Men’s basketball takes on Maine in conference tilt

There is a sense of urgency for the Boston University men’s basketball team.

No player has embodied the Terriers’ sentiment more than Darryl Partin, whose collegiate career dwindles down with each passing day. The senior swingman has pumped in 65 points over the last three games, including a career-high 33 points in a comeback win over the University at Albany on Monday.

With only five regular-season contests remaining before the America East tournament and BU (13-13, 9-3 America East) pinned to the No. 3 spot in the standings, Partin and his teammates will welcome the University of Maine (11-11, 5-6 America East) to Case Gymnasium Thursday night at 7 p.m.

“Darryl has done a good job of carrying us at certain points when we need him offensively,” said senior guard Matt Griffin. “He’s really been aggressive, assertive and taken the role on of taking tough shots. He did a great job against Albany of making tough shots when we really needed it.”

Griffin spoke on behalf of BU’s senior class – which includes forward Patrick Hazel, forward Chris Kurz, center Jeff Pelage and Partin – when he touched on the Terriers’ need to play with more urgency as they hit the tail end of their schedule.

But as his former coach Patrick Chambers would often say, Griffin’s only taking it one game at a time, and tonight’s matchup with the Black Bears is no different.

“We need to take it game by game,” Griffin said. “The urgency is there in terms of us being the best team we can be by March. Every game is important. Every practice is important. We just really need to give it our all from here on out.”

Since snapping a seven-game losing streak on Jan. 8 with a victory over Binghamton University, BU has won nine of its past 11 contests, including two straight with Monday’s win against the Great Danes.

Partin scored 25 points in the second half of his career night and recorded his 1,000th point in the process. Sophomore guard D.J. Irving contributed 17 points and four assists as the Terriers erased a 17-point deficit on their way to the three-point win. The Black Bears were on a three-game winning streak but were derailed by the University of Vermont – the No. 2 team in the conference behind Stony Brook University – on Monday by a final score of 73-63.

Guard Gerald McLemore carried the offensive load for Maine, netting a team-high 20 points on an efficient 7-of-15 shooting. Fellow guard Justin Edwards added 15 points and forward Mike Allison chipped in 10 in the loss.

Containing McLemore will be a pressing issue for BU, something that Irving knows full well since he’s the Black Bears’ primary threat on the offensive end.

“Most likely, [sophomore forward Travis Robinson] will guard him,” Irving said. “We know [McLemore] comes off screens and shoots. He’s a pure shooter. We know that if he gets going, he can get hot at any moment, so we need to take care of him.”

Maine ranks second in America East in scoring offense at 71.1 points per game and possesses one of the most dynamic offensive trios in the league in McLemore (18.1 ppg), Edwards (15.3 ppg) and forward Alasdair Fraser (13.2 ppg).

Irving deemed a quick start imperative for BU to be successful against an explosive Maine offense.

“We need to focus on getting back on transition because we know they’re an offensive-minded team,” Irving said. “In our last couple of games, we haven’t been coming off strong. We want to make sure we get our momentum going early and compete hard.”

In his first two years at the reins of the BU offense, Irving has noticed that the Black Bears have made it a habit of giving the Terriers fits.

He has an idea of why that’s the case.

“They know that in order for them to be an elite team in the conference they have to get through us,” Irving said. “For us to be in that conversation is good. They know we’re one of the best teams in the league. They know in order for them to be at the top, they need to get through us, Stony Brook and Vermont.”