Basketball, Sports

Men’s basketball slated to host hot Bucknell team Saturday

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Junior forward Nathan Dieudonne’s 7.8 boards a game will come in handy Saturday against a Bison team that excels on the rebound. PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The Boston University men’s basketball team will look to build off its Wednesday 59-54 victory over American University when it hosts Bucknell University on Saturday afternoon at Agganis Arena.

After a strong 3-0 start to conference play, the Terriers (8-10, 4-3 Patriot League) have lost three out of their last four games.

The Bison (10-10, 5-2 Patriot League) will face BU riding a three-game win streak after their 14-point road victory against Loyola University Maryland Wednesday. Numbers say there will be a tight game Saturday as the two teams only differ by 0.3 points in season-scoring margin.

Recently, the Terriers have shown an inability to finish close games, though they did beat American (11-8, 4-3 Patriot League) in a tight one. Before that, BU blew leads against Loyola (7-11, 3-4 Patriot League) Sunday and Lafayette College (11-7, 3-4 Patriot League) in the last five seconds of regulation on Jan. 10. Although BU coach Joe Jones realizes it will take time, he said his team needs to learn to overcome its late-game struggles.

“The guys are growing up,” Jones said. “Our team has to go through the process to win consistently, and it takes maturity and we need a better understanding of what it takes to get there.”

Although Bucknell is tied for the top spot in league play at 5-2, they are an abysmal 2-8 away from home. This could give the Terriers a slight edge, as they are 5-3 at home on the year.

Not only do BU and Bucknell have similar statistics this season, but they also rely on their youthful star players and a balanced bench to keep them in games. Ten Bucknell players average over twelve minutes a game, but junior Chris Hass and freshman Nana Foulland have led the way for the Bison thus far.

“Nana is very active. They do a great job running stuff through him and as a freshman, he plays with a lot of confidence, and Hass is one of the best players you will find on the offensive end,” Jones said.

BU has been in a position to win late in the second half of every Patriot League contest, but free throws have plagued the young team. Measuring their efficiency at the charity stripe is two-fold. The Terriers shoot a below average 68.9 percent from the line, while leading the league with 392 free throw attempts. During their three-game skid, the Terriers averaged 11.5 trips to the line against Colgate University and Lafayette and shot just 41.9 percent from the line in regulation in the overtime loss against Loyola.

In Wednesday’s victory over American, sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson led the way with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and a school-record nine steals. Hankerson’s contributions were not the only bright spot in individual performances as sophomore guard Eric Fanning had 14 points and six rebounds in his first career start in the scarlet and white.

Fanning was inserted into the lineup Wednesday after Jones sidelined junior forward Nathan Dieudonne due to his late-game flagrant foul against Loyola. Dieudonne’s 7.8 rebounds per game lead the team, and his presence was clearly missed on the glass as American outrebounded the Terriers on both defense and offense. Dieudonne will suit up Saturday, and his rebounding ability will be vital in the matinee as Bucknell has the best rebounding margin in the Patriot League. Although Jones recognized his importance in Saturday’s contest, he said he will be counting on more than just Dieudonne.

“We will need a collective effort,” Jones said. “Whoever wins the rebounding war, I think will win the game.”

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