Terriers Drop 70-56 Decision At Cleveland State
December 21, 2002 | Men's Basketball
In what proved to be a tight first half - the lead changed hands 16 times in the first 20 minutes - B. U. (4-5) took its largest lead of the game on a three-pointer from sophomore guard Chaz Carr (Manchester, Conn.) with 6:03 left to break a 22-22 tie. Later in the half, Carr hit another three-pointer to break a 26-26 tie and give the Terriers another three-point lead. It would be the last time the Terriers led, however, as CSU (5-6) finished the half on a 7-0 run to take a 33-29 edge at the half.
Sophomore forward Rashad Bell (Queens, N. Y.) hit a top-of-the-key three-pointer with 4:35 gone in the second half to cut the CSU lead to 40-39. The Vikings responded with a 9-1 run over the next 3:33, capped by a Niakate three-pointer with 11:52 to go, allowing the host team to open a 49-40 advantage.
The Terriers committed their seventh team foul with 11:12 left, opening the Vikings' free throw shooting floodgates. CSU took advantage, hitting 15-of-18 free throws the rest of the way. The Terriers hung around, however, as a Carr steal and transition layup with 3:25 left cut the CSU lead to six points at 59-53, but the Vikings finished the game by making 9-of-10 free throws in the final 2:10 to wrap up the victory.
"They deserved to win," said Terriers' head coach Dennis Wolff. "They did everything in a more aggressive fashion than we did. You can't win any game shooting 32 percent."
Carr, who came off the bench for the first time this year, led the Terriers with 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting. He was joined in double figures by Bell, who had 12 points, and senior forward Billy Collins (Concord, N. H.), who finished with 11 points. Freshman forward Kevin Gardner (Palos Verdes, Calif.) led the Terriers' rebounding efforts with six rebounds, although B. U. was outrebounded for only the second time this season. CSU had a 40-37 edge on the boards.
B. U. shot only 32.8 percent for the game on 20-for-61 shooting. The Terriers did make a season-high nine three-point field goals. CSU shot 41.7 percent, going 20-for-48 from the field. The Vikings held a 37-13 advantage in free throw attempts, making 18 more free throws than the Terriers.
Along with Niakate's 23-point effort, senior forward Andre Williams had 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while junior guard Jonathan Burge had 11 points.
B. U. next travels to Tucson, Ariz. to participate in the Fiesta Bowl Classic on Dec. 28-30. The Terriers open with a game against the ACC's Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, Dec. 28. Game time is 3:45 p.m. EST. Possible second round opponents are a pair of Wildcats, either the host University of Arizona or Davidson College. The championship-consolation round games will be played on Monday, Dec. 30.
