As Marques Johnson ran down the game clock dribbling in front of the half-court circle, the entire Terrier bench rose to its feet exhibiting joy mixed with relief.
The streak is over.
Yesterday’s 79-72 victory against Harvard University at Case Gymnasium not only marked the end of a frustrating six-game losing streak for the Boston University men’s basketball team, but also gave fans a glimpse of what the Terriers can accomplish.
“Obviously this was an important game for us. I thought, clearly, including the [St.] Bonaventure game, this was the most fight we had all year,” said BU coach Dennis Wolff. “Which, win or lose, was what I was hoping to have happen.”
It was the most complete effort the Terriers (2-6) have turned in all season. And the most inspired.
BU shot 46.0 percent from the field, breaking the 40-percent mark for only the second time all season, and connected on a staggering 52.2 percent of its shots from 3-point range (12-of-23).
Sophomore guard Corey Lowe led all scorers with 23 points and recorded the first double-double of his career — and BU’s first of the season — by grabbing 10 rebounds. He and sophomore forward Scott Brittain, who netted a career-high 17 points, dominated the second-half scoring for the Terriers, as the duo combined for 26 of BU’s 35 points in the final 20 minutes.
“In addition to the points Lowe had, I’m shocked to see that he had 10 rebounds,” said first-year Harvard coach Tommy Amaker. “That’s a heck of a stat-line for a guard.”
Harvard (4-5) was led by junior guards Drew Housman (21) and Andrew Pusar (18), but ultimately surrendered to a suddenly efficient Terrier offense.
In the first half, sophomore guard Carlos Strong couldn’t miss. Strong poured in 19, including five 3’s, and finished with 22. It’s the third consecutive game the Portland, Maine native has notched 20 or more points.
“I thought Strong was tremendous,” Amaker said. “I thought their perimeter play was tremendous. He really hurt us in the first half and put us in a hole.”
Strong utilized a convincing pump fake to get Crimson defenders up in the air and create an easier shot for himself. His string of 11 consecutive points, during which his shots were barely scraping the net, kept the score close and, more importantly, emphasized his ability to completely change the complexion of the game within a matter of minutes.
“I knew they were going to be flying out at me, but I realized I could use the pump fake to get an open shot,” Strong said. “I was using my skills to my advantage.”
Lowe turned in one of BU’s most athletic plays all year with 13:10 remaining. With the Terriers up 54-53 and in danger of surrendering the lead, Johnson (a career-high 11 points, seven assists and no turnovers) fed Lowe the ball left of the key. The Newton native connected from downtown, getting knocked to the floor in the process, though no foul was called. He got up and sprinted cross-court to block a seemingly wide-open layup attempt by sophomore guard Jeremy Lin (who scored Harvard’s first six points).
Following a series of misses by junior co-captain Matt Wolff (2) and freshman John Holland (4), Lowe buried another from 3, this time assisted by Strong. The Crimson never came within four points of BU again.
For the first time all season, BU’s offense was in an unshakable groove. The Terriers combined pin-point shooting from beyond the arc with fastbreak conversions and exhibited the ability to score inside. Only turning the ball over 12 times helped as well.
Johnson fed Holland for a quick score with 56 seconds remaining in the first half, and Holland returned the favor 26 seconds later after a block by Strong. The mini four-point run gave BU a seven-point lead at the break. Plays like that contributed to the Terriers outscoring Harvard 16-0 in fastbreak points — a testament to BU’s desire not to come out flat for a second-straight contest.
Brittain exemplified that determination in the final 10 minutes of the second half. The 6-foot-9 forward crashed the boards and recorded a key put-back with 4:39 remaining to extend BU’s lead to seven. He scored 11 of his 17 in the final frame and blocked a career-high five shots (BU had nine rejections on the evening).
“He pursued the basketball and was relentless on the glass,” Amaker said. “The way that he was playing looked like he was pursuing the ball and had a hunger for it greater than ours.”
The Ontario native also benefited from Wolff chewing him out after turning in a half of mediocre basketball.
“Coach was kind of getting on me in the first half,” Brittain said, addressing his much-improved second-half performance.
“I was more than ‘kind of getting on him,'” Wolff interjected.
“I just saw the ball and went after it in the second half,” Brittain said. “I should have been doing it the whole game.”
Brittain’s inspired play is exactly what was lacking against Manhattan College, when Lowe and Strong went off, but the rest of the team was quiet. Last night Lowe and Strong delivered once more, but they were supported by solid defense and multiple scoring options.
The Terriers ran exclusively a man-to-man defense yesterday. And though there were times when buckets came far too easily for Harvard, it’s something Wolff will stick with. BU out-rebounded its opponent (38-36) for only the second time this season.
“I thought the defensive rebounding was good,” Wolff said. “We were engaged way differently when a shot went up than we were Saturday. And that’s all you can ask.”
BU has won seven in a row and 14 of 15 against the Crimson. The Terriers now embark on a five-game road trip that will extend to the beginning of conference play Jan. 6 at Binghamton University.
“We needed [this win], very bad,” Brittain said. “As a team we needed it to get our spirits back. We were just kind of down on ourselves, frustrated. So it was a great win.”