Corey Lowe had every reason to doubt himself.
The shooting woes that plagued the Boston University guard in San Juan, Puerto Rico last weekend reared their ugly head once again during stretches of Wednesday’s game against Northeastern University at Case Gymnasium. Mindful of those struggles, Lowe could have toned down his offense in favor of a more facilitative role.
Thankfully for BU coach Patrick Chambers and the Terriers, the senior co-captain just kept shooting. ‘
The Newton native nailed a fadeaway jump shot with 23.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, then began the extra session with a 3-pointer that propelled BU to a hard-fought 69-64 victory over Northeastern before a Thanksgiving Eve crowd of 575 at The Roof.
Lowe and sophomore forward Jake O’Brien scored 18 points apiece for the Terriers (2-4), who have two won of their last three games following an 0-3 start. Junior forward John Holland added 15 ‘- including his 1,000th career point ‘- and seven rebounds, as BU earned a win in its Case opener after a 1-2 stint in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
‘I have a ton of confidence in myself,’ said Lowe, who shot 20 percent (7-for-35) from the floor during the Terriers’ three-game showing in San Juan. ‘I think I made like two shots the whole Puerto Rico trip. Sometimes, I’d let that affect me, but Coach [Chambers] has taught me to stay focused. Today, I had all good shots. They felt good coming out of my hand, so I just kept with it.’
Led by Lowe, who finished 6-for-15 from the field and 3-for-8 from 3-point range to go along with seven assists, BU shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) overall and 40 percent (8-for-20) from beyond the arc.
Senior Matt Janning matched Lowe and O’Brien with a game-high 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting for Northeastern (1-2), but the star guard missed two layups in the final 22 seconds of overtime to seal the Huskies’ fate. Freshman forward Alwayne Bigby and senior guard Baptiste Bataille chipped in with 16 and 10 points, respectively.
NU wasted no time asserting itself against a fatigued BU squad playing its fifth game in nine days, as the Huskies raced out to leads of 9-0 and 14-4 before the Terriers found their bearings. A 23-15 run to close out the first half sent BU into the locker room trailing by two, 29-27.’ ‘
Chambers’ team came out firing after the break, reeling off a 13-0 spurt that gave the Terriers their largest lead of the game at 40-29. O’Brien netted nine of his 18 points during the binge, torching the Huskies defense for a 3, a jumper, a layup and a pair of free throws.
‘We just played harder,’ O’Brien said of BU’s early second-half surge. ‘We were playing well on defense, and I think when we do that, it opens things up a little bit on offense.’
‘That was BU basketball at its best,’ Chambers said. ‘The guys were playing hard, they were communicating, and they were talking. They were doing everything that I wanted them to do.’
But Northeastern refused to yield. The Huskies chipped away at the deficit and regained the lead at 46-45 with 7:48 remaining in the second half. NU assumed a 53-47 advantage with 3:03 left in regulation, but did not score again in the period, as BU pulled even on two O’Brien free throws, a layup from Holland and Lowe’s fallaway jumper over Bigby as the shot clock expired.
‘I know Corey’s going to have the ball in his hands at the end, because he’s going to make plays,’ Chambers said. ‘He wants to put himself out there. He doesn’t fear failing, and that’s what I love about him.’
The teams traded leads three times in the overtime period, but O’Brien put the Terriers ahead for good, 65-64, on a sky hook in the paint with 51 seconds to play.
Moments earlier, Lowe came up limping and exited the game after re-aggravating a right foot injury sustained before the season. Without stopping to sit on the bench, he returned to the floor one minute later.
‘I knew I had to get back out there and help my team,’ Lowe said. ‘I just sucked it up.’
‘I whispered to him, ‘If you don’t go back in, we’re in big trouble here, so get back in there,” Chambers said half-jokingly. ‘And he did.’
Lowe fed Holland for a fast-break dunk with six seconds left in the extra session, and after a missed 3 by Bataille, Holland made two free throws to decide the outcome.’
The America East’s active leading career scorer, Lowe has a loyal supporter in his first-year coach.
‘Sometimes, when Corey goes through his rough spells, you just have to stick with him, because you know he’s going to make plays,’ Chambers said. ‘He’s your senior, he’s your captain, and he’s your leader. That’s what he did tonight, and that’s why I stick with him. He’s gritty, and he’s got a lot of guts.’
‘If you’re a shooter, you just have to keep shooting, you know?’ Lowe said. ‘Eventually, they’ll go in.’
Game notes: Freshman guard B.J. Bailey logged a season-high 21 minutes and scored six points. … BU converted 15-of-16 attempts from the free-throw line. NU went 17-for-26. ‘hellip; Holland is the 29th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau. Chambers lauded the Bronx. N.Y., native, who has come off the bench in five of six contests this season, for his willingness to serve as the sixth man after starting 29 of 30 games a year ago. ‘I give that kid a lot of credit,’ Chambers said. ‘John’s first-team all-league and our leading scorer, and he comes off the bench. There’s something to be said for that. He doesn’t have an ego. The fact that he did that says something about him.’
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