Dec. 9, 2010

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BOSTON -  A season-high five Boston University men's basketball players scored in double-figures, but La Salle had six finish with eight points or more to earn an 84-81 victory Thursday night at Agganis Arena. The Explorers (6-3) made 8 of 12 free throws in the final 1:19 to hold off the Terriers (4-6), who closed within a point on three separate occasions in the last 41 seconds after trailing by six.

Named America East player of the game, junior Darryl Partin led BU with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists. Freshman Dom Morris had his best performance yet, posting a season-high 15 points and team-high eight rebounds. Senior John Holland (15), freshman D.J. Irving (11) and junior Jake O'Brien (10) were the other three in double-figure scoring, as the Terriers finished with a season-high 81 points off 27-of-61 (.443) shooting.

Entering the contest averaging 77.5 ppg, the Explorers allowed more than 80 points in regulation for the first time this season, but the offense came through by hitting 65.4 percent of its attempts in the second half to finish 29-of-60 (.483). Ruben Guillandeaux tallied a game-high 21 points, while Earl Pettis finished with 19 after hitting his final two free throw attempts with eight seconds left in regulation to push the lead to three. Steve Weingarten had eight points and 10 rebounds to help La Salle win the battle at the boards, 39-37.

The fast-paced contest featured nine lead changes and six ties in the second half during the first meeting between the two programs since 1997. Irving had a chance to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining but his second attempt rimmed out and forced BU to foul. Following Pettis' made free throws, Holland tried to hit his fifth 3-pointer of the second half, but La Salle's athletic defense forced him into a last-second heave for the win.

Trying to push the ball throughout the night, both teams played sloppy at times and combined for 37 turnovers with 22 of them coming off steals. BU did a better job of converting, having 22 points against 18 off turnovers. La Salle overcame the deficit by scoring 32 points inside the paint during the second half to finish ahead, 44-28.

Four different Terriers scored during a 12-3 run to put BU ahead, 16-7, with 12:32 left in the first half. Partin's 3-pointer extended the lead to 30-18 at 6:49, but Guillandeaux tallied 10 points to help La Salle cut the deficit to 38-35 entering the locker room. He drained two 3-pointers, including one just before the buzzer.

BU opened the second half with a layup and would lead 63-59 with 8:35 remaining following a Holland 3-pointer. The momentum continued to swing in different directions with La Salle taking the lead for good at 3:23 off a jumper by Weingarten. Jerrell Williams' made free throws pushed the one-point lead to 76-70 with 1:19 remaining.

Irving's 3-pointer cut the deficit to 79-78 with 41 seconds left, and Holland's dunk at 18 seconds brought the score to 81-80. Following both baskets, Guillandeaux went to the line and hit three of his four attempts. Following his second trip to the charity stripe, Irving drove to the hoop and was fouled during his attempt to tie the game.

Losing their fourth game by three or fewer points, the Terriers will next visit Harvard on Saturday (Dec. 11) for a 2 p.m. tip-off.