For the second consecutive game, junior guard Corey Lowe was on the bench during crunch time in the second half. Only this time, it wasn’t a disciplinary decision made by BU coach Dennis Wolff.
Instead, Lowe was relegated to a seat behind BU’s bench for the final eight minutes of the Terriers’ 63-57 win against Iona College after suffering a sprained right ankle while driving left toward the basket. It’s the same ankle Lowe turned against Binghamton University a week prior (on the same end of the floor), but after getting it taped, the Newton native was able to return against the Bearcats.
Saturday, he and the Terriers weren’t so fortunate, as BU’s starting point guard sat with his foot elevated and iced and a towel over his head before hobbling off the court on crutches.
The timing of the injury is unfortunate, as the America East Tournament begins on March 6 and the average recovery time for an ankle sprain is 2-3 weeks.
After Lowe went down, however, the Terriers maintained their lead and closed out their second victory in as many years in the ESPNU Bracketbusters pool – they beat St. Peter’s College last season in New Jersey.
‘You get a little scared, because already with all the injuries we have, it’s scary to see Corey go down, but we knew we had to finish the game,’ sophomore forward John Holland, who led all scorers with 24 points (8-of-13), said. ‘We weren’t sure whether he was going to come back or not, so we just had to keep on playing.’
The win assured that BU would finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2004-05 – a mark of progress amongst a group that’s dealt with its fair share of adversity.
‘I think the last three years have been disappointing at times,’ Wolff said. ‘We played well at the end of last year. Right now, with the way things have gone, some of the injuries and everything else, these kids have been pretty resilient. I think everyone’s happy that we got 15 wins, but we still have games left that we think we can win if we play.’
The victory also terminated a three-game losing skid that booted the Terriers (15-12) from contention for the top seed in the conference (they’re now locked in third).
‘When you’ve been knocked back a little bit like we were, to get back on track is not the easiest thing. I thought the effort was great,’ Wolff said.
Unlike BU’s losing streak earlier in the season (which snowballed to five games), the Terriers were able to end their current slide and salvage a chance to enter the tournament with momentum.
‘[The win] definitely helps for the tournament to get our momentum going, because we want to come out here and try and get on a roll like we have been. It’s definitely important,’ Holland said.
Freshman forward Jake O’Brien blocked two shots in the final 30 seconds – including a two-handed dunk attempt by Iona’s Devon Clarke ‘-‘- and scored 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while rookie forward Jeff Pelage played what Wolff called the best game of his collegiate career, scoring nine points (including two thunderous dunks) and pulling down eight rebounds.
‘I wasn’t feeling really tense,’ Pelage said. ‘I had a good practice yesterday, and that brought me into the game flow. I felt like I knew what I was doing with the team, and I was involved with it, so it helped me out with doing my role on the team ‘-‘- rebounding and being able to finish around the basket.’
The Gaels (12-16) turned the ball over 12 times in the first half, leading to a 30-13 deficit. But Iona slowly chipped away at BU’s lead, ending the half on a 13-0 run to make the score 30-26. Still, jumping out to a significant lead isn’t something the Terriers have done often, so it was a welcome sight.
‘We got off to a good start, which is important based on the way we started some of the other games,’ Wolff said. ‘We got very careless with the ball at the end of the first half. Maybe we got a little tired or whatever, but I thought we showed pretty good composure in the second half and continued to try to make the right plays.’
Lowe played 32 minutes before leaving with the injury and struggled from the field, though he assisted eight baskets. One game after he was benched in the second half of a loss to Stony Brook University and two games after a 2-of-15 shooting performance, Lowe hit just 1-of-8 from the field (1-of-7 from 3-point range). His one was a biggie, however, tying the game at 52 with 9:29 remaining in the second half.
‘I think right now, he’s fighting himself a little bit, but I thought he tried very hard,’ Wolff said of Lowe’s recent performances.
Lowe will presumably miss BU’s final two games before the tournament, meaning senior point guard Marques Johnson will be the Terriers’ lone guard who’s garnered any significant in-game experience this season. Junior guard Sherrod Smith is next, with 16 minutes played this season.
Game Notes: Iona was led by Gary Springer and Milan Prodanovic, who each had 12 points. ‘hellip; John Holland’s father, John, was a star player at Iona in the 1960s. ‘hellip; Injured redshirt junior guard Tyler Morris was not on the bench for the game. ‘hellip; Wolff and his team recorded six non-conference victories this year, tying Wolff’s career-best mark at BU. ‘hellip; Lowe became just the third player in 15 years to record at least 100 points, rebounds and assists in a season at BU. Lowe has 403 points, 106 rebounds and 103 assists. Shawn Wynn was the other, accomplishing the feat twice.
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