The Boston University men’s basketball team played 21 games this season before facing off against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County on Tuesday evening at Case Gymnasium. Those 21 games are separated into four streaks: a four-game winning streak, a four-game losing streak, a seven-game losing streak, and a six-game winning streak.
One major factor in the wins has been the offensive outputs from senior guard Darryl Partin and sophomore guard D.J. Irving. Both players have made major contributions to the Terrier offense in BU coach Joe Jones’ first season on the bench, each taking advantage of his signature style. Partin takes shot after shot until they finally begin to fall and Irving quietly controls the offense from the perimeter, while occasionally driving to the hoop.
Tuesday night, as BU (11-11, 7-1 America East) worked its way to an 83-48 blowout victory over UMBC (3-17, 2-6 America East), Irving and Partin played less of an impactful role than usual, especially in the second half.
Both were on the floor for a mere 24 minutes apiece. In the second half, Partin took only four shots, well below his usual pace. Irving only took five the entire game, though he did add seven assists.
Instead, Tuesday was a chance for some of BU’s less prominent players to take a stand, and they did. The BU bench scored 33 points, well above its average of 18 points per game in America East contests this season. Eleven Terriers scored in the effort, though only two broke double digits – Partin (17 points) and sophomore forward Travis Robinson (10 points).
All ten of Robinson’s points came in the first half, when he went 4-for-6, including a 1-for-2 performance from beyond the arc. The starter played only seven minutes in the second, which limited him to one shot. The Terriers’ two other starters – sophomore forward Dom Morris and his fellow big man, senior forward Patrick Hazel – scored five and nine points, respectively.
“We just got a lot of open looks,” Robinson said. “We were dissecting the zone pretty good, so I just got a lot of open shots and I knocked them down when I could.”
Jones was very pleased with the hustle of his players on offense, especially Robinson.
“I thought, in particular, Travis Robinson was terrific in the first half, making a ton of effort plays,” Jones said.
Redshirt freshman Malik Thomas, who made three of his five shots, led the BU bench. Thomas captivated the crowd midway through the second half when his open shot from the corner fell through the hoop. Minutes later, he sank an almost uncontested layup.
Sophomore guard Mike Terry, Jr. also energized the fans with 5:50 remaining in the second as he stole the ball from UMBC forward Adrian Satchell and sprinted to the hoop for a dunk.
Morris would end up leading BU on the boards, with eight total rebounds, but senior forward Jeff Pelage was right behind him with seven. Six of Pelage’s rebounds came off the defensive glass, one more than Morris.
In the end, Robinson offered praise for the way his teammates who normally play fewer minutes contributed to the Terriers’ blowout.
“[The success of the bench players] is definitely really big, because I know they work hard every day, just like some of the more heralded players,” Robinson said. “To see them get the chance to play some big minutes and play well, it’s real big for us and their confidence, too, going on in the season.”
Jones said it was important for the team to be able to rely on contributions beyond its primary two, and even beyond its starters.
“It was good to be able to get guys like Zach and Malik and Mike Terry, Jeff Pelage some good minutes here,” Jones said. “I really feel like, right now, we have one of the stronger benches in the league. I think it’s going to be a strength of ours down the stretch.”
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