Firing on all cylinders

Sometimes a gameplan works like a charm.

Wednesday night against Harvard University, following three days of practice at Case Gymnasium during which Boston University coach Dennis Wolff stressed the following points: double the post against the Crimson’s best interior player (Keith Wright), run a fast-break offense often and increase intensity on the defensive glass, the Terriers executed each to near perfection in a 75-59 demolition of Harvard at Lavietes Pavilion.

Wright, a rookie who was averaging 12.3 points and nine boards per game entering the contest, was held to six points and one rebound due to stifling interior defense by the Terriers (4-2). Any combination of BU players made the 6-foot-7 freshman uncomfortable, as he turned the ball over seven times.

That defense also helped BU turn a seven-point lead at halftime into a 24-point lead with 8:07 remaining in the second half. The Terriers forced 20 turnovers and collected 11 steals – leading to eight fast-break points and fueling a 22-8 run to start the second half – to put Harvard (3-2) away.

‘I think our defense definitely initiated our run,’ freshman Jake O’Brien said. ‘We were able to step up on defense, which gave us a little momentum on offense.’

Junior Corey Lowe led all scorers with 20 points and once again played a brilliant floor game. The Newton native connected on 3-of-4 attempts from 3-point range in the first half (and finished 4-of-6), including a 27-footer with the shot clock winding down to add to his 13 first-half points.

‘Corey Lowe really sets the groundwork for everyone and he is a very unselfish kid, so he picked his spots and got very good shots,’ Wolff said.

In addition to extreme proficiency on offense, Lowe was assigned the task of marking Harvard’s leading scorer, Jeremy Lin, who entered the game averaging 20 points per game. Lin finished with 17 (the only Crimson player in double figures), but eight of those points came with under 10 minutes remaining in the second half and BU already up by 19.

‘Corey had knee surgery and now he’s a little bit healthier than he was the first couple games, so he’s moving better, he’s feeling better and it’s translating into better play,’ Wolff said.

In addition to Lowe, BU’s other two major scoring threats seemed as dangerous as they did in last week’s victory over Northeastern University. Sophomore John Holland finished with 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting (including a thunderous tomahawk breakaway dunk), while O’Brien recorded double digits for the fourth time in six games, netting 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field. O’Brien answered Wolff’s call to rebound better, as he pulled down a career-high eight boards. As a team, BU outrebounded the Crimson, 33-30.

However, it was the offensive effort that made this victory so distant from BU’s win at Lavietes Pavilion two years ago. The Terriers displayed their wealth of shooters, as (in addition to the top three scorers) juniors Carlos Strong and Tyler Morris both contributed seven points.

‘We have so many weapons, so it’s definitely tough for someone to guard. Any given night, any number of people might be able to light it up,’ Holland said.

While Holland has been superb offensively all season, his defense hasn’t. But Wednesday night, his effort was better than it has been all year. On back-to-back possessions midway through the first half, Harvard was dominating the offensive glass but couldn’t convert the rebounds into points, so BU maintained its five-point lead.

Following those possessions, Holland took charge of the Terriers’ defensive glass, soaring high above the pack for three rebounds in the next four minutes. It’s a good sign to see Holland getting involved defensively down low as well as where he usually excels – in the passing lanes – especially after putting up a blank on the defensive boards against St. Peter’s College early in the season.

‘I’ve been at BU a long time,’ Wolff said. ‘John Holland is, I’m not going to find the right word, but he tries off-the-charts hard in the games. We’re trying to get him to work a little harder on thinking the game in practice so he’ll be able to utilize his talent better.’

‘I feel like it’s important for everybody to step up defensively,’ Holland said. ‘In the position I’m in at the top of the 1-3-1 [zone defense], going for steals and maybe get a dunk or two, it gets everybody hyped, so I guess it’s important for me to be intense out there all the time.’

Game notes: BU has won eight consecutive games against Harvard, but trails the lifetime series, 32-27. ‘hellip; Senior Matt Wolf and junior Scott Brittain each picked up their second foul three minutes into the game, so Dennis Wolff decided to go with junior Valdas Sirutis instead of freshman Jeff Pelage. Sirutis knocked down an open 3 (his first points of the season) to put BU up 26-18 and grabbed two rebounds. ‘hellip; O’Brien recorded his first collegiate dunk with 1:55 remaining in the second half. ‘hellip; BU shot 60 percent from beyond the arc in the first half (9-of-15).