Jan. 25, 2013
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BOSTON - After ending a three-game road trip with a thrilling come-from-behind victory at Albany, the Boston University men's basketball team returns to Case Gym on Saturday to face UMBC with action set to tip off at 1 p.m.
As part of BUnited against Breast Cancer Day, there will be raffles held in conjunction with Pi Kappa Alpha during the game with all proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer Coalition. It will also be BU Men's Basketball Alumni Day with former Terrier players being honored at halftime.
This past Wednesday, the Terriers (10-10, 4-3 AE) hit a season-high 14 3-pointers to earn their eighth straight victory over the Great Danes and improve to .500 for the first time this season after beginning the year 0-5. Junior D.J. Irving hit two of the treys in the final nine seconds of regulation before freshman John Papale drained three more in overtime.
BU shot 47.6 percent from the field in the game and is now leading the league at 44.5 percent. Irving, Papale and freshman Maurice Watson Jr. went a combined 21-of-40 (.525) against the Great Danes and finished with 59 of the Terriers' 85 points. Irving tallied 20 to move to 901 career points and begin the march toward the 1,000-point milestone.
This season has been unique for the Terriers due to the program not having a single 1,000+ point scorer on the squad for the first time since 2008. Irving leads BU in scoring at 14.6 ppg, but five others are averaging at least 7.0 ppg to share the scoring burden. Sophomore Malik Thomas (7.6 ppg) added 12 points against Albany, while freshman Nathan Dieudonne (4.4 ppg) contributed seven off the bench, including three off a key trey down the stretch.
On the defensive end, BU features two men in the top 20 in the conference in rebounding with Dom Morris at No. 12 averaging a team-high 6.2 rpg and Thomas (5.7 rpg) at No. 14. Thomas tallied 10 on Wednesday to earn his first-career double-double after Morris recorded three earlier in the year. The Terriers rank seventh in the conference in rebounding margin at -3.0 but has made up the difference by forcing turnovers. They rank second in steals at 7.7 per game after recording nine at Albany.
BU will look to swarm a UMBC squad that is averaging 15.9 turnovers a game. The Retrievers own a 4-15 record but are 2-4 in the conference with wins against Hartford and New Hampshire. With a head new coach in Aki Thomas, UMBC is a team looking to create mischief at the top of the league standings and almost pulled off the upset against conference-leader Stony Brook on Wednesday.
Four Retrievers scored in double figures, but Stony Brook was able to hold on for the 67-60 victory. A 6-foot-2 guard, Ryan Cook leads UMBC in scoring at 15.7 ppg and in rebounding at 6.4 rpg. A preseason All-Conference honoree, Chase Plummer is second at 11.2 ppg while averaging 5.9 rpg. Brett Roseboro stands 6-foot-10 is averaging 9.9 ppg and 6.3 rpg.
The Terriers own a 16-7 record in the all-time series and have won the last four meetings, including an 83-48 victory at Case Gym last season. BU shot 50 percent from the field while holding the Retrievers to 30.9 percent for the comfortable win.
Following Saturday's game, BU will get a week to recharge before beginning its final go-around with the conference. Joining the Patriot League on July 1 after helping form the America East back in 1979, the Terriers will start at Hartford on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Hartford with tip off slated for 7 p.m.
