Going into Sunday’s game, there was a lot to be said about the backcourt of the Boston University men’s basketball team.
For the Terriers (1-0), the dynamic duo of guards in sophomore Maurice Watson Jr. and senior D.J. Irving highlight a strong group of Terriers in the 2013-14 season. Sunday afternoon, the Terriers proved that despite a limited and height-challenged frontcourt, their backcourt can put the extra weight on their shoulders and carry the team when needed.
“We don’t really think we have a size disadvantage,” Irving said. “I feel like we have more heart than any other team that we’ve played against. I’d rather have heart.”
Watson shared a similar sentiment.
“Bigger is not always better,” Watson added. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
With less than a minute left and the clock slowly making its way to zero, the Terriers clung to a one-point advantage over the Huskies (0-1) with possession of the ball. On this drive, Watson proved that BU’s backcourt can handle the pressure.
After staring down his opponents, Watson made a move toward the lane, and utilizing his quickness, made a skillful move toward the basket and hit a layup to put his team ahead by three with 41 seconds remaining.
“At first I didn’t know what was going on, I thought I was just holding off for the last shot, and then I heard Coach call out a play,” Watson said. “The whole time I was looking at their players, and I’m never really worried about players guarding me, it’s always the help defense I’m more worried about.
While it was Watson’s drive that will remain as one of the highlights from the first game of the season, the Terriers had several other guards come up big for them in this first victory
For BU coach Joe Jones, freshman guard Cedric Hankerson was a concern near the end of September. As the beginning of the season loomed, Jones gained more confidence in Hankerson, and Sunday, he trusted the freshman enough to put him on the court for 11 minutes.
In the first half, Hankerson played six minutes and made the most of it. During that span of time, Hankerson made two shots from beyond the 3-point arc and two free throws, good enough to be the team’s leading scorer in the first half.
Another guard that came through for the Terriers Sunday afternoon was sophomore John Papale. With a 3-pointer to put the Terriers ahead at the start of the game, it looked as if Papale was going to have a strong afternoon. However, a scoring drought ensued for the guard, as he missed the rest of his shots in the first half, going into the locker room shooting 1-of-5 from the field.
In the second half, Papale shook off the first-half jitters and drained two layups in a row that gave BU a six-point lead just minutes in. Although he went through another scoring funk in the second half, in the closing minutes of the contest he would come up big for the Terriers.
With more than two minutes remaining and BU down by five, Papale hit a shot from 3-point range to cut the Northeastern lead to two points. Following a defensive stop by the Terriers, Papale had a chance to put the team ahead with another three. The shot did not fall, but a mistake by Northeastern’s defense allowed Papale to go to the free-throw line for three shots, where he made all of his chances, giving BU the lead for good.
Jones said when the guards maintain a consistent pace, it gives BU an advantage in games.
“As long as the pace is good, over a 40 minute run, I like our horses better and that’s how we see the game,” Jones said.
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