Thursday, February 28, 2013

BU-SBU Press Conferences

From the FreeP: BU keeping it simple in game with rival SBU

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Boston University men’s basketball coach Joe Jones had an up-close and personal view of the meeting between BU (17-11, 11-4 America East) and Stony Brook University that took place at Agganis Arena March 12, 2011.

He was sitting behind the Terrier bench during the America East championship game, a matchup the Terriers won in nail-biting fashion, 56-54, to clinch the program’s first conference title since 2002 and seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Jones remembers the March afternoon quite fondly, especially the performance by Terrier legend John Holland, who piled up 27 points — including 14 in a row during a decisive stretch late in the second half — and sent the Agganis crowd into euphoria after the buzzer sounded.

“Both teams played hard that day,” Jones said. “John Holland was outstanding. What a great atmosphere. Those were things that I remembered from that afternoon.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Monday, February 25, 2013

From the FreeP: Irving reaches milestone in 68-59 victory

By Michael Bagarella/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team defeated the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday night, 68-59, to claim its sixth straight victory.

The game started off with a historic mark for junior guard D.J. Irving. Following a UMBC (6-21, 4-10 America East) turnover, Irving hit a 3-pointer 1:19 into the game to give BU (17-11, 11-4 America East) a 3-0 lead. More importantly, the 3-point shot put Irving past the 1,000-point milestone.

“It's a great achievement for D.J., but I don’t know how aware of it he was at the time,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “He did not play like he was aware of it, which doesn’t surprise me about him at all. He is such a team player.”

In terms of celebration, the game did not pause to honor the milestone, and the Terriers kept building momentum off the big 3-pointer.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Friday, February 22, 2013

From the FreeP: Solid two-way play gives BU 2nd win over Great Danes

By Michael Bagarella/DFP Staff

In its last America East game on the hardwood at Case Gymnasium, the Boston University men’s basketball team defeated the University at Albany 79–69 Wednesday night.

“We played real well on both sides of the floor,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “Other than getting ourselves in foul trouble, we did a good job defensively. Our offense was terrific tonight. They shared the ball and we got a lot of contributions. Guys were efficient and it was fun to coach tonight.”

It was the second meeting between the two teams, as the Terriers (16–11, 10–4 America East) deflated the Great Danes (19–9, 8–6 America East) in overtime by a score of 85–80 about a month ago.

Junior guard D.J. Irving picked up right where he left off Jan. 23 in Albany, N.Y. Behind his 11 first-half points and a few big plays from sophomore forward James Kennedy, BU led Albany 32–30 at the end of the first half.

After taking two offensive charges, Kennedy finished a layup 15:27 into the first half to give the Terriers a commanding 27–18 lead. Albany, however, came rearing back and, thanks to strong play from forward Sam Rowley and center John Puk, went on a 12–5 run to end the half and leave itself in a good position for the second half.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: Chemistry between Watson Jr., Papale demanding respect

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Boston University men’s basketball freshman guard Maurice Watson Jr. has a sixth sense when it comes to knowing where his roommate and fellow freshman guard John Papale is on the court.

Watson Jr. handed out 10 assists in BU’s (16–11, 10–4 America East) 79–69 win over the University at Albany in the final America East game at Case Gymnasium Wednesday. Five of those assists were to the 6-foot-3 Papale, who finished with a team-high 18 points.

Papale’s deadeye shooting from behind the 3-point line — he knocked down four treys against the Great Danes (19–9, 8–6 America East) — has commanded the respect of opposing defenses and provided the undersized but dynamic backcourt duo of Watson and junior guard D.J. Irving the ability to work its creativity in the lane.

“Me and John are roommates. I consider him one of my best friends,” Watson Jr. said. “So when I’m driving, I always have a sixth sense of where he’s going to be. He’s a shooter.

“You have to find the shooter to get the team hot. It opens up the floor so much that he makes some threes. It opens up some driving lanes for me and D.J., just to be able to find him. I know that he’s going to knock the shot down. I just call it a sixth sense in the back of my head that when I drive he’s going to find an open spot.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

From the FreeP: BU looks to continue stellar play

By Christopher Dela Rosa/DFP Staff

With spirits at the highest they have been all season long, the red-hot Boston University men’s basketball team is getting set to take on the University at Albany Wednesday night at Case Gymnasium as part of its America East farewell tour.

“Our guys know that we have a lot of respect for Albany,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “They’re well-coached and they have a very good team. They have a very good inside-outside game. They’re a tough team.”

The Terriers started off their season in a disappointing fashion, dropping their first five games, three of which were lost by three points or fewer. But they had a massive outburst, beating Coastal Carolina University 74–44 to pick up their first victory.

Since then, Jones’ team has steadily improved. At the moment, BU is riding a four-game win streak that began with a 79–72 win over the University of Maine on Feb. 5. Since then, the Terriers defeated Binghamton University, the University of Vermont and the University of New Hampshire, giving them season sweeps of three teams in conference play.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

BU continues excellent play with victory over University of New Hampshire

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

University of New Hampshire coach Bill Herrion couldn’t have been more accurate in his assessment of the Boston University men’s basketball team’s mentality as the America East Conference slate nears its conclusion.

“I don’t know this, but I know [BU coach] Joe [Jones] well and it seems like they’re playing like, ‘O.K., you know what? We can’t be in the tournament. Let’s just try to beat everybody on the way out,’” Herrion said. “I don’t know if that’s what their attitude is. … They’re playing great. They really are.”

Freshman guard Maurice Watson Jr. took it a step further, just minutes after he ran out the clock at the end of the Terriers’ 68-56 win over the Wildcats at Case Gymnasium on Sunday.

“Every game from here on out and as conference play started has been personal for us,” said Watson Jr., whose team has been barred from this year’s America East Tournament after it had accepted an invitation to join the Patriot League for the 2013-14 campaign.

“We just feel like we’re getting the short end of the stick because we’re making the change. “We want to leave them with a sour taste in their mouth when they play against the Terriers.”

Sunday, February 17, 2013

BU-New Hampshire Press Conferences

BU-New Hampshire Slideshow

All photos by Michael Cummo/DFP Staff

From the FreeP: Men’s basketball looking to extend win streak to 4 in upcoming contest vs UNH

By Christopher Dela Rosa/DFP Staff

The red-hot Boston University men’s basketball team returns to Case Gymnasium Sunday afternoon to close out its season series against the University of New Hampshire.

The Terriers (14–11, 8–4 America East) are on a three-game winning streak that has them sitting in third place, 1.5 games behind Stony Brook University, who sits atop the America East.

Their most recent victory came in a tough game against second-place University of Vermont Tuesday night. Despite some early troubles, BU was able to battle throughout the game and ultimately outlasted the Catamounts (16–8, 9–3 America East), 64–59.

Sunday’s game against the Wildcats (6–16, 2–8 America East) can go either way. BU was only able to make it out of Durham, N.H., last month with a five-point victory.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

From the FreeP: Terriers win 3rd consecutive game

By Christopher Dela Rosa/DFP Staff

Coming off of an easy weekend victory against Binghamton University, the Boston University men’s basketball team took a road trip up to Burlington, Vt., to take on the University of Vermont, and came away with its third straight victory Tuesday night, by a score of 64-59.

Unlike the first two games of the winning streak, the Terriers (14–11, 8–4 America East) did not get off to a good start. Against the University of Maine last week, BU was able to jump ahead 48–32 in the first half. A few days later against Binghamton University (3–22, 1–11 America East), BU had a 42–28 lead headed into the locker room.

But in Tuesday’s game, it was considerably closer in the first half. BU fell early against the Catamounts (16–8, 9–3 America East). Vermont took a 7–2 lead to start off the game, capitalizing on several Terrier misses.

BU made quick work of the deficit, and just a few minutes later was down only 9–8. The majority of the half was a back-and-forth affair, and with 3:37 left in the half, BU took its biggest lead of the frame, 20–18.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

From the FreeP: BU to take on surging UVM Tuesday night

By Michael Bagarella/DFP Staff 

The Boston University men’s basketball team will look to win its third straight game when it visits the America East-leading University of Vermont Tuesday night.

Coming off a 67–55 win against the University of Maryland-Baltimore County Saturday afternoon, Vermont (16–7, 9–2 America East) will be seeking its fifth straight victory.

During the winning streak, the Catamounts took down the slumping University at Albany, University of New Hampshire and University of Hartford. Since its last matchup with BU (13–11, 7–4 America East) Jan. 8, Vermont has gone 7–1, only losing a three-point game to the University of Maine on Jan. 22.

Vermont’s primary strength lies in its defense, while its offense is run through its forwards.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Monday, February 11, 2013

From the FreeP: Terriers defeat Binghamton in one-sided affair

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Boston University men’s basketball coach Joe Jones picked up on Binghamton University’s strategy in the opening minutes of a Saturday matchup with the Bearcats: Take freshman guard John Papale out of the game and do not let him settle into any offensive rhythm.

“It’s just hard to do that,” Jones said of the Bearcats’ game plan. “There are just so many guys who can hurt them.”

In front of a crowd of 2,706 at the Events Center, junior guard D.J. Irving did most of the hurting, dropping a career-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting and sinking seven treys to propel the Terriers (13–11, 7–4 America East) to a 79–58 thumping of the Bearcats (3–21, 1–10 America East).

BU produced two other starters in double figures, as Papale had 12 points off four 3-pointers and junior forward Dom Morris scored 13 points to buoy the Terriers to their fifth win in six games.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

From the FreeP: Morris adjusts to Black Bears in win

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

Junior forward Dom Morris returned to form for the Boston University men’s basketball team to help BU (12–11, 6–4 America East) defeat the University of Maine, 79–72, Tuesday night.

The Newark, Del., native tallied a career-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting after a forgettable outing at the University of Hartford five days ago, a game in which he missed five shots and registered four points.

“We play teams twice, so they know your tendencies,” Morris said of his bounce-back performance. “The first time I played Maine, I didn’t play well, but the first time I played Hartford, I played well. It just happened differently.

“They know what you like to do and what you are going to do. They just played me differently. I got off this game versus Hartford.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

From the FreeP: 3-point offense on fire against Maine

By Christopher Dela Rosa/DFP Staff

With strong 3-point shooting for much of the first half and trouble closing out the game with a lead late in the second half, it was a typical performance by the Boston University men’s basketball team against the University of Maine Tuesday night.

Ten minutes into the first half, BU (12–11, 6–4 America East) suddenly took off after playing a back-and-forth game for the first 10 minutes. Down by three with 9:39 left in the first half, freshman guard John Papale hit a 3-pointer that set the tone for the rest of the half.

From there, BU went on a 19–8 run that gave it an impressive 48–32 lead going into the locker room at halftime.

“I thought they got off to a great start in the first half,” said Maine (8–15, 3–7 America East) coach Ted Woodward. “We matched them pretty well and then they got a spurt with a couple of threes, and unfortunately we couldn’t match them in that sequence.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

BU-Maine Press Conferences

BU vs. Maine Live Blog

Men’s basketball seeking revenge in game against University of Maine

By Michael Bagarella/DFP Staff

The Boston University men’s basketball team will play the University of Maine for the second time this season and the 100th time in the history of the teams on Tuesday night at Case Gym.

“They are a very good team,” said BU (11–11, 5–4 America East) coach Joe Jones. “They are a very talented group that plays with a lot of confidence. They present a problem because they have a lot of good inside and out players.”

In their first meeting on Jan. 2, Maine (8–14, 3–6 America East), thanks to a late comeback, defeated BU 63–58. The teams came out of the locker room at halftime with the game tied at 26, and BU dominated in the early part of the second half. However, the Terriers were not able to hold onto their six-point lead with five minutes left and eventually dropped the match. Junior guard D.J. Irving’s field goal with 3:59 left in the game would be the last for BU until the game was out of reach.

“I thought in that game we didn’t finish well,” Jones said. “We did control most of the game, but every game is different.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.

Monday, February 4, 2013

From the FreeP: Men’s basketball loses matchup against Hartford

By René Reyes/DFP Staff

On the bus home from Chase Family Arena Saturday night, Boston University men’s basketball coach Joe Jones explained his team’s 66–58 loss to the University of Hartford.

“They played better and harder,” Jones said of Hartford’s (12 –10, 5–4 America East) effort. “They just played better, executed better, played harder, did a better job, outplayed us.”

The Terriers (11–11, 5–4 America East), who had entered the matchup on a three-game winning streak and looked to be gaining more momentum with every victory, were simply outworked and out-competed by the Hawks.

There is no other suitable way to describe the defeat that dropped BU back to the .500 plateau, according to the bench boss.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com.