire

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:37:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, it goes without saying that Dom Morris is an impressive physical specimen.

But, for much of his career with the Boston University men’s basketball team, the sophomore power forward hasn’t seen his enormous potential translate into consistent, tangible success.

Don’t look now, but that may soon be changing.

Though his team suffered one of its worst losses of the season Wednesday night to the University of New Hampshire, Morris had little to do with his team’s underwhelming effort as he posted his second consecutive game scoring in double figures, notching 17 points while pulling down 12 rebounds.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Terriers on losing end of ‘carbon-copy’ contest

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:35:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

When the Boston University and the University of New Hampshire men’s basketball teams last met, the game came down to the final seconds of regulation, with the Terriers eking out a 52-50 win.

Things were not much different Wednesday night at Case Gymnasium when BU and UNH came down to the final possession once again. This time, however, the victor was different, as the Wildcats topped the Terriers 56-54, their first win at BU since 1994.

“[It was a] carbon-copy of the first game,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “Except we were on the wrong end this time.”

The Terriers (14-14, 10-4 America East) rallied from a six-point deficit in the first half to take the lead 2:48 into the second. However, New Hampshire (11-14, 6-8 America East) kept attacking BU’s marginal advantage and never allowed it to take a lead of more than four points.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Even in losing effort, Morris shines

noreply@blogger.com (Craig Meyer) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:06:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

At 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, it effectively goes without saying that Dom Morris is an impressive physical specimen.

But, for much of his career for the Boston University men’s basketball team, the sophomore power forward hasn’t seen his seen that enormous potential translate into consistent, tangible success.

Don’t look now, but that may soon be changing.

Though his team suffered one of its worst losses of the season Wednesday night to the University of New Hampshire, Morris had nothing to do with his team’s underwhelming effort as he posted his second consecutive game scoring in double figures, notching 17 points while pulling down 12 rebounds.

Morris finished the game as not only a model of production, but also one of efficiency and effectiveness, only missing two of his nine field goals and only committing two fouls on a night where BU’s other post players struggled staying out of foul trouble.

Although his team was coming off arguably its biggest win of the season, New Hampshire coach Bill Herrion couldn’t help but laud Morris’ effort.

“He’s a handful – he’s a strong, physical kid,” Herrion said. “He’s a tough matchup.”

Even in the game’s opening minutes, Morris quickly made his presence felt. Within the first four minutes of play, Morris had three offensive rebounds and, at that point, was out-rebounding the entire New Hampshire team. By halftime, he had nine points, seven rebounds and still had yet to miss a field goal.

A large part of what stood out about Morris’ performance was that he did it when his team absolutely needed it. Sophomore point guard D.J. Irving was held scoreless until the game’s final minute and senior guard Darryl Partin only had one made field goal in the first half before his customary second half turnaround.

With senior center Patrick Hazel hobbled by an injury and senior center Jeff Pelage struggling to stay out of foul trouble, Morris has to shoulder a greater burden for the BU frontcourt, but he responded with his second double-double of the season and first since Dec. 3.

“I’m finally figuring out my role on the team, which is to be more aggressive,” Morris said. “To start the season, I kind of fell back on that because we had a new coach, a new system.

“I thought it was mostly based on D.J. and Darryl, didn’t really know how important I was to the offense. Once we starting losing, I had to pick it up and be more aggressive and pick my confidence back up. So I can see myself progressing.”

In a game like basketball, where intangibles and a certain “gray area” of intangibles can tell a greater story of a player or game than a stat sheet ever could, Morris presents an interesting case study. Having only scored in double figures once in the Terriers’ first 26 games, Morris now has two in as many games.

With a physical frame and skill set that scream mismatch and impact player, particularly in a languid league like the America East Conference, Morris has finally started to figure out how to fully utilize his game.

For weeks, BU head coach Joe Jones has been talking about how Morris needed to be more aggressive. Wednesday night, even in a loss, he saw that wish come to full fruition.

“I think the light’s gone on a little bit with him,” Jones said. “When I talk to him, I can see that there’s a little bit of a different twinkle in his eye, he just seems more focused.

“We all know that he’s a very talented kid and hopefully now he can kind of take off from here and continue to have the type of game that he had tonight.”

BU-UNH Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:23:00 +0000

All photos by Junhee Chung/DFP Staff

BU vs. UNH Live Blog

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 23:09:00 +0000

BU vs. UNH Live Blog

From the FreeP: New-look Terriers take on New Hampshire

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:15:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

When the Boston University men’s basketball team played the University of Maine last Thursday at Case Gymnasium, the Terriers took the court with a different starting lineup. Four of the Terriers primary starters of the 2011-12 season sat on the bench, with only sophomore forward Travis Robinson remaining from the usual starters for the tip-off.

“I felt like some other guys, you know, in practice and in games, were doing a good job and it was something I thought was needed,” said BU coach Joe Jones after his team’s 64-57 win over the Black Bears.

In the press conference, and again in a break from practice on Tuesday, Jones cited a lack of effort in his decision to bench the quartet. But despite the better effort – and a win – Jones isn’t sure if he’ll stick with the same lineup in the team’s game versus the University of New Hampshire Wednesday night.

“I haven’t come to that decision yet,” Jones said. “Another practice, I’ll watch some more film and we’ll make that decision when we get to it.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Notebook: Terriers experience success in America East

noreply@blogger.com (Craig Meyer) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 02:15:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

In a year where the conference sports the nation’s only winless team in Binghamton University, it’s not a secret that the America East Conference is among the worst conferences in Division-I basketball.

If anything, it has allowed the Boston University men’s basketball team to continue a recent run of success in the conference portion of its schedule.

After finishing non-conference play 4-10, the Terriers have gone 10-3 in league play, something that is far from an isolated case, as BU has had its way with the conference for the last four seasons.

In that time, in regular season games, the Terriers have gone a total of 22-33 in non-conference games, but have turned things around in America East play, going 44-17.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

BU-Maine Press Conferences

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:24:00 +0000

Snap Judgements: 2/9 vs. Maine

noreply@blogger.com (Shep Hayes) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:11:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

To impersonate Charles Barkley, the first half was “turrible.”
It took 7:24 of play between Maine and BU Thursday night before either team broke the double digit barrier. A 3-pointer from senior guard Darryl Partin pushed BU over the hump from nine points to 12. BU would end up on 12-4 run to build its first lead while Maine would not break the 10-point barrier for another 3:52, with a layup from freshman guard Xavier Pollard. The Black Bears had only six points when the clock reached the mid-point of the half.

So, it is not really a stretch to say it took a while for both teams to warm up. Going even further in depth, there was a period, from 16:55 left in the first to 13:53, when the score remained a paltry 4-2. The ball changed hands seven times in that stretch, and both teams were able to extend possessions with offensive rebounds. Still, neither could find the hoop. It was an ugly time of basketball.

The opening minutes played right into a terrible half for both teams. BU shot only 39.4 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from beyond the arc in the first. The Terriers scored an average of 0.903 points per offensive possession in the first. According to Basketball State.com, that figure is below BU’s overall season average of 0.975 points per possession and conference average of 1.05 points per possession. BU had six turnovers in the half, only saved by Maine’s eight.

The Black Bears were much worse. They finished the first half with a 27.6 percent shooting percentage, though their three-point percentage was 27.3, not all that terrible. Maine was saved by a run late in the half, which pushed its points per possession on offense to an average 0.639. That’s well below Maine’s season averages of 1.019 overall and 0.984 in conference, according to Basketball State.

Shooting free throws with no benefits
The Terriers stepped to the line 25 times in the game, five times in the first and 20 times in the second. Out of those 25 free-throw attempts, BU made only 16. The 64.0 percent performance only helped to sink BU’s free throw percentage, which is now at 69.4 percent on the season, seventh in the league, according to Basketball State.

The worst part? BU’s free-throw attempts as a percentage of field goal attempts tonight was 45.4 percent. The Terriers had so many chances to pick up points for almost no effort and they failed.

There is good news. On the whole, the Terriers aren’t going to the line that much. In conference play, BU is also seventh in free throw attempts as a percentage of field goal attempts, at 32.4 percent.

A terrible night from McLemore and Edwards was a massive boost for BU
Holding senior guard Gerald McLemore and freshman guard Justin Edwards to 2-for-12 and 3-for-13 respectively was huge for BU. The duo are excellent shooters and both took an average more than 27-percent of Maine’s shots entering Thursday according to KenPom. McLemore was shooting 40.6 percent on 3-point attempts, but BU held him to 1-for-7 in that category.

And now a message to Malik Thomas
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, MALIK? Jones gave you the start. You went 1-for-6. You had two--TWO--points in your 17 minutes. Dear God, man, you can do better than that. Please do better than that. Even though it was a bit of a small sample size, we’ve seen you become a beast in the advanced stats. 1-for-6 will not help that. C’mon, Malik.

Your three rebounds were nice, though. And it was fun to see you get the start.

New look, same result: Terriers take down Black Bears 67-54

noreply@blogger.com (Craig Meyer) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:41:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

On Thursday night at Case Gymnasium, the most mundane of events quickly became unpredictable and hard to figure out.

As the Boston University men’s basketball team and its opponent, the University of Maine, walked out on the court for the opening tip, just as it does every game, a collective sense of surprise echoed through the gym.

For BU fans and media alike who had grown so accustomed to similar starting lineups throughout the year, Thursday’s game was a clean break, as BU came out with an unorthodox and unexpected lineup of Matt Griffin, Mike Terry, Malik Thomas and Jeff Pelage, along with usual starter Travis Robinson.

With the new group of players leading the Terriers out on the court, the team came away with a 67-64 win over Maine, but even on a night in which BU went over the .500 plateau for the first time this season, most of the focus remained with the altered lineup.

“I felt it was the right thing to do at this time,” BU head coach Joe Jones said of the decision.

One factor that Jones cited, when asked about it, was his team’s sluggish starts in its last two games against the University of Vermont and University at Albany.

“It was a coach’s decision, so there were a lot of things, that was probably one of the things I was looking at,” Jones said. “There are other variables that go into these decisions, but that definitely was one of the things that I thought about.”

Overall, with the new starters in place, the night was a success for BU as it won its third straight game and now has a winning record for the first time this season. Additionally, the win ensured the Terriers of finishing no worse than third place of the final America East Conference standings when paired with Albany’s loss to the University of New Hampshire Thursday.

Senior guard Darryl Partin led all scorers with 14 points and, for him, it didn’t matter that his offensive production came from the bench for the first time this season.

“It was coach’s decision, so it’s fine,” Partin said. “As long as we get that win, that’s all that matters.”

While Partin has been the Terriers’ leading scorer in most of their games this season, the team was bolstered by a strong performance inside from Dom Morris, who scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds.

It has been a largely up-and-down sophomore campaign for the promising, potential-laden forward, but against the Black Bears, things just seemed to click.

“Just playing with a lot of confidence, believing that my team has my back and just going out there and having fun,” Morris said of the keys to his success. “Usually when I play bad, it’s because I’m trying to think too much or overdoing something. So tonight, I just decided to be free and go out and play and play hard for my teammates. It worked out well.”

Overall, it was not the strongest of offensive performances from the Terriers, as the team shot 41.8 percent from the field, 26.3 percent from 3-point range and just 64 percent from the free-throw line (on 25 free throw attempts, no less).

Given those struggles, along with a sluggish six-point performance from sophomore point guard D.J. Irving, Jones was happy to be able to walk away with a win.

“I didn’t think it was one of our better shooting nights,” Jones said. “Obviously, our two leading scorers go 6-for-19 and we still win by 13 points – that’s a good night for us, to be honest with you.”

Part of BU’s success against Maine could be attributed to a strong defensive performance from the Terriers. Though the Black Bears were playing without one of the conference’s best big men in center Alasdair Fraser, BU was able to neutralize Maine’s other stars – Justin Edwards and Gerald McLemore.

The pair entered the game as two of the top scorers in America East play, but they combined to shoot just 5-of-25 from the field for nine total points.

“We didn’t want those guys to be able to turn the corner on ball screen action, and so they were going to have to score the ball in a different way,” Jones said. “A lot of times when you play against a team, you try to take away what they like to do, and I think we did a great job of that.”

The win tonight was also the 100th of Jones’ career, including his seven-year stint as the head coach at Columbia University, though Jones said that the milestone wasn’t anything special, insisting that he doesn’t “really think about that kind of stuff.”

Moving forward, excluding an ESPN BracketBuster matchup against Loyola University (Maryland), the Terriers have three games left in the regular season, all of which are against teams in the bottom half of the America East standings.

With tonight hopefully serving as a lesson, Jones hopes that his starters and team can get back to playing their best ball at the right time of the year.

“I hope that everyone understands in life you have to get results, it’s about results,” Jones said. “All of us in here, if you’re not getting the job done, there’s someone else that’s going to be right behind you waiting for that opportunity. You hope that everybody understands that and we can be better for that.”

BU vs. Maine Live Blog

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:52:00 +0000

BU vs. Maine Live Blog

From the FreeP: Men’s basketball takes on Maine in conference tilt

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:50:00 +0000

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

There is a sense of urgency for the Boston University men’s basketball team.

No player has embodied the Terriers’ sentiment more than Darryl Partin, whose collegiate career dwindles down with each passing day. The senior swingman has pumped in 65 points over the last three games, including a career-high 33 points in a comeback win over the University at Albany on Monday.

With only five regular-season contests remaining before the America East tournament and BU (13-13, 9-3 America East) pinned to the No. 3 spot in the standings, Partin and his teammates will welcome the University of Maine (11-11, 5-6 America East) to Case Gymnasium Thursday night at 7 p.m.

“Darryl has done a good job of carrying us at certain points when we need him offensively,” said senior guard Matt Griffin. “He’s really been aggressive, assertive and taken the role on of taking tough shots. He did a great job against Albany of making tough shots when we really needed it."

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Partin the way to victory: BU tops Albany

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 07:29:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Boston University coach Joe Jones may not have been there, but he is familiar with what happened last season when the BU men’s basketball team traveled to SEFCU Arena to take on the University at Albany.

In that game, the Terriers trailed the Great Danes 38-22 at halftime, but shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and stormed back to win 70-67 on Jan. 15, 2011.

Monday night in the same confines of SEFCU Arena in Albany, N.Y., the Terriers found themselves in a similar predicament, trailing the Great Danes 46-31 at halftime and then 64-49 with 11:30 remaining.

But even for Jones, who was on the sideline for Boston College last season when BU completed that comeback, there was a sense of déjà vu that spread among his players who were all-too-familiar with the situation in which they found themselves.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Terriers defeat worst team in conference

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:33:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

Saturday afternoon, the only team without a win in NCAA Division-I men’s basketball entered a game aganist Boston University. Saturday evening, that team finished its game still winless.

Binghamton University fell to the BU, 68-53. With the win, the Terriers snapped a two-game losing streak of their own, and improved their record to one game shy of .500 for the third time this season.

In front of at crowd of 3,232 – which included six fans in the Bearcat student section wearing paper bags over their heads – at the Events Center on Binghamton’s campus in Vestal, N.Y., BU (12-13, 8-3 America East) built an eight-point lead in the first half. The Terriers enlarged it to as many as 22 points over the Bearcats (0-23, 0-11 America East) with 2:27 left in the game en route to the win.

The Terriers first-half offense was built around 3-point shots and free throws. BU hit 4-of-8 treys it attempted in the first frame, and it was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the first, and 15-for-19 at the line in the game.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Terriers ready for college basketball’s worst

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:54:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

In a recent article on Grantland, the ESPN and Bill Simmons-run platform for long-form sports journalism, writer Michael Weinreb chronicled the 2010-11 season for the Towson University men’s basketball team.

This season has been a lean one for the Tigers, who just picked up their first win of the season Jan. 28 and are currently 1-23, good enough for last place in the ultra-competitive Colonial Athletic Association.

The title of the article? “A Visit With the Worst College Basketball Team in America.”

While no reasonable spectator of the game would look at Towson and see anything more than what the Tigers are, a bad team, the standings of all Division-I college basketball teams is one category in which Towson doesn’t finish last.

That dubious distinction belongs to Binghamton University, a program that stands as the lone winless team among 344 squads in Division-I basketball with a 0-22 record on the season.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Terriers unprepared in loss to Vermont

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:36:00 +0000

By Shep Hayes/DFP Staff

Mere minutes after his team failed to complete an end-of-game turnaround, Boston University men’s basketball coach Joe Jones walked into the media room at Agganis Arena, sat down in a red folding chair and began to discuss how his team failed to win the game.

There was one major issue on the coach’s mind.

“I did not think we were ready to play tonight,” Jones said. “I thought we had three practices where I didn’t feel like it was up to our standards. I did not think we were mentally ready to play tonight, and that’s on all of us – every coach, every player involved in the program.”

The Terriers lost to the University of Vermont 68-67 Wednesday night at Case Gymnasium – their first home loss of the conference season. The loss is the second of the Terriers’ first conference-losing streak of the year.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Comeback falls short as BU succumbs to Catamounts

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:33:00 +0000

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

With just more than four minutes remaining and a largely impassive Agganis Arena observing a double-digit deficit, Boston University men’s basketball sophomore point guard D.J. Irving moved around a well-placed screen from senior center Patrick Hazel and calmly pulled up to sink a 3-pointer near the top of the key.

The basket was the Terriers’ first from 3-point range all game, and for many in attendance, it was a sigh of relief and a breakthrough for a BU team that had struggled to shoot and score against a suffocating University of Vermont defense.

But Irving’s shot was just that at the time – a nice step for a team that didn’t want to be shut out from beyond the arc, but at the time the ball swished through the net, BU still trailed Vermont 57-43 with 4:01 left in the game. For most intents and purposes, the result of the game wasn’t in doubt – but BU would put it in doubt.

Beginning with Irving’s 3-pointer, BU closed a 17-point deficit to a single point in just over three and a half minutes.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

BU-Vermont Press Conferences

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:53:00 +0000

BU-Vermont Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (René Reyes) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 06:01:00 +0000

All photos by Junhee Chung/DFP Staff