BOSTON – Coming off a sweep over Patriot League preseason favorite Lehigh, the Boston University men's basketball team will host Navy on Thursday (Feb. 2) at 7 p.m. The two squads are currently tied for second in the standings at 7-3 with the Midshipmen owning a seven-game win streak following a loss to the Terriers back on Jan. 5.
Prior to tip-off, a ceremony will be held to recognize head coach
Joe Jones and his 100 wins with the Terriers. Members of the team will also recognize BU faculty and staff as part of Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- BU is 9-2 at home this season with a 4-1 conference mark, having outscored opponents by an average margin of 8.7 ppg.
- The Terriers are shooting 44.5 percent on the season and are having more success at home at 47.0 FG% while holding opponents to 39.6 FG% ... BU is also shooting 40.2 percent from behind the arc in Case Gym.
- The Terriers recorded 13 steals against the Mountain Hawks and now rank 35th nationally in steals per game (8.0) ... Both junior Cedric Hankerson and sophomore Kyle Foreman are tied for the team lead and rank 70th overall at 1.8 spg.
- Foreman also ranks 62nd in assists at 5.0 apg after tallying seven helpers on Monday against just one turnover.
- Seniors Eric Fanning (15.1 ppg) and Justin Alston (11.6 ppg) are averaging a combined 30.7 ppg and 14.9 rpg in conference play ... Over the last two games, Fanning is averaging 29.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg after tallying 32 points against Army and 27 at Lehigh.
- Both Fanning and freshman Tyler Scanlon (7.5 ppg) have combined for 13 3-pointers in the last two contests on 22 attempts.
SCOUTING NAVY
- The Midshipmen are riding a seven-game win streak after suffering a 71-53 home loss to the Terriers back on Jan. 5 with six of the wins finishing in double-digit margins ... Two of the other conference losses were by a combined five points to Bucknell and Holy Cross.
- Navy has won its last four road games at American (71-53), Army (96-80 OT), Lafayette (88-51) and Loyola (75-62) after losing the first five contests.
- Navy ranks 31st nationally in scoring defense at 64.0 ppg and 86th in steals per game (7.1).
- During the seven-game win streak, Navy is shooting 51 percent from the field and 42 percent from behind the arc while averaging 76 ppg and out-rebounding opponents by a margin of 8.9.
- 6-foot-4 guard Shawn Anderson is the lone Mid averaging double-figure scoring at 12.4 ppg, but four others are averaging between 8.1 and 8.9 ppg ... 6-foot-7 forward Tom Lacey (8.1 ppg) leads Navy in rebounding at 8.0 rpg.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Terriers lead the all-time series, 8-1, after earning a 71-53 win back on Jan. 5 and after the two squads split last year's meetings on the road … BU won the first-ever contest between the two schools in the 1959 NCAA Sweet 16 in Charlotte, N.C.
- Leading 38-30 with 15:40 left at Navy, junior Will Goff hit three 3-pointers during a 13-0 run over the following four minutes to help BU pull away for the win ... The Terriers led by as many as 29 with 3:31 remaining before the Mids hit four treys down the stretch to put the final deficit at 18 points.
- Six Terriers had at least two steals, including a personal-best five steals from Foreman en route to a season-high 19 steals, two shy of the school record set in 1989 and four shy of the Patriot League record ... BU had more than 15 steals in a game for the first time since posting 15 against Morehead State during the 2010 CBI quarterfinals.
- Navy won the last meeting at Case Gym, 83-67, after trailing by two at the half by shooting 57.1 percent in the final 20 minutes and going 20-of-24 at the line with five Mids finishing in double figures.
