The Boston University men’s basketball team came away from their weekend in Irvine, Calif., with a 2-1 record, posting key wins over the University of California-Irvine and Long Island University-Brooklyn and falling to Eastern Washington University.
Friday, the Terriers faced an Eastern Washington (4-2) squad that was fresh off of an 82-44 thrashing of Walla Walla University. The Eagles proved to be a formidable foe for the Terriers as neither team could break through in the opening half. Eastern Washington went into the break nursing a 39-34 lead.
Eagles forward Venky Jois and guard Tyler Harvey troubled the Terriers in the second half, as they each broke into double digits to extend the Eastern Washington lead to 12 with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest. BU would never come close, as the Eagles went on to win the game 80-68.
Eastern Washington shot 54.4 percent from the field and used its height advantage to outscore the Terriers in the paint 34-22.
Sophomore guard Nathan Dieudonne recorded his first ever double-double Friday, scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds. Watson Jr. led the Terriers with 18 points.
The Terriers used the loss against the Eagles as motivation for Saturday and Sunday’s games.
“We had a long team meeting,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “We got a lot of things off of our chests, me and the staff and the players did too. We came out ready to go [against Irvine] and I’m just so proud of our commitment to doing the things that we talked about doing.”
Facing the preseason Big West Conference favorite UC Irvine (4-3) Saturday, the Terriers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, opening the game on a 15-0 run.
Irvine attempted to creep back into the contest on the shoulders of 7-foot-6 center Mamadou Ndiaye, but senior forward Dom Morris stayed stuck to Ndaiye all night, limiting the big man to 11 points. Morris also turned in a spectacular performance of his own, leading the Terriers with 17 points and eight rebounds en route to the 68-74 victory.
“I thought Dom was absolutely outstanding,” Jones said after the Irvine game. “Mamadou is terrific. [Morris] just played with toughness the whole night.”
After a rough game Friday, senior guard D.J. Irving turned things around, scoring a team-high 18-points. “I just knew that he was focused and ready to go,” Jones said. “We talk about guys really being accountable for their actions and he showed it. He was ready to go and he gave us a big boost.”
Freshman center Dylan Haines saw his first minutes of action for the Terriers in Saturday’s matchup. He scored five points against the Anteaters in only eight minutes of play and also recorded a rebound, an assist and a steal. The height of Haines will be vital to the Terriers as they face taller opponents later in the season.
“We think Dylan’s got a bright future,” Jones said. “He’s not afraid to shoot it as you can see. He has a bright future here.”
On the last day of tournament play, the team faced off against LIU–Brooklyn (1-4). The game started out as a back-and-forth battle as both teams traded points. Dieudonne slammed home a dunk to put BU up 15-10 with 12:48 remaining in the half to ignite the Terrier offense. The Blackbirds fought back and cut the lead to 17-16 with 10:48 to go. Jones then took a 30 second time out to gather his team, who went on a 20-7 run to take a commanding 37-23 lead into the break.
The Terriers did not slip up in the second half of action. LIU would cut the lead to seven with 12:11 by virtue of two straight 3-pointers by Troy Joseph and Gerrell Martin, but BU would not let up. Thomas scored a layup and hit a 3-pointer in consecutive possessions to put the game out of reach and secure a 72-57 victory.
Led by Thomas’ 13-point performance, the Terriers’ bench combined for 23 key scores in Sunday’s contest.
Four Terriers broke into double-figures Sunday, showcasing the team’s balanced attack. Irving recorded 11 points to go along with five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore guard John Papale also got into the fray, scoring 14 points, nine of which came from beyond the arc.
BU’s aggressive defense also stifiled LIU, resulting in 18 points off of turnovers for the Terriers. LIU also shot just 34.6 percent from the field. Once again, Morris dominated the glass, grabbing 11 boards.
Jackie is a sports reporter for The Daily Free Press and has previously served as Managing Editor and Associate Sports Editor of the FreeP. At this moment, she's probably watching Shark Tank and thinking of ways to work, "and for that reason, I'm out," into casual conversations. Please send all inquiries in the form of a box combo from Cane's with no coleslaw and extra fries or follow her on Twitter at @jackie_bam
