Boston Travels To Maine in America East Matchup
December 12, 1999 | Men's Basketball
The Boston University men's basketball team travels to Maine tonight to take on the Black Bears in an America East Conference matchup.
Boston University-Maine Matchup The Terriers, who opened their America East Conference schedule with a 79-72 win over Northeastern on December 9, face the University of Maine Black Bears for the 73rd time tonight... B.U. leads the all-time series, 36-35, after Maine captured both meetings last season by identical 76-54 scores... The series dates back to 1902-03, a 14-12 Maine victory... B.U. has won six of the past 10 games against the Black Bears and Dennis Wolff is 8-6 all-time against Maine.
Scouting the Black Bears Maine is currently 5-2 on the season, 1-1 in the America East... The team went 1-1 in conference play last week, falling to Towson, 72-67 on December 7, then coming back to defeat Delaware 74-68 on December 9... Maine is 1-0 at Alfond Arena this season, while B.U. is 4-2 on the road... Maine leads the conference in scoring offense, averaging 77.9 points per game... America East Preseason All-Conference selection Huggy Dye leads the team, averaging 17.8 ppg... He is followed by Julian Dunkley at 17.1 ppg... Both players are 5th and 6th in the conference, respectively... Maine is 6th in scoring defense, allowing 72.4 ppg.
Off the Bench Junior forward Jerome Graham came off the bench and tied a career-high with 11 points in the Terriers' 79-72 win over Northeastern Saturday night... Graham was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line in the game... Graham also had 11 points in a game versus Hartford on Feb. 19, 2000 of last season.
Collins In the Lineup Sophomore co-captain Billy Collins, who sat out last season as a transfer from Rutgers and was sidelined early this season with a stress fracture in his left foot, saw his first time as a Terrier against Harvard on December 5... Collins had four rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes of action... He follwed that with four points and a pair of rebounds in 12 minutes of action against Northeastern.
Best Start Ever Under Wolff The Terriers began the season 3-0 for the first time in head coach Dennis Wolff's career at B.U... Wolff is in his seventh season... It was the first time the Terriers had started the season 3-0 since the 1985-86 squad, which qualified for the NIT... The school record for wins to start the season is eight, set by the 1957-58 team.
The Butt of Nobody's Joke Freshman center Ryan Butt has been a nice surprise for the Terriers with his consistent play early this season... Butt has started five of B.U.'s six games, leading the team in rebounding with 5.8 per game... He is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.8 ppg... Butt scored a career-high 19 points in the 92-76 loss to George Washington.
Steal City Another freshman who has seen time in the starting lineup is guard Kevin Fitzgerald... Fitzgerald is currently third in the America East, averaging 2.33 steals per game, including a season-high six at Liberty on Nov. 21.
The Latest: Boston University 79, Northeastern 72 BOSTON, MA (Dec. 9) - Sophomore forward Paul Seymour (Liverpool, NY) scored a career-high 26 points and hit several clutch three-pointers to lead the Boston University men's basketball team to a 79-72 win at Northeastern in the America East opener for both schools on Saturday (Dec. 9)... Seymour hit 9-of-17 shots from the field, 6-of-9 from beyond the arc for the Terriers, in a game broadcast locally on WLVI Channel 56. It was B.U.'s fourth-straight win over the Huskies. The Terriers now lead the all-time series, 62-59... B.U. started out like a different team than the one that lost to Harvard on December 5 as Seymour and freshman Ryan Butt (Lancaster, PA) hit baskets the first two times down the court... Northeastern, which shot 52 percent in the first half, grabbed a 6-4 lead 2:23 into the contest on a layup by Charles Cranford, who had 16 points. The rest of the half remained tight-knit as neither team could break out for more than a four-point lead... The Huskies finally went on a small 7-1 run towards the end of the half, fueled by a Marcus Blossom three-pointer to give Northeastern a 31-24 lead with 18 seconds to go in the first half. After head coach Dennis Wolff called a 30-second time out with 11 seconds left, Seymour hit his first big shot, draining a three as time expired to cut the deficit to 31-27 at the half... Cranford hit a three to open the second half for Northeastern, but the Terriers battled back and pulled even, 49-49 on a three-pointer by Matt Turner (West Haven, CT) with 10:48 left in the game... Both teams traded leads over the next three minutes until Jerome Graham (North Minneapolis, MN), who had 11 points off the bench, hit a pair of free throws to give the Terriers a 57-56 lead with 7:50 to go. B.U. would never trail again... Seymour got the bench, and the B.U. faithful who made the trek across town, on their feet with another key three to put B.U. up eight, 64-56, with 5:06 to go. B.U. sank 8-of-12 free throws down the stretch to put the game away... The Terriers, who are now 4-2, 1-0 in the conference, shot 46 percent for the game and hit 80 percent of their free throws. B.U. was 13-for-24 (54.2 percent) from the floor, 5-for-8 (62.5 percent) from three-point range and 21-for-26 from the line (80.8 percent) in the second half... Head coach Dennis Wolff was pleased with his team's second-half performance, perhaps its strongest of the season... "If you look at how we played in the first half at Harvard and how we played in the second half tonight, it was like two different teams," said Wolff... Wolff, who moved into sole possession of second place on the Terrier coaches all-time win list with 97, was also pleased with the play of Graham, who was perfect on the night, hitting 3-for-3 from the field and 5-for-5 from the line... Butt was the other Terriers in double figures with 14 points, hitting 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from the line... Seymour's previous career-high was 24 points, set at UNH on Feb. 24, 2000. His six threes were one shy of the club mark of seven held by Mark Daly (twice) and Billy Beal.
Terriers Among America East Leaders Several Terriers are among the leaders in America East statistical categories... Sophomore forward Paul Seymour is fourth in the conference in scoring, averaging 19.0 ppg... Freshman forward Jason Grochowalski is tops in the conference in free throw percentage at 92.3 percent on 24-of-26 shooting... Sophomore Matt Turner is third in three point field goal percentage with 52 percent on 13-for-25 shooting... Sophomore Jacob Kudlacz is fifth in blocked shots, averaging 1.0 per game... As a team, the Terriers are third in scoring defense, allowing 69.7 points per game... The team is also third in free throw percentage, hitting at a 73.7 percent clip on 87-for-118 shooting.
The 92nd Season The Boston University men's basketball team is in its 92nd season of varsity competition - Since 1901-02, the Terriers have totaled an 851-873 record (.494) - In the last 20 years, B.U. has registered a 339-277 mark (.550)... In that span, there have been 14 winning campaigns, six 20-win seasons, and four NCAA Tournament appearances (1983, 1988, 1990, and 1997).
Reversing Trends The 2000-01 season has barely begun, but already the Terriers are reversing some trends from last season... B.U. was 0-18 in games in which it was outrebounded by an opponent in 1999-00. The Terriers are already 2-1 in that category this season after defeating Liberty and Quinnipiac... In night games last season, the Terriers were 2-17... B.U. is already 4-2 this season in games started after the sun goes down.
Defense Always A Key Defense has been a cornerstone in the Dennis Wolff era - The Terriers are currently third in the America East in scoring defense, allowing an average of 69.7 points per game... In Wolff's six-plus seasons, B.U. has a 77-31 mark when holding opponents under 70 points... Last season, in the 62-45 win over Northeastern Jan. 8, the Terriers held the Huskies to an opponent season-low 45 points and 29.5 percent shooting (18-for-61)... On December 11th against New Hampshire, the Terriers held the Wildcats to 51 points and 39.6 percent shooting. Four days earlier, B.U. held Harvard to 57 points and 32.3 percent shooting.
Wolff Closing In With the team's win over Northeastern on December 9, head coach Dennis Wolff moved into sole possession of second place on the all-time Terrier coaches wins list with 97... Wolff is just four victories away from the school mark of 101 held by Mike Jarvis... Wolff is now 97-85 in his career at B.U., a .533 winning percentage.
Three-Point Field Goal Streak at 130 Boston University currently has a 130-game three-point field goal streak... The last time the Terriers were held scoreless from beyond the three-point arc was Feb. 10, 1996, when they were 0-for-10 in a loss at Vermont... B.U. has hit three-pointers in 182-of-184 games in the Dennis Wolff-era.
Head Coach Dennis Wolff Head coach Dennis Wolff enters his seventh season at Boston University and currently sports a 97-85 record (.533 pct.)... During his tenure at B.U., Wolff's teams have captured two America East regular-season championships, and earned one NCAA Tournament berth (1997)... Wolff was hired on April 5, 1994 after serving 12 years as a Division I assistant at Virginia (1990-94), Southern Methodist (1989-90), Wake Forest (1985-1989), and St. Bonaventure (1982-84)... Wolff also served as the head coach of Division III Connecticut College, recording a 30-18 record from 1980-82.
Quoting Wolff on 2000-2001 "This is an important year for our program. On paper, we have a young team, but a lot of players have different levels of experience. Barring a similar situation with all the injuries we suffered last season, we should make significant progress."
Wearing the 'C' The 2000-2001 B.U. Terriers are captained by sophomore Billy Collins and junior Stijn Dhondt, both of whom red-shirted as transfers last season. Said head coach Dennis Wolff, "Billy and Stijn bring an older perspective and talent to this team. Both players showed extraordinary leadership and worked extremely hard through their red-shirt year." Collins is a 6-7, 200-lb. guard who last played a season for Rutgers University. At Rutgers, he appeared in 24 games, averaging 1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, and 6.2 minutes per game. He averaged 30 ppg and 9.0 rpg as a senior leading Bishop Brady to a 20-2 record and a berth in the New Hampshire State Class I final. He was named New Hampshire Player of the Year by USA Today - Dhondt, a 6-6, 215-lb. forward averaged 13.0 ppg and 7.9 rpg for Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo, CA) prior to arriving at B.U. He was named the team's Most Valuable Player and set a school single-season record with 275 rebounds.
America East Success Boston University is one of the charter members of the America East Conference, which was founded in 1979 - In those 21 seasons, the Terriers have won a league-record 171 conference and 31 tournament contests, including championships in 1983, 1988, 1990, and 1997.
New Staff In Place Head Coach Dennis Wolff has added some new faces to the Terrier staff for the 2000-01 season. Jason Williford, a former four-year player at the University of Virginia, was hired as the Terriers' third assistant coach on May 31. In addition, Paul Brazeau was named Director of Men's Basketball Operations on November 1. Brazeau spent the past eight years as head coach of the University of Hartford. Dan Turner was named the team's administrative assistant on November 1 as well. Turner served as an assistant coach at Lesley University and a part-time assistant at Bunker Hill Community College in 1999-2000.
Promising Futures Paul Seymour had a memorable freshman season for the Terriers, and actually saved some of his best basketball for the end of the season. He scored in double figures in the final 12 games of the season, averaging 18.2 ppg... Jacob Kudlacz also showed glimpses of his future when he scored a career-high 19 points and added 11 rebounds in a 75-64 win over Hartford on Feb. 19... Matt Turner also showed he is capable of running the offense for the Terriers, scoring 20 points with six assists in his first-ever collegiate game, a 78-65 loss to Northern Illinois. He followed that performance two games later with 15 points and six assists in a 91-79 loss to James Madison.
Paul Seymour: America East Rookie of the Year Paul Seymour became the third Terrier in the 90's to be named the America East Conference Rookie of the Year, joining Raja Bell in 1995 and Tunji Awojobi in 1994. Seymour, a three-time Rookie of the Week selection in 1999-2000, led the team in scoring with Jean Avebe, averaging 12.1 ppg. He led the team in scoring in 12-of-29 games, including six of the final eight.
It's Raining Three's Paul Seymour hit 70-of-192 three-pointers in 1999-2000, nine shy of the Terrier single-season record of 79 set by Mark Daly ('92) in 1991-92. Seymour's 70 three's were only two behind Delaware's John Gordon, who connected for an America East single-season best 72 long-range jumpers in 1996-97. Seymour also hit six three's in a game three times, one shy of the school mark of seven held by Daly (twice) and Billy Beal... Seymour's who shot 36.5% from three-point range, was 10th in the conference last year in that category.
