So much has been made of the maturation of the Boston University men’s basketball team’s nucleus that, on occasion, youth has been swept aside into the shadow of under-appreciation.’
Following Monday’s 82-65 win at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and the cementing of a six-game winning streak for the Terriers (12-9, 7-2 America East), that lack of recognition should end.
After requiring a prolonged 18-0 run in the first half to gain the lead, the Terriers needed an answer to the inevitable second-half counter-punch from the Retrievers (9-13, 9-7). What they got was not from a former All-Conference player or Rookie of the Year, but a freshman.
Just two games removed from a career-high 24 points in the Terriers’ 18-point comeback win at the University of Maine, freshman Jake O’Brien set a new career mark with 25 on 9-of-19 shooting, scoring 17 in the second half. But unlike the beginning of the season, when many of his points came off open jumpers, O’Brien took his game both inside and out.
‘In the second half, we had a bunch of guys make terrific plays,’ BU coach Dennis Wolff said. ‘Jake was fabulous for about a 10-minute stretch. He made some deep, guarded 3s. He scored on post moves, opening up. Jake’s played three really good offensive games in a row.’
Joining O’Brien in BU’s one-two post punch was junior Scott Brittain (16 points, five boards), who, despite shooting 3-of-9 from the field, imposed his post presence on UMBC by going a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line.
It’s no eureka moment, but as the Terriers have delved into America East play, the roles and effectiveness of their offense have become clearer. In order to win, opposing conference squads now have to try to pick the poison that won’t cripple them, and on some nights, there just might not be a correct answer.
‘We have a good mix of inside-out,’ Wolff said. ‘We were able to alternate going to Jake or Scott based on who was guarding them. What’s happened is everyone understands their roles. [Senior Matt Wolff] understands his, [junior Corey Lowe] understands his, [sophomore John Holland] understands his. Right now, we’re riding a pretty good wave, and these kids really want to win.’
The wave began to show its crest in the first half when, showing the veteran poise that has become one of the major stories of the season, the Terriers overcame a 10-point deficit with a seven-minute, 18-0 run that gave them a 35-30 lead at the break.
‘These kids haven’t gotten rattled and continued to try and make big plays,’ Wolff said. ‘And I think they’re able to keep playing through adversity, which is some stuff that we had trouble with earlier in the year.’
One thing the Terriers have rarely struggled with is volume shooting from downtown, and Monday night (7-of-23 from deep) was no exception. With the Terriers controlling the paint (a 35-33 rebound advantage) and getting to the line (25-of-30 from the stripe), the perimeter was opened up just enough for sophomore John Holland to nail the two 3s that put the lid on the contest.
The first trey came on an assist from Lowe ‘-‘- who, with 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists, played another very good floor game, Wolff said ‘-‘- and gave the Terriers a nine-point lead with 3:44 remaining. The second 3 came out of a BU timeout and gave the team a double-digit lead with under three minutes to go. Once Brittain blocked a UMBC attempt on the next possession, the game was firmly in the Terriers’ hands.
And now, riding a six-game streak that has put the Terriers into a tie with the University of Vermont for first place in the conference, confidence is riding high.
‘It’s great for everyone’s psyche,’ Wolff said. ‘I think you start to believe in yourselves. That’s what the kids have done a good job of. They’re just worried about the game in front of them.’
Game Notes:UMBC freshman Chauncey Gilliam was ejected with 4:14 remaining for a flagrant foul on Matt Wolff. Officials had not whistled a foul on what was apparently an elbow underneath the basket, but issued the flagrant upon video review . . . Senior Darryl Proctor had 18 points and nine rebounds for UMBC . . . The Terriers were selected to host Iona College on Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. as part of the ESPNU Bracketbusters Pool. It will be the fifth time BU has faced the Gaels and the first time since the 1981-82 season.
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