Friday, December 31, 2010

Holland's 31 points, nine boards not enough in losing effort to Bobcats

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Corey Lowe was in the stands of Case Gymnasium Wednesday night, watching as former Boston University men’s basketball teammate John Holland inched closer and closer to surpassing him on BU’s all-time scoring list.

Holland’s game-high 31 points on the evening weren’t enough to supplant Lowe –– at 1,880 career points, Holland still needs 16 more to move past Lowe and become BU’s No. 3 all-time scorer –– or carry the Terriers (5-8) to a second straight win, as BU suffered an 82-81 loss to Quinnipiac University (8-2) at The Roof.

“I like what he’s doing,” said BU coach Patrick Chambers of his star forward. “There’s gonna be games we gotta jump on his back like tonight. We gotta jump on his back, go with him and we did for the most part. We just came up a little short.”

Thursday, December 30, 2010

BU loses another close one at home to Quinnipiac, 82-81

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

When his Boston University men's basketball team was down by one point with three seconds remaining on the clock, coach Patrick Chambers knew better than to call a play that didn’t give the ball to senior forward John Holland. And so, true to the form that he had demonstrated all night long, Holland drove the ball all the way across the court, stopped on a dime and let go of a 30-foot shot that had the arc and soft touch of any shot that ought to swish through the netting and steal a win for the home team. It looked good. It looked very good. But it wasn’t.

Holland’s final bid at the buzzer rattled in and out of the basket and sealed the game against Quinnipiac University as yet another close loss for the Terriers (5-8) by a final score of 82-81. Five of BU’s eight losses have now come by a combined margin of 10 points. As gut-wrenching, one-possession defeats continue to pile up, frustration does as well.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Grading the Terriers: 12/29 vs. Quinnipiac

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Junior forward Jake O’Brien: B
The Newton native’s performance on Wednesday night earns him a solid B. The junior forward looked sharp right out of the gate and ready to show all who were at Case Gymnasium why he was a worthy preseason America East all-conference selection. O’Brien started the contest red hot, hitting his first three shots. With 16:31 to play in the first half, O’Brien converted a sweet baby hook near the right sideline. Those two points were his 999th and 1000th point as a Terrier, making O’Brien the 31st Terrier in program history to reach the 1000-point plateau.

BU-Quinnipiac Press Conferences



BU vs. Quinnipiac Live Blog



Starting lineups:
Quinnipiac University Bobcats

F Rahe May-Thompson
F Justin Rutty
F Jamee Jackson
G Deontay Twyman
G James Johnson

Boston University Terriers
F Jake O'Brien
F John Holland
C Jeff Pelage
G Mike Terry Jr.
G D.J. Irving

Final score: QU 82, BU 81

Team leaders:
Points

QU: Justin Rutty, 26
BU: John Holland, 31

Rebounds
QU: Justin Rutty, 10
BU: John Holland, 9

Assists
QU: James Deontay, 7
BU: D.J. Irving, 7

Monday, December 27, 2010

Partin named America East Player of the Week

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

For his 29-point performance last week in the Boston University men's basketball team's 85-79 win over St. Joseph's at Agganis Arena, junior guard Darryl Partin earned the America East Player of the Week award, the conference announced Monday afternoon.

The transfer from La Salle University led all scorers with 29 points last Tuesday, shooting 10-of-15 from the field and knocking down 6-of-8 attempts from 3-point range to bolster the Terriers to their first-ever victory over the Hawks.

Last month, Partin netted a career-high 32 points – 30 of which came in the second half – in a 66-61 win over Cornell University on Nov. 11 at Case Gymnasium. Partin is averaging 12.5 points per game, second on the team behind senior forward John Holland (17.6 ppg).

The University of Vermont's Brian Voelkel was named AE's Rookie of the Week, rounding out the conference's final weekly awards of 2010.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Despite limited minutes, Pelage contributes in first game back from ankle injury

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Before the Boston University men’s basketball team’s Tuesday night win over St. Joseph’s University, the group was struggling through a four-game losing streak in which each game saw it either blown out or as little as one possession away from victory. It had difficulty driving to the hoop, rebounding and closing teams out.

Many of these struggles can be attributed to the fact that the Terriers (5-7) are a young team playing a tough schedule, but they needed to make some changes for their game against the Hawks (3-8) if they were going to win heading into the holiday break. BU coach Patrick Chambers had tried shifting the starting lineup and manipulating defensive schemes to get his guys going, but on Tuesday, change came in the form of the 6-foot-8, 240-pound center by the name of Jeff Pelage.

BU comes back from 12-point deficit, stuns St. Joseph's in final game before holiday break

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team held a lead for all of three minutes and forty-one seconds in its game against St. Joseph’s University on Tuesday evening. But it was all it would need to come away with its first victory in over three weeks, secure its first win over an Atlantic-10 opponent at Agganis Arena and reestablish a winning trend heading into a holiday break.

The Terriers (5-7) played from behind all night long, falling behind by 12 points when the gap was at its largest, but they performed with poise and confidence when it mattered most en route to a hard fought 85-79 victory.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

BU vs. St. Joseph's Live Blog



Starting lineups:
St. Joseph University Hawks

F C.J. Aiken
F Daryus Quarles
F Idris Hilliard
G Langston Galloway
G Carl Jones

Boston University Terriers
F Jake O'Brien
F John Holland
C Jeff Pelage
G Mike Terry Jr.
G D.J. Irving

Final score: BU 85, SJU 79

Team leaders:
Points

SJU: Langston Galloway, 24
BU: Darryl Partin, 29

Rebounds
SJU: Idris Hilliard, 9
BU: Jake O'Brien, 9

Assists
SJU: Carl Jones, 7
BU: D.J. Irving, 4

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Mid-week notebook

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

With the Boston University men's basketball team currently resting -- physically, at least -- with a nine day break between games to account for finals week, it marks a good time for Full Court Press to examine a few notable trends and pieces of news and information to review in this relatively dead period.

Attendance improvement?

When Patrick Chambers was brought in to be the head coach here at BU, woeful, substandard attendance was something that administration hoped to improve with the hire. Attendance at both Agganis and Case Gymnasium remained low last season, and has remained at a similar level this season.

In a recent interview with The Daily Free Press, Chambers floated out the idea of posting a poll with attendance ideas to see which ones BU fans would most like to see, a request we here at FCP would love to follow through on.

E-mail suggestions or just use the comments section with ideas, and if not, we should have a poll up with some of our own ideas here in the next couple of weeks.

Chambers even said he'll bungee jump off StuVi II if it gets more people to the games. For the sake of the health of Chambers and the peace of mind of school administration, let's think up some ideas to get people to games.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Grading the Terriers: 12/11 @ Harvard

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Junior forward Jake O’Brien: C
In a game where the Terriers’ leading big man found a way to contribute offensively, O’Brien took a step backwards defensively, and took a while to get going at all. The junior forward missed his first three shots of the game, all short jumpers in or around the paint, before hitting his first three point attempt of the night. It would take O'Brien three more tries down low before he could get his first layup to fall.

On a night when the Terriers lived and died by the three point shot, O’Brien’s 20 points on 8-for-17 shooting may seem respectable. It is, except for the fact that 12 of his points came from beyond the arc, and BU desperately needs a consistent player who can take the ball to the hoop and have a solid low post game. Give O’Brien credit for changing his strategy when he wasn’t finding the basket inside the arc, but as coach Patrick Chambers said after the game, by not driving to the basket as much, the Terriers are missing out on easier shots and/or free throw opportunities. BU had only eight free throw attempts to Harvard’s 29.

Explosive second half propels Harvard past BU, 87-71

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

ALLSTON, MA – Coming off a tough, hard-fought home loss to an Atlantic-10 conference contender in La Salle University, the Boston University men’s basketball team knew that even a short trip across the Charles River to Harvard University would be difficult – and the Crimson certainly didn’t do them any favors, as the Ivy League’s preseason favorite carried an offensive explosion in the second half to blow by the Terriers by an 87-71 final at Lavietes Pavilion last Saturday.

The loss is the third in a row for the Terriers, dropping their overall record to 4-7, a season-high three games under the .500 threshold. Senior forward John Holland scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, but Holland and his BU team withered down in the second half as the Crimson (7-2) posted the all-too-convincing victory.

“We played pretty well in the first half. I don’t know if we got tired. I don’t know if the schedule was poor by me, scheduling this game so quickly right after a tough A-10 game,” said BU coach Patrick Chambers. “Give Harvard all the credit in the world though – they did a great job. That’s a very good team, a very, very good team.”

Saturday, December 11, 2010

BU-Harvard Press Conference: Patrick Chambers

BU @ Harvard Live Blog



Starting lineups:
Harvard Crimson

F Andrew Van Nest
F Keith Wright
G Oliver McNally
G Brandyn Curry
G Christian Webster

Boston University Terriers
F Jake O'Brien
F Patrick Hazel
G Darryl Partin
G Matt Griffin
G Mike Terry Jr.

Final score: Harvard 87, BU 71

Team leaders:
Points

Harvard: Christian Webster, 18
BU: John Holland, 21

Rebounds
Harvard: Keith Writght, 10
BU: Dom Morris and Jake O'Brien, 5

Assists
Harvard: Oliver McNally and Brandyn Curry, 5
BU: D.J. Irving, 4

Freshman Morris shines in loss to La Salle

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Freshman forward Dom Morris isn’t a man of many words. He lets his play on the basketball court do all the talking.

In his first-ever game at Agganis Arena on Thursday, the 6-foot-7, 240-pound rookie from Newark, Del., had his best performance yet, tallying a season-high 15 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds and two blocks in the Boston University men’s basketball team’s gut-wrenching 84-81 loss to La Salle University.

“He doesn’t elaborate much,” said BU coach Patrick Chambers. “I tell him all the time, ‘Shoot. We need a third or fourth scorer.’ I just said, ‘If you got this much room, stick it. If they start coming out on you, drive it. If you wanna post up, post up. Just mix it up. You gotta be a player.’ He’s that good.”

Friday, December 10, 2010

From the FreeP: M.bball just misses out on beating La Salle

 By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

Freshman guard D.J. Irving’s fourth and final free-throw attempt of the game sailed through the air and agonizingly bounced off of the rim and into the waiting hands of opposing guard Earl Pettis.

It was a rebound that all but sealed the game for the Explorers from La Salle University, as the Boston University men’s basketball team was forced to foul Pettis with eight seconds remaining because they were still down by one excruciating point, 82-81.

Pettis would follow the foul with two buckets from the charity stripe that gave the Explorers (6-3) a three-point lead. Senior forward John Holland managed a 3-point shot before time expired but missed off of the backboard to end the game at 84-81. A chance to finish clawing their way back into the game and nail down a close win had come as close as Irving’s free throw with 10 seconds left, but the comeback simply wasn’t meant to be.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Grading the Terriers: 12/9 vs. La Salle

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

Senior forward John Holland: C-
Cliche as it may read, it literally was a tale of two halves for Holland, a preseason all-conference selection in America East. It's no secret that he's struggled shooting the ball, as he's posted an underwhelming 34 percent clip this year and those struggles certainly continued in the game tonight, at least in the first half.

Coming off the bench in the first half, Holland played limited minutes, but then heated up in the second half to produce what looks like a passable score line of 15 points and five rebounds. However, Holland, despite hitting a 3-for-3 stretch beyond the arc in the second half, consistently struggled to make baskets (shot 5-of-15 from the field) and came short in several big situations when the best player on the team is expected to come through, especially on a squad as young and inexperienced as BU's. His five turnovers certainly didn't help his cause either.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

BU-La Salle Press Conferences



BU vs. La Salle Live Blog



Starting lineups:
La Salle Explorers

F Jerrell Williams
C Aaric Murray
G Tyreek Duren
G Ruben Guillandeaux
G Earl Pettis

Boston University Terriers
F Jake O'Brien
F Patrick Hazel
G Darryl Partin
G Matt Griffin
G Mike Terry Jr.

Final score: La Salle 84, BU 81

Team leaders:
Points

LS: Ruben Guillandeaux, 21
BU: Darryl Partin, 20

Rebounds
LS: Steve Weingarten, 10
BU: Dom Morris, 8

Assists
LS: Jerrell Williams, 3
BU: D.J. Irving, 5

From the FreeP: M. basketball set to face Partin’s old squad La Salle

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Boston University men’s basketball coach Patrick Chambers recruited La Salle University sophomore forward Aaric Murray back when Murray was a senior in high school and Chambers was the associate head coach at Villanova University. But Murray chose to bring his talents to La Salle instead, and Villanova ended up with another skilled forward by the name of Mouphtaou Yarou.

Chambers knows his BU squad will have its hands full defending the 6-foot-10, 250-pound Murray when the Terriers (4-5) welcome the Explorers (5-3) to Agganis Arena Thursday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

A triad of forwards – 6-foot-6 junior Patrick Hazel, 6-foot-8 junior Jake O’Brien and 6-foot-7 freshman Dom Morris – will be called upon to slow down Murray, who is averaging team-highs of 17.1 points and 9.5 rebounds through eight games.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Monday, December 6, 2010

From the FreeP: M. basketball drops another close one on the road

By Craig Meyer/DFP Staff

The trend of close road losses continued on Saturday night as the Boston University men’s basketball team dropped a 52-49 decision to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa.

Junior forward Jake O’Brien, after a series of below-average performances, responded with a game-high 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, but it was ultimately not enough as the Terriers (4-5) lost their second straight game and fell back below .500.

For a team that has shot a listless 37 percent for the season, BU continued to struggle from the field against the Bison (4-6), going 20-of-60 on field goal attempts.

“We couldn’t make shots,” said BU coach Pat Chambers. “When you can’t make shots, it becomes very difficult. You start to grind a little bit, and that basket becomes very tiny.”

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Follow the Bucknell Game Live

Due to logistics, the Daily Free Press is not present at the BU-Bucknell game tonight, but One Bid Wonders, a conference blog operated by Sam Perkins and former DFP contributor/DFP Staff Writer Matt Whitrock, is live-blogging the game.

Follow Matt's blog at:

http://www.onebidwonders.com/

Enjoy.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Bucknell presents final test of a tough road stretch for Griffin, Terriers

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

After starting just one game of eight on the year for the Boston University men’s basketball team and accepting his role as the team’s strongest spark from off of the bench, junior guard Matt Griffin will be back in the starting five again when the Terriers take on Bucknell University on Saturday evening.

The tri-captain transfer from Rider University is in his first year with the Terriers (4-4), and his recent success as the team’s leader in shooting percentage with .458—for players with more than 22 field goal attempts—has caught BU coach Patrick Chambers’ attention and earned him the start against the Bison (3-6).

Thursday, December 2, 2010

From the FreeP: Griffin, Morris stand out among BU newcomers

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The fact that the Boston University men's basketball team is young is old news.

The Terriers (4-4) brought in seven new freshmen, three transfer students and one walk-on transfer this year to join just three returning players. But fans have known that watching BU basketball would be a new experience this year for some time now.

It has been eight games since the Terriers opened up the 2010-2011 season, and the newcomers have had an early chance to make a name for themselves. So far, the greenhorns who have stood out from the rest on this BU squad have undoubtedly been junior guard Matt Griffin and freshman forward Dominic Morris.

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

From the FreeP: Beaten down the stretch

By Luke Coughlan/DFP Staff

The Boston University men's basketball team showed that it can hang with the best of them Tuesday night when it took on the No. 10/11 University of Kentucky. For one half, at least.

While the Terriers (4-4) managed to stay with the Wildcats (5-1) through the first 20 minutes of the showdown and enter the locker room at halftime trailing by only seven points, they were run off of the floor in the second stanza. Kentucky outscored them, 51-24, en route to a 91-57 final. The loss marks the Terriers' fourth of the season and second in as many games against ranked teams.

"All I can say is that must have been one heck of a halftime speech," said BU coach Patrick Chambers. "I'm going to have to ask [Kentucky coach John Calipari] for a copy of that. We played pretty hard for 20 minutes, and then their talent, their strength between them. . .I mean, they're really talented and Coach Cal's a great coach. We were hoping to just hang and hang as long as we could. And that spurt in the first five minutes [of the second half] was just crushing, absolutely crushing. I'm proud of our kids. I didn't think they stopped competing and they didn't stop playing."

Read more at www.dailyfreepress.com