In his second record-breaking performance in less than a month, junior John Holland posted a career-high 43 points against the University of Delaware Saturday night to lead the Boston University men’s basketball team to a 78-65 demolition of the Blue Hens.
Holland’s point total tied BU Hall of Famer Tunji Awojobi for the fifth most points ever scored by a Terrier in a single game and set the record at Bob Carpenter Center. The junior truly showcased his talent on offense to reach his career best &- he shot 14-of-20 from the field, hit 6-of-10 from 3-point land and scored over half of the Terriers’ points.
After the game, Holland stated that it has been a focus on self-improvement that has led him to this point in this career.
“Personally my goal is to always try and get better, to work on different things and different weaknesses,” Holland said. “Hopefully I’ve improved over the years. And that’s the goal, to keep getting better, not just as a team but also as an individual.”
“There’s no doubt that it was a magical day for John and our team,” said BU coach Patrick Chambers. “We knew John had the hot hand and we kept giving it to him. I think his teammates were finding him. He just had one of those days where everything he shoots was falling. He stepped up for us in a huge way on the road.”
Holland’s efforts in improving his play are also evident in his free-throw shooting – he went 9-for-11 from the free throw line on Satruday. Along with senior Carlos Strong who went 3-of-4, Holland hit critical shots from the charity stripe down the stretch to hold off Delware’s late game charge in the second half.
“Coach [Chambers] definitely stresses to get more aggressive and to get to the free-throw line,” Holland said. “I really take actually a lot of pride in my free throw shooting. It’s definitely something I’m proud of.”
The only other Terrier to score in double digits was Strong, who had 11 with five rebounds. Senior Corey Lowe had nine points and eight rebounds. The Terriers shot 27-for-52 (52 percent) from the field, outpacing Delaware in the second half to the tune of 15-for-24 (62 percent). The Blue Hens shot just 39 percent for the game.
On any other night, Delaware junior Alphonso Dawson might have been the story &- he had 19 points and nine rebounds to lead the Blue Hens. Freshman Jamelle Hagins scored 11 and pulled down 11 rebounds for a double-double. The Terriers’ defense limited junior Jawan Carter, the Colonial Athletic Association’s second leading scorer, to just 12 points.
“I though we just played really good team defense,” Chambers said. “And [Carter] is a really talented player &- he’s the leading scorer, he’s the leader in assists, he’s a leader in a lot of categories. He’s a heck of a player.”
Despite its outcome, Saturday night’s game started as a much more competitive matchup than the outcome suggests &- for the first time this season, the Terriers entered the second half with a tie, 32-32. The first frame was something of a shootout, with short scoring runs by both the Terriers and Blue Hens interrupted by the teams going basket for basket in the final minutes.
The Terriers pulled away and then some in the second half, starting with a 14-3 run that put a serious damper on any of Delaware’s lingering comeback hopes. BU led by as much as 19 in the second half.
The Terriers improve their current winning streak to three and have won five out of their last six games for a 5-1 record in February. The Blue Hens, on the other hand, have lost seven of their last eight and are on a four-game losing streak.
BU has just one game left on its regular season schedule &- a Feb. 27 matchup against the University of Maine &- and the Terriers’ recent streak has been a boon to the team’s America East tournament chances.
“I’ve said throughout the whole year that we’re going to be the best team we can be by the end of the season, and I think we’re heading in that direction,” Chambers said. “We’re getting healthy, guys are getting more comfortable in their roles and in their defensive assignments.
“That’s the goal, the goal is to be the hottest team going into the tournament, and if we can have a good week of practice, who knows? Maybe we’ll get there.”
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