Dec. 4, 2010

Box Score | Postgame Comments

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Junior Jake O'Brien had a game-high 19 points and senior John Holland added 11 more for the Boston University men's basketball team, but Bucknell held off the Terriers in the final minute to post a 52-49 victory over the Terriers on Saturday night at Sojka Pavilion.

Holding the Bison (4-6) to a season-low 31 percent shooting, the Terriers (4-5) went 0-for-10 from beyond the arc in the second half to lose its third game of the season by three or fewer points.

With the score tied at 47 apiece, G.W. Boon drained a contested 3-pointer to push Bucknell ahead with 1:32 remaining. Freshman Dom Morris cut the deficit to one at 1:07, and BU's defense created a turnover to have the ball with the shot clock turned off. However, Holland missed a tough jumper inside the paint with 15 seconds left, and the Bison got the jump ball after O'Brien's rebound. Darryl Shazier hit both free throws after being immediately fouled on the inbounds pass, and junior Matt Griffin missed a rushed 3-point attempt in what ended up being BU's final chance.

Both teams' offenses struggled in the second half, shooting below 24 percent after the Terriers entered the locker room at the half with a 32-31 advantage. They each had seven made field goals, but the Bison scored two 3-pointers and two more free throws to pull away with the win.

Moving up to 953 career points after going 8-for-17 on the night, O'Brien also had a team-high seven rebounds along with junior Patrick Hazel. Holland hit double figures for the eighth time this season and also recorded a career-high six assists, topping his previous high of four set in 2008. Morris was the third Terrier in double figures with 10 points.

Mike Muscala was one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Boon also came close with nine points and eight rebounds. Bryan Cohen added 10 points, and Darryl Shazier recorded six assists. Bucknell went 18-for-51 on the night but helped itself at the line by going 10-for-12 (.833), while the Terriers finished 4-for-9 (.444).

Two years ago on the road, the Terriers rallied from a 16-point first-half deficit to send the game to overtime and eventually pull out a 71-68 victory. This time, the Bison overcame a double-digit deficit after trailing 29-19 with 5:28 left in the first half. BU pulled ahead early with O'Brien and Holland combining for 21 points and with the defense creating eight turnovers.

The offense sputtered though in the final 3:25 minutes after O'Brien push the lead to 32-23 by missing four field goals and two free throw attempts to allow Bucknell to cut the deficit to one. Boon drained a 3-pointer at 3:13 and made another with 58 seconds remaining.

To start the second half, Holland hit his final field goal of the night and O'Brien made a layup after grabbing the rebound off his own missed 3-point attempt. His final made field goal happened at 15:06 to put BU ahead, 42-39. Neither team scored again until Cameron Ayers cut the deficit to one at 12:26.

The Terriers broke a four-minute drought at 10:54 when Morris hit the layup while being fouled. After his made free throw, BU had chances to extend the lead but missed five consecutive attempts. Shazier took advantage of the missed opportunities by hitting a 3-pointer at 8:26, and later, Muscala tied the game, 45-45, with a made free throw at 7:51.

Ayers put Bucknell ahead, 47-45, with 4:53 left on a jumper, and BU tied it for the third and final time with made free throws from Partin (4:28) and Holland (3:02). Boon's 3-pointer at 1:32 proved to be the difference.

In total, the Terriers went nearly 10 minutes without a made field, and Morris hit the only two in the final 15 minutes of the contest (10:54, 1:07). They finished 20-for-60 (.333). Still, BU's defense kept the team in the game by holding its sixth opponent of the season below 38 percent shooting.

Following its seventh contest on the road, BU will return home and host La Salle at Agganis Arena on Thursday (Dec. 9) with tip-off set for 7 p.m.