All the Boston University men’s basketball team needed to forget Sunday’s woeful shooting performance was a return home.
That’s right — a trip to Agganis Arena.
BU converted a program-record 16 3-pointers Tuesday, rolling to a 79-58 victory over the University at Albany before a crowd of 1,548 for their fourth win in five home games away from Case Gymnasium.
Junior forward John Holland led BU’s four double-digit scorers with a game-high 21 points, and senior guard Carlos Strong connected on 6-of-8 attempts from 3-point land for 18 points while dishing out a career-best seven assists.
The Terriers (10-9, 5-2 America East) bore no resemblance to the squad that shot 17 percent in the first half of Sunday’s 78-58 drubbing at the University of Vermont.
‘We came out and bounced back from a horrific day,’ BU coach Patrick Chambers said. ‘I’m proud of our team. It’s a credit to our players for playing the way they did. They were on a mission today.’
Following a lengthy two-plus-hour practice Monday aimed at addressing Sunday’s struggles, Chambers’ team showed early on that Tuesday’s contest would not be a repeat performance.
‘Obviously [Sunday] was an upsetting game, but we put it behind us and prepared for Albany,’ said sophomore forward Jake O’Brien, who tallied 19 points and six rebounds. ‘We had our minds focused and put them away fast.’
The Great Danes (6-14, 1-4 AE) took their lone lead of the night, a 10-9 edge, with 14:07 left in the first half. The Terriers then reeled off a 35-9 run that produced a game-high 25-point margin (44-19) at the 3:09 mark.
‘I was worried about this game because of the way BU played at Vermont,’ Albany coach Will Brown said. ‘I watched that game and was amazed at what I saw. I scratched my head and said, ‘Crap. That’s not good for us.’ I knew those kids would be anxious to come back out and play. They’re too good to play like they did up at Vermont.
‘That’s why they were picked to win the league in the preseason. They’re good.’
Chambers welcomed the short turnaround following Sunday’s loss.
‘You want to get back out there after the day we had Sunday,’ Chambers said. ‘We had a great practice [Monday], and I knew we were going to play hard tonight. You don’t know if you’re going to win or not, and you don’t know if you’re going to make shots like that [16-for-28 from 3-point range], but it was nice to get out there quickly and not really think about [Sunday] any more than we had to.’
A 10-of-14 effort beyond the arc buoyed BU to a 46-29 halftime advantage. Senior guard Corey Lowe (2-for-3), O’Brien (4-for-6) and Strong (3-for-3) combined to account for all but one of the Terriers’ first-half treys.
‘They got in a good rhythm,’ Brown said. ‘When you’ve got shooters like they have on the floor, that basket looks bigger and bigger once they get comfortable. We’re not a team that can trade baskets with a team like Boston University when they’re clicking.
‘Sixteen 3s for them tonight. That just about sums it up.’
Albany pulled within no fewer than 16 points in a second half that featured more hot 3-point shooting for BU, which made 6-of-14 attempts from long distance after the intermission. Lowe gave the Terriers a 67-42 cushion with a deep triple at 9:00 that all but sealed the outcome.
‘Lowe shoots them from T. Anthony’s,’ Brown said of BU’s fifth all-time leading scorer, who finished with 12 points. ‘He’s a special player.’
Tuesday, Chambers saw glimpses of what he considers a potentially special team.
‘I know we have talent,’ Chambers said. ‘I always ask my wife, ‘When are we going to be hitting on all cylinders?’ I just want one game when all of us hit on all cylinders, because, man, then we’d be a really good team, a really good team. I’m not saying we make 16 3s. I’m saying everybody plays solid, plays their role and does their job.
‘If we can become that type of team consistently, I’d be great with that.’
Game notes: Senior forward Brendan Sullivan dislocated his left shoulder late in the first half and did not return. Chambers suggested after the game that the walk-on could miss up to two weeks of game action. Sullivan logged nine minutes Tuesday and scored three points on 1-of-2 shooting, hitting a 3. ‘hellip; Albany lost senior forward and leading scorer Will Harris to a left knee injury early in the second half. ‘hellip; Chambers said sophomore forward Chris Kurz, a transfer from Arizona State University, will begin practicing with the team after the completion of required paperwork. The Philadelphia, Pa., native is the younger brother of former Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors forward Rob Kurz, who played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame.