Vanquishing the ghosts

When asked whether the Boston University men’s basketball team’s current seven-game winning streak constituted the best stretch of basketball the team has played in three seasons, junior guard Corey Lowe – without missing a beat – responded with a confident ‘definitely.’

And why not? The Terriers have won seven straight games (all but two by double digits), have endured what most thought would dent the season irreparably in the losses of junior guards Tyler Morris and Carlos Strong and, most recently, won for the first time in nine regular season games at Agganis Arena, prevailing over the University at Albany on Thursday night, 77-67.

Lowe, who scored a team-high 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists, is an essential part of the reason why BU (13-9, 8-2 AE) is playing its best basketball since the end of the 2004-05 season.

‘It’s a tribute to the kids, in particular Corey,’ BU coach Dennis Wolff said of the winning streak, which has propelled the Terriers into sole possession of first place in America East – a full game ahead of the University of Vermont and Binghamton University. ‘I didn’t play him in the first game at Albany, and his play since then has been as good as it’s been since he’s been here.’

Since sitting out BU’s conference opener (the 62-61 loss against Albany that Wolff spoke of), Lowe has asserted himself as one of the best all-around players in the league – different from years past when he was labeled as more of a pure scorer and wasn’t running the point.

‘I wish Lowe was playing off the ball because then you can deny him the ball, but when they inbound the ball to him, you’ve got to try and get it out of his hands. And he’s smart. He doesn’t give that darn thing up,’ Albany coach Will Brown said.

Now, Lowe’s complimenting BU’s go-to scorer – sophomore forward John Holland (25 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals) – and the chemistry between the two has driven the Terriers’ winning ways. In the first half, Holland netted 20 points. And while he was kept quiet in the second frame because of Albany’s (13-9, 5-4) switch to the triangle-and-two defense, Lowe picked up the slack, tallying 13 points and five boards in the final 20 minutes.

‘We’re clicking pretty good right now,’ Lowe said. ‘We’ve all got the taste of winning, where in years past it’s been a couple wins here, a couple wins there and then a couple losses. But now we’ve got that taste of winning, so we just want to keep it.’

Competing with a tight rotation of players is a fantastic way to build on-court chemistry, but given BU’s grueling last two weeks, it’s also an easy way to become fatigued.

Once again, Holland, Lowe and senior forward Matt Wolff (9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals) all played 40 minutes. The Terriers used just seven players, as backup point guard Marques Johnson wasn’t available after injuring his knee in practice Wednesday.

‘The minutes that we’ve had to ask Matt, John and Corey to play are off the charts, and we just have to be smart as this goes down,’ Dennis Wolff said. ‘This is now our third game this week and the second week we’ve had like this, so we have to be smart about what we do heading into [Saturday’s game against the University of New Hampshire.]’

Despite the possibility of tiring down the stretch, Lowe said he thinks the situation at hand trumps any physical ailments that may afflict the Terriers.

‘This is the first time we’re in the position we’re in since I’ve been here, so you’ve just got to forget about everything else,’ Lowe said. ‘Last year, we started a streak toward the end, but it was too late. Now, we’re in control, and we’ve just got to forget about being tired.’

Tired legs (along with Albany’s defensive switch) may have translated to a sloppy defensive second half, as BU was outscored, 34-32, and shot just 30.8 percent after connecting on 53.6 percent in the first. Like the Terriers did last time they played a conference game at Agganis (a 70-56 loss to Vermont on Jan. 14), BU pieced together a double-digit lead in the first half. Only this time, the advantage wasn’t coughed away.

A timely 3-pointer by freshman forward Jake O’Brien (10 points, 5 rebounds) and a breakaway dunk by Holland – on a great look by Lowe from the opposite baseline – helped stave off phenomenal second-half performances by the Great Danes’ Will Harris (28 points, 9 rebounds) and Brian Connelly (11 points, 12 rebounds).

‘Some of those games in the first semester when we had leads and got to that point, we tightened up, and we haven’t. And we didn’t again today. We kept trying to make plays,’ Wolff said.

Although wins are becoming commonplace, that doesn’t mean BU has been perfect in all aspects, namely rebounding. For the second time this season, BU was embarrassed on the boards by the Great Danes, this time losing the battle, 48-33. Lowe was BU’s leading rebounder with seven, and the Terriers were outscored in the paint, 34-16.

Still, despite minor shortcomings in a 10-point victory, the Terriers are in first place in America East the latest into the season they’ve been since the 2004-05 season. Four weeks after the news of the injuries and seven wins later, it’s highly unlikely many people could have imagined that to be the case.

Game Notes: BU beat Albany in Boston for the first time since Feb. 1, 2004. That game was also the last time the Terriers won a regulation contest against Albany, as their previous two victories in the last 10 games needed overtime. ‘hellip; The Terriers outscored Albany 18-6 in points off turnovers and 13-2 in fastbreak points. ‘hellip; With his 27 points, Lowe moved into 12th place on BU’s all-time scoring list with 1,211 career points. He’s now 60 points shy of cracking the Terriers’ all-time top-10 list. ‘hellip; With his 2-of-2 performance from the free-throw line, junior forward Scott Brittain has made 13 consecutive shots from the charity stripe. ‘hellip; Albany’s Harris attempted an America East season high in field goals with 27 shots from the floor.