Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score | Postgame Comments

ALBANY, N.Y. - Trailing by 16 at the half, the Boston University men's basketball team rallied for the 70-67 victory at Albany on Saturday night. Senior John Holland recorded a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds to help the Terriers improve to 8-10 (3-1 AE) and earn second-year head coach Patrick Chambers' largest come-from-behind victory.

Albany (8-12, 1-4 AE) shot 51 percent from the field and had zero turnovers to take a 38-22 lead at the half, but BU rebounded in the second by enticing nine turnovers, shooting 59 percent from the field and hitting 17-of-21 attempts at the line. The bench also produced by contributing 13 points after scoring just one in the first stanza.

Named the Terriers' America East Player of the Game, Holland hit six 3-pointers and went 9-of-18 from the field while adding a block and a steal. Giving BU its first lead of the game at 56-55 with 5:31 remaining off a 3-pointer, junior Darryl Partin contributed 11 of his 16 points in the second half, and freshman D.J. Irving had an error free game at the point, posting seven assists along with five points. Junior Jeff Pelage added seven rebounds to help BU out-rebound Albany, 34-27.

The Great Danes had three finish in double figures, led by Tim Ambrose's 18 points and five assists. Logan Aronhalt recorded 13 points, and UA's America East Player of the Game Luke Devlin added 11 points and four rebounds. Ralph Watts came off the bench with seven points and six rebounds.

Combining for 22 3-pointers in the game, both squads started the contest hot from beyond the arc with Ambrose draining a trey on the first possession. Holland scored BU's first nine points on 3-pointers, and Irving hit the fourth 3-pointer at 14:41 to tie the game at 12-12. UA then went on a 12-2 run ended by Watts' 3-pointer at 8:45.

Partin cut the deficit to six (26-20) on a 3-pointer with 6:45 remaining, but the Terriers failed to hit a field goal the rest of the half. The Great Danes took advantage with the next 12 points all coming off 3-point plays. Mike Black hit a layup and then a free throw after a foul, and UA drained three other shots from beyond the arc to take a 38-22 lead into the locker room.

Shooting 30 percent in the first half and only taking five trips to the line, the Terriers came out strong to start the second with a 14-4 run. Trailing 42-28 at 17:45, Holland hit a jumper after an alley-oop dunk on the previous possession, and Partin contributed the next six points to cut the deficit to six (42-36) with 14:34 remaining.

The Great Danes hit clutch treys throughout the second half, including one at 13:38 to push the lead back to nine. However, BU never relented and trailed 45-41 with 11:25 remaining off a Griffin 3-pointer.

Facing another nine-point deficit (52-43) following a Devlin trey at 8:52, the Terriers went on a 13-3 run with Partin, Griffin and Holland all hitting 3-pointers.

Aronhalt responded at 4:00 with a 3-pointer for UA's final lead of the game, 58-56. Pelage took the lead back with a layup and made free throw after enticing the foul going to the hoop. Holland then hit a 3-pointer to push BU's lead to four.

After John Puk's layup, freshman Travis Robinson hit a jumper and then a reverse layup at 2:23 and 1:11, respectively, to put BU ahead, 66-60, and force the Great Danes to foul. The Terriers hit their free throws down the stretch and held UA without a field goal in the final minute until Ambrose hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to pull within three.

The Terriers finished the game 20-of-45 (.444) from the field and 19-of-26 (.731) at the charity stripe, while the Great Danes went 25-of-57 (.439) and 6-of-7 (.857), respectively. The two teams will next meet at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 10.

With the win, BU earns its first three-game win streak of the season and snaps an eight-game losing streak on the road that dates back to last season's CBI semifinal loss at VCU.

BU will remain on the road and next play at UMBC on Monday, Jan. 17, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.