Randy Monroe couldn’t come up with a definitive answer.
‘Which guy is the most dangerous?’ asked a reporter, referring to Boston University men’s basketball players John Holland, Corey Lowe and Jake O’Brien.
‘I don’t know,’ the University of Maryland-Baltimore County coach replied with a shrug. ‘You name ’em.’
BU’s three-headed monster torched Monroe’s team from a variety of angles Tuesday, combining for 65 points in the Terriers’ 75-63 victory over the Retrievers at Case Gymnasium.
Junior forward Holland posted a game-high 25 points, with senior guard Lowe and sophomore forward O’Brien tallying 20 apiece. The trio shot a combined 20-for-47 from the field and 10-for-27 beyond the 3-point arc while converting 15-of-17 free throws to account for 87 percent of BU’s scoring output.
‘Corey’s just a phenomenal player, John’s a very good player, and then you have O’Brien, who is another very good basketball player,’ Monroe said. ‘You try to take everything away from a team, but you’re not going to stop very good players all the time. It’s just virtually not going to happen.
‘When BU needed to make things happen, those guys did just that ‘- they made things happen. That’s what the game’s all about.’
They did more than score. Holland grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds, Lowe committed a respectable four turnovers running the point, and O’Brien collected three blocks.
‘Everybody knows we can put points on the board, but we also have to do it in other areas,’ Holland said. ‘Those are our keys that have to push us over the edge to be the team we’re trying to be at the end of the year.’
Three days after making program history by each topping 30 points in a win at the University of Hartford, Holland and Lowe extended their scoring spree through the opening half against UMBC. Lowe converted 4-of-7 field goal attempts for 11 points in the period, including a 3-for-5 effort from 3-point land, only to be outdone by Holland’s 15 first-half points on 6-of-12 shooting.
The second session featured a much-needed strong showing from O’Brien, who shot 2-for-14 and totaled eight points in the Terriers’ previous two contests. Sixteen of the 2008-09 America East Rookie of the Year’s 20 points Tuesday came after halftime, with his career-best 10-for-11 performance at the free-throw line masking a 4-for-15 night from the field.
‘I still didn’t shoot as well as I can, but it’s not always going to be perfect,’ O’Brien said. ‘I’m definitely trying to diversify my game, and if I can get to the line more, I think it will be a lot better for me and this team.’
With his rotation shortened due to the injury absences of senior co-captains Scott Brittain and Tyler Morris, BU coach Patrick Chambers needs his three stars to shine now more than ever.
‘I thank [former BU coach] Dennis Wolff every day,’ Chambers said. ‘He did a great job bringing these kids in, and I’m fortunate to come into this situation. Most times you get a job, you’re in the bottom of the league and it takes four or five years to produce a winning team. To have the talent of Corey, John and Jake is something I’m very grateful for.’
Tuesday, Monroe saw why.
‘We lost to a hell of a basketball team,’ he said. ‘Their Big Three were their Big Three tonight. They were just phenomenal.’
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