Feb. 6, 2012

Box Score | Partin's postgame comments

ALBANY, N.Y. - Senior Darryl Partin scored 25 of his career-high 33 points in the second half to help the Boston University men's basketball team overcome a 17-point deficit and earn a thrilling 81-78 victory at Albany on Monday night. Earning their seventh straight win over the Great Danes (15-11, 7-5 AE), the Terriers (13-13, 9-3 AE) claim sole possession of third place in the America East standings.

Trailing 66-50 with 9:55 remaining, BU scored 11 straight points and grabbed their first lead of the game (77-76) off a 3-pointer by Partin at 2:38. The teams exchanged baskets on the following two possessions, but neither team would hit a field goal the rest of the way. After senior Patrick Hazel drained two free throws with 1.9 seconds remaining, Albany called timeout to design a play but was unable to get a shot off from mid-court as the buzzer sounded.

The contest featured the conference's top two scorers in Partin (19.6 ppg) and Albany's Gerardo Suero (21.6 ppg). They were both named America East Players of the Game with a combined 61 points, but Partin delivered when it counted, scoring 14 points in the final 8:38 against Suero's four.

Shooting 12-of-17, Partin went 4-of-7 from behind the arc to become the 31st Terrier to reach 1,000 points at BU. Also the sixth-ever to score that many during his junior and senior years, he now has 1,198 total with 174 coming from his first two seasons at La Salle. Next in line to hit the mark with 562 points, sophomore D.J. Irving tallied 17 points and four assists.

Held to a season-low six points at Agganis Arena during a 70-57 loss to BU on Jan. 16, Suero posted a team-high 28 points on 9-of-17 shooting along with a game-high nine rebounds. Jayson Guerrier added 16 points off the bench, while Mike Black had 11 points and seven assists. Blake Metcalf nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine boards to help the Great Danes out-rebound BU, 37-28. 

The game was déjà vu, as the Terriers trailed by 16 (38-22) when returning to the locker room at SEFCU Arena last season before earning a 70-67 victory. This year, BU was behind by as many as 17 late in the first half and then by 16 at the 9:55 mark in the second.

Sophomore Travis Robinson ignited the run by poking the ball out of Suero's hands and then going across the court for a layup while being fouled. After Robinson's made free throw and a defensive stop, Hazel hit a layup and then BU followed with back-to-back 3-pointers by Partin and Irving for the 11-0 run during a two-minute span.

Down 74-71 with 3:14 left, Partin was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer. He nailed all three free throws to tie the game for the first time since the score was 4-4 early in the first half. Suero came back with a drive to the basket for his first score in nine minutes, but Partin pushed BU ahead for the first time with his fourth 3-pointer. 

Now trailing 77-76, Suero again flew to the basket but was fouled in the process. He hit both free throws to give Albany its final lead of the game. It only lasted 13 seconds, as Partin fed Hazel inside for a layup and the 79-78 advantage.

After getting a defensive stop, BU was unable to convert and turned it over with 23 seconds left. Black went for a fastbreak layup but was fouled. He missed both free throw attempts, but the Terriers lost the ball during the scuffle for the rebound.

BU's defense held strong, as Suero missed on a drive to the basket with seven seconds remaining. Metcalf grabbed the rebound, but his foot was out of bounds, giving the Terriers possession of the ball. After being found on the inbounds pass, Hazel hit both attempts at the line for the 81-78 win.

As a team, BU shot 27-of-53 (.509) from the field and 18-of-24 (.750) at the charity stripe, while the Great Danes went 27-of-59 (.458) and 18-of-26 (.692), respectively.  The Terriers only had two fewer turnovers, 15-17, but had a much greater conversion rate, posting 25 points against Albany's 11 on the miscues.

Partin's 33 points top his previous high of 32 against Cornell during the 2010-11 season and are the most by a Terrier since John Holland ('11) posted 43 on Feb. 20, 2010 at Delaware. The 33 points are also the most recorded by an individual in the America East this season.

Already earning sweeps over Albany and Binghamton, the Terriers will look for their third on Thursday (Feb. 9) against Maine at Case Gym. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.