The Boston University men’s basketball team held its senior day at Agganis Arena Sunday afternoon during a 63-53 loss to Bucknell University.
The Terriers (20-9, 13-3 Patriot League) honored its three seniors, guard D.J. Irving and forwards Travis Robinson and Dom Morris before tip-off against the Bison (14-13, 9-7 Patriot League) in what amounted to a disappointing day.
BU coach Joe Jones expressed regret that the team did not play better for the seniors.
“My heart goes out to the seniors, you just never want to lose your last regular season game at home,” Jones said. “I feel bad for those guys.”
The three players, who are also the team’s captains, each walked out with their parents to half court to be honored by the team’s staff.
Although he got a rare start in the lineup, Robinson did not capitalize on his opportunity, shooting 0-for-3 from the field, and only played a total of 16 minutes after picking up two early fouls in the first half.
Robinson, a Philadelphia native, has become a key bench player in his last couple seasons on the team, with his major contributions coming on the defensive end and from 3-point range.
The 6-foot-5 forward had his best game of the season in the Terriers’ overtime loss to Norfolk State University Dec. 15. Robinson scored 14 points with three 3-pointers, in addition to collecting four rebounds.
Morris was also quiet for much of the game against the Bison, although his layup that led to a 3-point play opportunity two minutes into the second half helped ignite a Terrier offense that improved from the first frame. The forward finished the game with just five points and six rebounds.
Morris, along with Irving, made an immediate impact on the team at the start of his career, as both players were named to the All-Rookie Team in the America East Conference in 2011.
As a rebounder, he has taken on a large role in the Terriers’ frontcourt. Despite only standing at 6-foot-7, Morris is the tallest starter in an often-undersized BU lineup.
Yet with his strength at 240 pounds, Morris has been an imposing presence in the Patriot League, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game, which is good for fourth in the conference.
Irving, after being named Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, has had an up-and-down final season. Being under the weather Sunday afternoon, the guard showed some physical difficulties on the court against Bucknell.
“D.J.’s been sick, he didn’t practice for two days,” Jones said. “He tried to play like a warrior today, obviously he was still affected by the illness.”
Irving recorded just three points to go with two steals, hitting none of his five shots from the floor.
Despite it being a difficult day for the guard, Irving appreciated the chance senior day allowed him to reflect on his time in a BU uniform.
“Just looking back on the last four years I’ve had here, there’s a lot of memories, ups-and-downs,” Irving said. “It was just a nice moment to see the seniors come out with their parents.”
Coming to BU from Pennsylvania, Irving has become a notorious scorer as a Terrier, averaging double figures in points per game in each of his last three seasons.
With his stellar play over the past four years, Irving is now the 12th-leading scorer in BU history with 1,373 career points. He is also fifth in assists with 456.
At the end of the 2012-13 season, Irving was honored with the 2013 Lou Cohen MVP Award, given to the most valuable Terrier each year.
After the loss, Jones recognized the psychological challenges that Sunday’s occasion presented.
“It’s always an emotional day, you never know how its going to affect guys,” Jones said. “It’s an emotional day for everyone involved.”
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