BU falls under .500 after BracketBusters challenge

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.

In the first half, both teams got off to a slow start. BU was up 10-9 just 11 minutes into the game, but then Loyola began to put some distance between the teams. While the Terriers made only three baskets for a total of seven points, the Greyhounds scored 19 points to take a 28-17 lead with less than three minutes left in the first half.

However, a 3-pointer from senior guard Darryl Partin with 2:46 remaining in the half switched the momentum back to BU. Loyola missed a series of opportunities to score, and BU went on an 11-1 run to put itself down only 29-28 at the half. Two of those points were scored on free throws by sophomore guard D.J. Irving after Loyola coach Jimmy Pastos was called for a technical foul.

“All-in-all, in the first half we did a really good job of defending them,” Jones said. “I thought we did a solid job of all the things we talked about doing [before the game] in the first half.”

Both teams went back and forth as the second stanza began, exchanging baskets for a few minutes. The Terriers tied the game at 34 points apiece a little more than three minutes in, but the Greyhounds pulled away almost immediately.

Over the next four-and-a-half minutes, Loyola scored 16 points answered by only one from BU, moving the Greyhounds well ahead of the Terriers. BU went on a small run of its own after, but it was not enough to tighten the game, and the Greyhounds held on down the stretch.

Partin finished as BU’s leading scorer with 17 points, followed by Irving with 16 points and four assists. Though eight players were on the court for double-digit minutes, only five scored. Senior forward Pat Hazel and sophomore forward Dom Morris both had six rebounds.

The Terriers shot 2-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half, and 1-for-7 in the second half, finishing at 17.6-percent 3-point shooting. This was the second straight poor 3-point game for the Terriers, following the team’s 2-for-22 performance against the University of New Hampshire on Feb. 15.

Jones said the performances are a more natural slump, and not a sign of something worse.

“[We] led the league for the most part of the year,” Jones said. “During the course of the season, [poor performances] happen. We’ve got to make sure we take good [shots] and the right guys take them. We will. I always feel confident.”

BU turned the ball over 18 times, with four players registering three turnovers. Loyola also had a high turnover total, finishing with 15. Five of the Greyhounds’ turnovers came from junior Erik Etherly and four originated with senior Shane Walker.

“We caused a lot of turnovers in the game,” Jones said. “They turned us over more. They’re a pressing team and that’s what they hang their hat on.”

The Greyhounds had four scorers in double-digits, led by forward Robert Olsen at 17 points, followed by guard Dylon Cormier at 14, guard Justin Drummond at 12 and forward Etherly at 11. Olson and forward Anthony Winbrush both tallied three assists, while Etherly had six rebounds for Loyola.

Despite the differences in scoring and other statistical categories, Jones was happy with the game.

“[It was] much closer than the score would tell,” Jones said. “We did a great job in points of the game.”