With leading scorer Corey Lowe out for the game, listed with day-to-day foot problems, the Terriers needed someone to step up.
When the Boston University men’s basketball team needed a 3 to extend their lead, it was senior co-captain Brain Macon. When the Terriers needed a big rebound, there was freshman Scott Brittain. And when they needed free throws to put the game out of reach, redshirt-freshman Tyler Morris hit 4-of-4 in the final minute.
But throughout the game, there was one player stepping up and doing the little things, the big things and the unexpected things – senior co-captain Omari Peterkin.
Peterkin, who at the beginning of the season came off the bench, posted a stat line — 19 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 2 steals on 8-of-12 shooting from the field — that would make fantasy basketball owners grin. It wasn’t just the numbers, but the manner in which they came and their overall impact which proved key to the Terriers’ 59-53 win.
The 6-foot-8 forward had little trouble in the paint with the resistance provided by UMBC forwards Justin Fry and Mike Housman. Getting position close to the bucket, allowing himself to get fed by the BU guards, Peterkin scored early and often with his bread-and-butter move, the power-dribble-fake-right-spin-left baby hook that had Retriever defenders helpless to defend.
“Peterkin played great for them. He was not to be denied,” said UMBC coach Randy Monroe. “I think he wasn’t happy with his performance at Stony Brook [University] and came out and played with a vengeance. He deserved it.”
“I felt that if I posted up hard and got good position on the guys that I could have my way with them,” Peterkin said. “I just tried to post them strong and get the ball and try to finish it.”
The rest of Peterkin’s career-high scoring performance included scores on fade aways and the rarely seen up-and-under to his right side.
The difference in Peterkin’s aggressiveness since the beginning of the season has been a huge positive for the Terriers, with or without Lowe. His presence allows them to play a balanced offensive game, in stark contrast to the perimeter-heavy squad that opened the season.
“I think I would like them to be even more confident,” said BU coach Denis Wolff about his captains. “That’s something I’ve repeatedly told Omari, in particular, because he’s a good player and he has to just believe in himself like we do.”
But for all his impact on the offensive end Sunday afternoon, it was Peterkin’s defense that sealed the victory.
Maybe the most important of Peterkin’s numbers were the four blocks which came in the final eight minutes of the game. Peterkin began the block party with a back-to-back effort when he swatted away a Brian Hodge layup, and then after two offensive rebounds, he denied a Mike Housman attempt.
Minutes later, with the Terriers protecting a three-point lead, 51-48, which Peterkin helped build by sinking a smooth hook shot in the paint, the party got going again, this time with Morris and Brittain book-ending two more Peterkin rejections on consecutive defensive possessions.
“I just saw the opportunity. The ball was in front of me, so I just went up and tried to block it,” Peterkin said.
Peterkin’s out-and-out hustle on defense – which, apart from the blocks included headfirst dives for loose balls – was infectious for the rest of the team, as was evident in BU’s defensive stand to close out the game. The fans knew it, too, giving Peterkin a standing ovation when he left the game after it was out of reach.
If the senior leader keeps playing like this, the Peterkin Virus will be one Wolff will never want to get rid of.