Malik Thomas' Game Saving Steal against Northeastern University 11-10-13

It came as no surprise on Sunday afternoon as the battle between Boston University and Northeastern University came down to the last possession once again.  Last season, the Terriers gave up a buzzer beating three pointer to give the Huskies their first win of the season.

This year, the result was quite different.  With 3.5 seconds remaining, the Huskies had an opportunity to edge the Terriers once again, but the lanky and athletic Malik Thomas made sure his crosstown rivals would not get another opportunity to beat the Terriers once again.

Watch below as Thomas saves the day for BU.

From the FreeP: Strong play of guards boosts BU men’s basketball against Huskies

By Christopher Dela Rosa/ DFP Staff

Going into Sunday’s game, there was a lot to be said about the backcourt of the Boston University men’s basketball team.

For the Terriers (1-0), the dynamic duo of guards in sophomore Maurice Watson Jr. and senior D.J. Irving highlight a strong group of Terriers in the 2013-14 season. Sunday afternoon, the Terriers proved that despite a limited and height-challenged frontcourt, their backcourt can put the extra weight on their shoulders and carry the team when needed.

“We don’t really think we have a size disadvantage,” Irving said. “I feel like we have more heart than any other team that we’ve played against.  I’d rather have heart.”

Watson shared a similar sentiment.

“Bigger is not always better,” Watson added. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Read more at dailyfreepress.com

From the FreeP: Men’s basketball opens season with victory over Northeastern

By Jacklyn Bamberger/DFP Staff

In its first game of its 2013-14 campaign, the Boston University men’s basketball team came from behind to defeat crosstown rival Northeastern University 72-69 Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. The win marked the Terriers’ first victory over the Huskies in four years.

Sophomore guard Maurice Watson Jr., senior guard D.J. Irving, sophomore forward Nathan Dieudonne, sophomore guard John Papale and senior forward Dom Morris started the game for the Terriers (1-0).

Northeastern (0-1) won the tip and Husky forward Scott Eatherton immediately drove the ball to the basket, recording the game’s first points. The Terriers answered, as Watson hit a lay-up and Papale subsequently buried a 3-pointer to give the Terriers a 5-2 lead with 18 minutes remaining in the half. From there, the momentum shifted back and forth as both teams struggled to find a consistent source of offense.

Read more at dailyfreepress.com

The Day After: Boston University 69, Northeastern University 64 (OT)

Entering yesterday afternoon's game against the Huskies of Northeastern University, BU had played in five games. Each lasted 40 minutes, and each featured at least 70 possessions per team, with some of those games featuring several additional possessions. While BU's preferred tempo is not defined as a specific number, it's safe to say the Terriers want to play fast.

When yesterday's game concluded, BU had eclipsed the 70-possession mark, but it took 45 minutes to do so. At the end of regulation, the Terriers had only just passed 60 possessions, playing at a pace well within their opponent's preferred range but somewhat outside its own. To a certain degree, BU had been playing Northeastern's game.

But a funny thing happened when the Terriers arrived at Case Gym yesterday. Someone had taken the lids off the rims.

Live Blog: Northeastern University Huskies vs. Boston University Terriers

Starting lineups:
Northeastern University Huskies
F Alwayne Bigby
F Manny Adako
C Nkem Ojougboh
G Chaisson Allen
G Matt Janning

Boston University Terriers
F Valdas Sirutis
F Jake O'Brien
G Corey Lowe
G Carlos Strong
G Tyler Morris

Final score: BU 69, NU 64 (OT)

Team leaders:
Points
NU: Matt Janning, 18
BU: Corey Lowe and Jake O'Brien, 18

Rebounds
NU: Nkem Ojougboh, 8
BU: John Holland, 7

Assists:
NU: Matt Janning, 5
BU: Corey Lowe, 7

GAMEDAY: Northeastern University vs. Boston University

Four-year program versus five-year program. Current America East member versus former America East member. A school that dropped football against, well, Northeastern fans don't want to talk about it.

Don't let oblate spheroids -- or rubber cylinders, for that matter -- distract from that matter. With the gridiron a mere memory for both schools and both hockey teams cooling off after last season's successes, roundball is where it's at for Boston University and Northeastern University. At stake is more than just bragging rights among rivals. The two best mid-major programs in Boston are set to hit the court, and their respective styles could not be more different.

The Day After: BU 83, Northeastern 75

The differences between Tuesday’s victory against Northeastern and BU’s blowout loss at the hands of the Huskies two years ago are astounding. Then, the Terriers shot 36 percent from the field, looked as though they had no clue how to defend then-freshman sensation Matt Janning — as well as NU’s interior threats — as four players logged double digits.

As much as this team has frustrated observers and came ever-so-close to winning some important games (both in and out of conference) over the past two seasons, Tuesday night was not only one of BU’s most complete offensive performance in recent memory (and that includes their 97-66 demolition of Hartford last February) but it was one of its biggest victories. Forget the fact that the Huskies are a former conference foe and cross-town rival, they’re simply a good team this year. Prior to the game, Northeastern was ranked No. 19 in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 and had toppled Holy Cross (a team that holds a 50-12 lifetime edge over the Terriers), 61-49 as well as Providence. And obviously if you reach your hand into a hat of Big East schools and pull one out, chances are it’s going to be a tough draw.

BU’s complete effort couldn’t have come at a better time — on the heels of Wolff’s comments regarding the team’s work ethic and winning mentality. Given the way various players struggled on various night to this point in the season (Corey Lowe in the opener, Tyler Morris in the second game, Jake O’Brien in the third), seeing each component of the offense execute his role so efficiently provided an idea of how the rest of the season could shape up if BU continues to be so efficient. Granted, the Terriers aren’t going to shoot above 50 percent from the field every night (and certainly not 50 percent from beyond the arc), but Tuesday night answered the open-ended question of how the offense would function at its best. Prior to this, BU would usually fuel off one player getting hot and feed them the ball until they cooled off and find someone else.

Last season, during the stretch when BU won nine of its final 12 games, the Terriers were playing a similar style of basketball, but were still making too many bad decisions. Aside from a 3-pointer Lowe fired up from roughly 28 feet away and a few ill-advised jumpers, BU didn’t take many bad shots. It’s a sign of maturity that people have been waiting to see from this group.

Another marked difference between Tuesday’s win and BU’s previous three games was their willingness to put the ball on the floor. Lowe, Morris, and John Holland all had impressive drives that took advantage of Northeastern’s tight defense on the perimeter. While it’s certainly not the premier aspect of their game, the Terriers have a good number of players who can take it to the rim, and that, too, was a welcome sight. That’s a large part of the reason BU had 20 points in the paint even though the Terriers’ big men (meaning Brittain and Pelage — since Holland is more of a wingman and O’Brien plays inside-out) combined for three points.

Although the Terriers weren’t in dire need of low-post scoring given the way Lowe and O’Brien were shooting the ball, the play of their bigs could be a concern in games where BU doesn’t shoot as well. Still, it’s safe to assume Brittain is still recovering from his concussion and that (coupled with the above-average performances by every starter) is the main reason he played just 10 minutes. In those 10, he managed three rebounds and appeared slightly more aggressive than he did against St. Peter’s, but Wolff will need to see more if Brittain hopes to get anywhere close to the amount of playing time he was last season.

Speaking of aggressiveness, Matt Wolff again proved why he deserves to be a starter. His intensity set the tone for the Terriers from the opening tip and his contributions on offense fit his role description perfectly. He battled bigger players in the paint and ended up with a season-high seven points, picking optimum situations to shoot the ball. Both Wolff and Holland led BU in rebounds, with six, and it was encouraging to see Holland pull down something on the defensive glass after coming up empty against St. Peter’s.

Notes: Tuesday marked the first time since leaving America East that Northeastern lost to an AE foe. They’re now 6-1 since departing the conference. … BU now leads the all-time series against the Huskies, 70-66. … Oddly enough, NU’s point guard Chaisson Allen led the Huskies in rebounds, with seven.

Links:
BU is right on target against Northeastern
Lowe, O'Brien combine for 48 as Terriers top Northeastern

Post-game Audio

Here are some post-game sound clips from BU's 83-75 win over Northeastern.

BU coach Dennis Wolff discusses the significance of the win


Dennis Wolff was happy with BU's tenacious effort on the boards


Corey Lowe talks about BU's rivalry against Northeastern


Jake O'Brien knew he needed to gain confidence to start the second half


NU coach Bill Coen has a different take on BU's rebounding edge


Bill Coen realizes how talented BU's perimeter can be when it's hot


Matt Janning credits Lowe and O'Brien for making big shots


Links:
Lowe, O'Brien combine for 48 as Terriers top Northeastern

Live Blog: Boston University vs. Northeastern University

Boston University (2-1) and Northeastern University (3-1) tip off at 8:00 p.m. at Matthews Arena on NESN. The Terriers have lost their last four meetings against the Huskies by an average of 10.8 points. BU leads the all-time series in the Battle of Boston, 69-66. In the first game of the doubleheader, BU's women's team defeated Northeastern, 71-68.

Here are the starting lineups for this evening's game:

Boston University Terriers:
02 F Matt Wolff
13 G Corey Lowe
21 F Jake O'Brien
23 F John Holland
24 G Tyler Morris

Northeastern University Huskies:
03 G Chaisson Allen
23 G Matt Janning
24 F Eugene Spates
32 F Manny Adako
54 C Nkem Ojougboh

First Half
Both teams have started in a man-to-man defense, but Northeastern will probably play a zone against BU. Expect BU to keep their scheme that way for much of the game, with the possibility of switching to the Box and-1 after working on it in practice this week.

15:10 remaining: Tie, 7-7. Corey Lowe has five of BU's seven points and assisted the other. Lowe started the scoring with a 12-footer from the left side, and scored his other bucket on a difficult step-back 3-pointer with Chaisson Allen in his face. His assist was a nice low-post feed to Matt Wolff who up-faked and put it in. Nkem Ojougboh has three of Northeastern's seven and both teams are tied with four boards apiece.

Wolff has been particularly aggressive on the boards thus far, and the Terriers have come out with a good amount of energy.

13:40 remaining: BU leads 18-12. BU's only starter on the court is Lowe as Jeff Pelage, Marques Johnson, Scott Brittain and Carlos Strong have all entered the game.

Lowe converted an athletic four-point play directly in front of Northeastern's bench as he was fouled by Allen. He hasn't cooled down since as he's 5-of-6, drained another 3-pointer from the opposite corner and finished a drive with the left hand to total 13 points in just over eight minutes. Pelage had a beautiful move left-handed and high off-glass to put BU up 13-10 after Chris Alvarez converted a difficult put-back.

O'Brien picked up his second foul and is sitting with 11:14 remaining. Spates is also sitting with two fouls.

BU's effort on the defensive boards is a welcome sight. The Terriers have five defensive boards thus far, but are clearly showing a much more concentrated effort than they did against St. Peter's.

7:32 remaining: Game tied at 22. Lowe has upped his total 18 and there's still over 7:00 remaining in the half. A 3-pointer Matt Smith over an outstretched Lowe knotted the game at 22 just before this media timeout. Morris has struggled from the field, shooting 0-of-4, but has been solid defensively along with the rest of the Terriers. BU's man-to-man defense has had some holes, but overall, it seems to be stifling the Huskies as they're having a hard time creating shots.

BU has seven fouls and NU has five.

3:07 remaining: Northeastern leads 31-30. Matt Janning hit his first 3-pointer of the game following a nice shuffle move to shake Strong off of him to give NU the lead back in a close contest thus far. On BU's side, we know what you're thinking. How much has Lowe scored since the last update? And the answer is four, upping his total to 23. Strong added a 3-pointer to become BU's fourth scorer of the game. Despite Lowe's heroics, NU used an 8-0 run to draw the score close.

Halftime: 40-39 Northeastern. This one is a dandy. Janning, who's now recorded double digits in 24 consecutive contests, hit an extremely difficult baseline jumper as time expired to put the Huskies up one at the half. Prior to that, Brittain missed the second shot of a 1-and-1, but Holland skied above the pack for an offensive rebound. After Lowe started to drive and drew two defenders, he kicked to Holland in the corner, who promptly drained the trey. Holland hit another 3 before that to pull BU within two points after Janning started heating up and scored five-straight points (on a 22-footer and a fastbreak layup) to put the Huskies up 37-32.

Aside from Lowe, who's been out-of-this-world good (9-of-13 and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc), and Janning's (6-of-8, 2-of-4) individual performances, the story of the game has been rebounding and turnovers. Though the turnover numbers are relatively low for both clubs, BU has coughed the ball up eight times (some at very inopportune moments) while Northeastern has done so only four times and the Terriers have just one steal.

On the glass, the teams are even at 14 (there haven't been too many missed shots as BU is hitting at 51.9 percent and NU and 56.0 percent), but BU's effort on the boards is clearly showing. The Terriers' man-to-man defense let up a bit toward the end of the half, as Janning got hot, but 40 points isn't terrible against a team as talented as the Huskies.

O'Brien played seven minutes after picking up his second foul in the first half, so it will be interesting to see what impact he has when he returns along with NU's Spates (who also sat with two fouls).

Unless Lowe keeps up his ridiculous pace, the Terriers may need to find some other scoring outlets. Holland came on toward the end of the first session, but Morris is 0-for-4 and BU's forwards haven't done much in the way of scoring. What was a good sign for BU, however, was that when Northeastern began to lock him down and double him (even on the perimeter), he found a way to facilitate the offense like he did against St. Peter's.

Second Half
15:30 remaining: BU leads 49-45. The game continues to be played at an accelerated pace. The Terriers opened the half on an 8-3 run, highlighted by a difficult straight-away 3-pointer by Holland and another 3 by O'Brien. NU has answered, however, as Spates hit a 3 for his first points of the game and Adako converted a powerful two-handed dunk on a nice assist from Allen.

13:37 remaining: BU leads 57-49. In the first half, it was Lowe providing the offense for BU, now it's O'Brien and Holland. O'Brien's most recent 3-pointer gave BU its largest lead of the evening, at eight. He's got eight this half and Holland has 15 in the game, the most impressive of which was a strong take to the hole and a tough lay in off-glass.

11:03 remaining: BU leads 62-53. Matt Wolff just hit the biggest bucket of his season thus far. With the shot clock ticking down and Lowe with the ball, he started to drive, but was triple-teamed in the process of taking his shot. Lowe decided not to release and before his feet touched the ground, kicked to a wide-open Wolff in front of the BU bench, who knocked it down to put BU back up by nine after a 4-0 Northeastern mini-run.

The Terriers are 8-of-12 to start the second half while the Huskies are 5-of-12.

Northeastern has five turnovers this half after giving the ball away just four times in the first.

9:29 remaining: The Terriers lead 62-53. NU's Matt Smith missed a wide-open breakaway layup with Holland and Lowe trailing on defense, but not giving too much pressure. Northeastern is taking a fair amount of quick shots in their possessions, but haven't been too successful in converting. Lowe's only two points of this half have come from the free-throw line.

7:54 remaining: BU leads 62-57. Play since the last update has been sloppy. The Terriers have turned the ball over three times while Northeastern has turned it over twice. That sloppiness has led to a 4-0 personal run by Janning to pull Northeastern within five. Janning has scored NU's last six points and has 20 in the game.

6:27 remaining: The Terriers lead 64-57. O'Brien found Wolff on a good look down low. Wolff up-faked, got his man in the air and laid it in for his seventh point of the game (a season-high).

4:13 remaining: BU leads 72-61. O'Brien hit yet another trey (his fourth of the game) to put BU up 72-58 before NU's Allen answered with a 3-pointer of his own. Prior to that, Morris scored his first points of the game on a 3-pointer assisted by Strong to put BU up by 10. He then followed with an excellent take to the rim and banked it in high off-glass with the shot clock at three. It's encouraging to see Morris getting back into his game. If he's able to do that on a consistent basis, BU will be very hard to beat.

2:04 remaining: The Terriers lead 79-68. Each team is scoring at will, but BU's got the edge. O'Brien hit another 3, this time wide open in front of BU's bench as well as a pretty reverse layup on a feed from Wolff. While BU's defense isn't anywhere close to where coach Wolff would like it to be, seeing the Terriers' offense score like this and from so many different sources is quite impressive.

0:35.7 remaining: The Terriers lead 81-73. O'Brien hit both shots of a 1-and-1 to put BU up by eight points with 35.7 left to extend it to a three-possession game. O'Brien fouled out scrambling for a rebound on the next possession.

Holland made both free throws with 20 second remaining to put BU up 83-75 and that's the way the score stayed.

Final: Boston University 83, Northeastern University 75

Leading scorers:
BU -- Corey Lowe, 27
NU -- Matt Janning, 22

Leading rebounders:
BU -- Two tied with 6
NU -- Chaisson Allen, 7

Leading assists:
BU -- Corey Lowe, 6
NU -- Matt Janning, 7

GAMEDAY: Boston University vs. Northeastern University

Boston University's season opener against George Washington was a benchmark. It was a chance for a group that had lost to the Colonials in three consecutive seasons to prove that this year was different. To make, as Corey Lowe said prior to the tip-off of that game, a statement.

So if, as Lowe said, every game is a statement game, the issue becomes which games make louder statements than others? Getting a win against Northeastern University tonight at Matthews Arena would yell legitimacy for quite a distance.

Much like GW, this collection of Terriers hasn't beaten the Huskies in two seasons (after taking one year off from the rivalry once NU left America East for the CAA). Last year's game at The Roof ended with a close result (65-58), but BU was never in control and appeared off-balance and unable to score easily for the majority of the contest. This time around, not only does BU have the best roster it's had since the Huskies bolted from AE, but so does Northeastern.

Centered around junior captain Matt Janning, the Northeastern also boasts a formidable front court, which has been the bane of BU's existence in the teams' two previous meetings. Make no mistake, if BU doesn't outwork (not necessarily outrebound) the Huskies on the offensive and defensive glass tonight, they won't notch their third consecutive non-conference victory -- which would be the first such streak of its kind since 2004-05 when BU won 20 games and four in a row out of conference.

An X-factor regarding BU's battle for the boards (a microcosm of the Battle for Boston) is 6-foot-9 forward Scott Brittain. Still slightly hampered by a concussion he suffered prior to the start of the season, Brittain logged 11 minutes in Saturday's game against St. Peter's and didn't do much. The Terriers will need him to supply a semblance of post presence if BU hopes to keep the rebounding margin close. Though Matt Wolff has been about as tenacious on the boards as any one player can be, he can't win the rebounding margin against NU by himself.

Before practice on Monday, BU coach Dennis Wolff talked about how he's expecting more out of Brittain this season.

"I don't care about mistakes, but if I see plays that I perceive not to be aggressive enough in the lane, that's going to influence my thinking," Wolff said.

Wolff cited a specific play against St. Peter's where Brittain opened himself up on a layup attempt that got blocked instead of, perhaps, taking the ball hard to the rim for a dunk attempt. Obviously all parties involved (save the opponent) would be satisfied seeing that kind of effort from Brittain, but neither that specific play (nor his enitre first game back) should not be used as a barometer for what Brittain's could potenitally do over the course of the season. Though, seeing a bit more tenacity in his game against a forceful and talented Northeastern squad would certainly be a good start.

Projected Starting Lineups




















Links:
BU set to renew rivalry with NU