After two disjointed performances to open its season, an opportunity to build unity was afforded to the Boston University’s men’s basketball team by the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Over the course of three games in four days, the team bonded and earned its first win of the season ‘-‘- and of BU coach Patrick Chambers’ career ‘-‘- against Indiana University, sandwiched by losing efforts against Kansas State University and No. 21 Georgia Tech University.
‘We spent a lot of time together,’ Chambers said. ‘[Saturday] we had a day off ‘-‘- they spent time at the pool, the beach. I think we all got to get to know each other a little better and I think we got to know how we stand as a group and a team.’
In their first trip off the mainland since 1996, the Terriers (1-4) represented America East against the Big 12, Big Ten and Atlantic Coastal Conference, respectively. And after dropping its first two games due to poor shooting and high turnovers, all while adapting to Chambers’ up-tempo offense, the expedition was well-timed.
First up were the Wildcats (4-1), winners of their first two contests by a combined 70 points and ready to make the Terriers their latest victim. The teams fought like cats and dogs, as 60 fouls were committed between the squads in a physical match-up.
Four double-digit scorers, led by BU senior co-captain Tyler Morris’ 21 points, could not save BU from itself, eventually succumbing to early foul trouble and 35 percent shooting. A four-point, five-turnover performance from senior co-captain Corey Lowe didn’t help either.
‘We really competed against Kansas State,’ Chambers said. ‘We played really hard. The fouls were killing us. We just need to get smarter. Our shots are still not falling consistently. We have really skilled players who are getting open shots but just not making them.’
Still, the Terriers were only down three with 5:37 remaining and protected the ball better than they had all year, turning the ball over 16 times.
The effort set the stage for the Hoosiers (2-3) and the debut of freshman B.J. Bailey, following a concussion. Despite posting a season-low 29.3 percent shooting percentage, the Terriers came back from down five points with five minutes remaining, and rode a 16-6 stretch to close out the season’s first victory.
‘I knew it was around the corner, I just didn’t know when,’ Chambers said at the post-game press conference. ‘I knew we were getting better every practice, every game. We were trying to play BU basketball to the best of our ability, and these guys came out and played 40 minutes of it, and they grinded it out. Couldn’t make shots ‘-‘- we didn’t shoot very well ‘-‘- but we got some stops, we got rebounds and I thought we played hard, overall. And that’s the style, that’s the type of basketball we want to play at Boston University.’
The Terriers’ first win over the Big Ten since 2004 saw breakout performances by sophomore Jake O’Brien, who registered his first career double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, and sophomore Jeff Pelage, who added nine boards. Good rebounding bailed out an abysmal shooting performance.
A stunning 20-rebound advantage, 52-32, allowed the team to become the first in college basketball this season to win while shooting as low as 29.3 percent.
‘Coach had definitely been preaching to us to rebound the ball,’ O’Brien said at the post-game press conference. ‘I think that’s an area that we definitely need to work on. I think it was definitely a full-team effort, like Coach said before the game, five guys going to the glass tougher than IU, and I think we were able to do that tonight.’
The win was rewarded by a matchup on ESPNU against the No. 21 Yellow Jackets (3-1). The Terriers managed to ride their momentum for the first three-quarters of the game, only trailing by one with 14:53 left. But their legs just weren’t there at the end, as 10 missed field goals over nine minutes allowed Georgia Tech to make a 22-6 run.
‘We played well for 30 minutes,’ Chambers said. ‘Again, we had open shots and didn’t make them. We competed, we rebounded, for the most part we did a pretty good job . . . They’re a top-25 team, very good team, at least two pros and we battled. We’ve got to get better, play hard, play smart, play together.’
Although they failed to extend their win streak and knock off their first ranked opponent since 1959, a season-low nine turnovers showed promise for the Terriers’ offensive development. Another positive was the stellar play of junior John Holland, whose mother and grandfather are Puerto Rican. He averaged 21.3 points for the home crowd.
‘We played hard, we played tough, we played physical,’ Chambers said. ‘Our shots are going to fall. They’re going to fall, I feel it, and once we get our legs underneath us, we’re going to be a tough team to beat come January, February, March.’
Having faced such elite and storied programs, BU can take pride in its performance, learn from its experience and move forward as a team for the rest of the non-conference schedule and beyond.
‘They’re coming away with memories of a lifetime for these seniors and this team, something that they’ll never forget for the rest of their lives,’ Chambers said. ‘I hope they can look back and say, ‘Wow. We just played GW, Kansas State, Indiana and Georgia Tech in six or seven days. And we never gave in and we never gave up . . . and that’s something to be proud of.”
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