Twelve have fallen. Only four remain.
It might not be the Final Four of glitz and glamour, but the Boston University Terriers advanced to the semifinals of the third annual CBI with a thrilling 91-89 overtime victory over the Eagles of Morehead State University. The Terriers will play at Virginia Commonwealth University on Wednesday, they beat the College of Charleston, 93-86.
After winning their first postseason game in 51 years against Oregon State University last Wednesday, the Terriers held an 11-point lead with 5:53 remaining in regulation, only to watch the Eagles string together a 19-8 run and force overtime. BU’s last possession in regulation yielded three chances to win the game, all of which were missed.
Far from dejected, the Terriers came out strong to begin the extra period, scoring the first seven points in overtime. Morehead State, however, once again refused to yield, scoring eight points on their last three possessions before running out of time.
BU pulled out the win without senior guard Corey Lowe, who has left the team. Lowe met with BU coach Patrick Chambers after the Oregon State game and indicated a desire to “move on to the next chapter in his life,” Chambers said.
BU’s scorers all stepped up in Lowe’s absence. Junior forward John Holland led the Terriers with 23 points, 16 of which came after halftime. Senior guard Carlos Strong added 22 points, while sophomore forward Jake O’Brien netted 20 and senior guard Tyler Morris chipped in with 18.
Holland was an impressive 11-of-11 at the line, but his teammates were just 17-of-30 at the charity stripe, and some unremarkable free -throw shooting almost gave the game away. With 38 seconds left and a five-point BU lead, senior forward Valdas Sirutis air-balled the first of two free throws, then missed the second attempt. Eagles guard Terrance Hill hit a 3-pointer, and after a timeout and stolen inbounds pass, forward Steve Peterson made both of his freebies to tie the game at 76.
The Terriers had a hard time inbounding the ball all game, as Morehead State employed an aggressive full-court press. That press caused all sorts of problems for BU early in the game. The Eagles ran out to an 8-0 lead and led 20-9 midway through the first half before the Terriers began to chip away. After some initial issues, though, BU learned to cope with the pressure and finished the game with just 12 team turnovers.
More impressive than the low turnover total, however, was the Terriers’ emphasis on team rebounding. Morehead State entered last night’s game with one of the best rebounding margins in the entire country, but despite a double-double from Eagle star forward Kenneth Faried, BU finished the game with a three-rebound advantage on the glass. O’Brien led the Terriers with 10 rebounds, and three other Terriers had at least seven boards.
In an unlikely twist, BU earned its advantage on the glass despite minimal contributions from sophomore forward Jeff Pelage, one of the Terriers’ best rebounders. Pelage picked up three fouls in his first two minutes of action and pulled down just two rebounds all evening.
Pelage’s poor free-throw shooting nearly cost BU, albeit for reasons much different than those affecting Sirutis during regulation. After Morehead State pulled within one with the clock nearing zero in overtime, Pelage was fouled off the inbounds pass and missed the first of his two free throws.
Chambers instructed Pelage to intentionally miss the second free throw, but Pelage’s second attempt went straight through the netting, allowing the Eagles to pass the ball up and very nearly get off a buzzer-beating attempt.
But as time expired in a third and final period, the Terriers had done just enough to survive and advance.
Game notes: Valdas Sirutis had a career-high eight rebounds in 31 minutes of action . . . Tyler Morris’ six first-half steals were a CBI single-game record. He finished with eight . . . Scott Brittain has been shooting during practices. Chambers said Brittain may play “[at BU] or back in Canada” next season . . . BU’s nine blocked shots, 16 steals and 41 free-throw attempts were all season-highs.
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