Men's Basketball Travels to Canisius Monday Night
November 11, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2012
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BOSTON - Concluding a season-opening two-game road trip, the Boston University men's basketball team will visit Canisius on Monday night with tip-off set for 7 p.m. The contest marks a return game for the Terriers after they earned a 70-62 win in the 2011 BracketBusters.
BU is currently 0-1 after a heart-breaking 65-64 loss at Northeastern on Friday night. The crosstown rivals battled to the end with nine lead changes taking place in the final six minutes, but the Huskies came out on top at Matthews Arena by draining a 3-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation.
Two freshmen started for the Terriers, marking the first time since 2006 that more than one was on the court at the tip. Freshman forward Nathan Dieudonne made his presence felt, tallying a game-high nine rebounds along with seven points with one of his made field goals coming from behind the arc. Classmate Maurice Watson Jr. showed glimpses of what is to come during the next four years with three impressive drives to the basket and a team-high four assists.
The season opener also marked the first time since Dec. 10, 2008, that BU did not have a single 1,000-point scorer on the bench following the graduation of Darryl Partin ('12) and Jake O'Brien ('12), leaving a void for a go-to scorer. On Friday, junior D.J. Irving took the mantle and recorded a team-high 18 points with sophomore Malik Thomas contributing 13 points off the bench.
On the defensive end, junior Travis Robinson recorded a career-high nine rebounds while classmate Dom Morris hauled in seven to help BU out-rebound Northeastern, 39-29. The Huskies though attacked the basket in the second half to put multiple Terriers in foul trouble and reach the free throw line. They went 17-of-22 at the charity stripe to cut into BU's nine-point halftime lead and eventually win the game.
BU will face an unknown squad in Canisius that went 5-25 last year and is playing its first game of the year on Monday. The Golden Griffins are now led by former Rhode Island head coach Jim Baron and also have four transfers eligible to play. Top returning player is Harold Washington, who earned All-Conference Second Team honors after averaging 17.0 ppg last season. Alshwan Hymes averaged 15.4 ppg and was deadly from beyond the arc, hitting a school-record 84 3-pointers. The 6-foot-9 forward Josiah Heath led all MAAC freshmen with 6.0 rpg.
One of the top transfers is Jim Baron's son, Billy, who averaged 13.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 2.6 apg last season for Rhode Island. The Griffins will rely on former Kansas State forward Freddy Asprilla to provide size in the paint. Standing 6-foot-10, he averaged 4.9 ppg and 4.9 rpg for the Wildcats during the 2010-11 season.
The Terriers own a 14-8 edge in the all-time series against Canisius. The two teams were members of the America East from 1979-1989 when the Griffins departed for the MAAC. Two years ago, John Holland and Darryl Partin combined for 48 points to help the Terriers claim a 70-62 win at Agganis Arena.
BU faced Jim Baron last year at Rhode Island during the TicketCity Legends Classic. The Terriers pulled out a 70-64 victory to snap the Rams' 32-game home win streak against non-conference opponents.
Following the game, BU will return to Boston and prepare for Saturday's home opener against George Washington. The Terriers and Colonials will face off at 1 p.m. in Case Gym with NESN broadcasting the game.
