BOSTON – Currently riding a four-game win streak, the Boston University men's basketball team will host Bucknell on Sunday in a battle for first place in the Patriot League standings with the CBS Sports Network broadcast set for 12 p.m. With three regular season contests remaining, the Bison own a 12-3 mark, ahead of the Terriers (11-4), Navy (10-5) and Lehigh (9-6).
Prior to tip-off, the Terriers will honor seniors
Justin Alston,
Cameron Curry,
Dylan Haines and
Eric Fanning.
TERRIER TIDBITS
- The Terriers are 11-3 at home this season and are trying to claim 12 wins on campus for the first time since going 12-2 in the 2010-11 season that saw BU capture both the America East title and the NCAA berth at home.
- The Terriers are shooting 44.6 percent from the field and an even better 46.5 percent at Case Gym ... Opponents are averaging just 39.5 FG% in the 14 contests as well.
- BU has also been a far superior 3-point shooting team at home at 39.5 3FG% compared to the 32.0 3FG% road mark.
- Currently 16th all-time at BU with 1,200 points, senior Eric Fanning remains the team leader in both scoring (15.0 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) ... John Holland ('11) was the last Terrier to accomplish the feat in 2008-09 at 18.1 ppg and 5.5 rpg.
- Reigning PL Player of the Week and senior Justin Alston is averaging 13.8 ppg, 61.4 FG% and 6.8 rpg in conference play ... On Wednesday at Colgate, he reached 20+ points for the fourth time this season with a game-high 21 points.
- Alston and Fanning have combined for all five double-doubles this season.
- The Terriers rank 22nd nationally in steals per game at 8.2 spg and 93rd in field goal percentage defense (42.0 FG%).
- Junior Cedric Hankerson (9.7 ppg) ranks 38th nationally in steals at 1.96 spg while sophomore Kyle Foreman (6.3 ppg) is 64th at 1.84 spg ... Foreman also ranks 74th in assists at 4.7 apg.
SCOUTING BUCKNELL
- Defending Patriot League regular season champion Bucknell is 8-6 on the road compared to 10-2 mark at home with an impressive non-conference win at Vanderbilt.
- Both of Bucknell's losses in the last three games came on the road at Lehigh (79-71) and Loyola Maryland (78-77) ... The Bison beat Colgate, 75-58, at home on Monday before the Raiders fell by one to BU on Wednesday.
- Four players have started in all 28 games, and all four average double figures - Zach Thomas (15.9 ppg), Nana Foulland (14.7 ppg), Kimbal Mackenzie (11.1 ppg) and Stephen Brown (10.6 ppg) ... Nate Jones (3.6 ppg) and Avi Toomer (3.3 ppg) have combined for the other 28 starts.
- Foulland also leads the Bison in both rebounding (8.1 rpg) and blocks (1.9 bpg), while Brown leads in assists (4.7 apg) and steals (1.6 spg).
- Bucknell ranks 35th nationally in field goal percentage at 47.8 FG% and is holding opponents to 43.7 FG%.
- The Bison rank 72nd nationally in made free throw attempts and are averaging three more per game than the Terriers though own a lower FT percentage ... BU is 6-1 when hitting more FTs.
SERIES HISTORY
- Bucknell leads the all-time series, 9-3, and won the first-ever meeting in 2005 at Santa Clara's Cable Car Classic.
- In Patriot League contests, the Bison earned a sweep each of the last two seasons after the road team prevailed both times in 2014 ... Bucknell is on a six-game win streak against the Terriers and also a four-game win streak in Boston with BU last winning in 2009.
- Trailing 52-46 with 7:44 remaining back on Jan. 21 in Lewisburg, Pa., Bucknell went on a 10-0 run en route to a 70-59 victory ... The Terriers were ahead by as many as eight in the first half and led for over 32 minutes in the contest, as Alston tallied a team-high 20 points ... Nana Foulland led the Bison with 23 points.
- Bucknell shot 65.4 percent in the second half to outscore the Terriers by 18 and finished with an 18-5 advantage in made free throws for the 11-point victory.
- In the last meeting at Case Gym in 2016, BU was up 26-9 before Bucknell reeled off 11 straight points ... The Terriers missed a buzzer-beating 3-pointer for the 74-71 loss ... Game marked the only time last season BU held a double-digit lead and lost ... Bucknell's Stephen Brown had game-high 21 points and three huge steals in the second half for the win.
