Partin Keys Late Boston University Spurt As Terriers Knock Off Delaware Men’s Basketball, 73-67
November 30, 2011
• Boxscore
file photo courtesy of Mark Campbell
BOSTON, Mass. -- Boston University senior guard Darryl Partin scored a game-high 27 points and converted four key baskets down the stretch to lead the Terriers to a 73-67 men’s basketball victory over the University of Delaware in non-conference action Wednesday night at Case Gymnasium.
Partin, a Preseason All-America East Conference Team selection who entered the game leading BU with 22.8 points per game, went 12 of 26 from the field and also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. Sophomore forward Travis Robinson, who entered the game averaging just 3.0 points per contest, erupted for a career-high 16 as he went 5 of 5 from the field while knocking down all four of his three-point attempts. D.J. Irving handed out a career-best 11 assists against just two turnovers while also grabbing seven boards for BU, which won its third straight game to improve to 3-4 on the season.
Delaware, which had its two-game winning streak snapped while falling to 2-3 on the year, was led for the fifth straight game by sophomore guard Devon Saddler, who poured in 20 points in a losing effort. Saddler (at right), the nation’s leading scorer and current Colonial Athletic Association Co-Player of the Week, reached the 20-point mark for the fourth straight game but finished just 6 of 19 from the field. Junior forward Jamelle Hagins posted his second consecutive double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, while also blocking a season-high five shots and making a career-high four steals. Fellow junior Josh Brinkley had his most productive game of the young season as he scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds.
Freshman Khalid Lewis scored eight points while playing all 40 minutes, while classmate Kyle Anderson also recorded eight points as he failed to reach double figures for the first time in his Blue Hen career. Delaware was without freshman guard Jarvis Threatt, who missed the game with a knee injury but is expected back in the lineup for Saturday’s CAA opener against league favorite Drexel.
The Blue Hens took a slim 38-37 halftime lead and still led 43-42 two and a half minutes into the second period, but a 6-0 Terriers spurt put the hosts in front 48-43 with 14:57 remaining. However Delaware quickly answered with a 10-0 run as a jumper by Saddler, three-pointers by Anderson and Lewis, and a dunk by Hagins put UD ahead 53-48 with 11:54 to play.
Delaware still led by five at 57-52 at the 9:54 mark following another Hagins slam, but the Blue Hens would miss their next 14 field goal attempts before a tip-in by Hagins with 1:01 remaining. Meanwhile the Terriers erupted for a 15-3 spurt, taking their largest lead of the night at 67-60 on a jumper by Partin with 2:08 on the clock.
Delaware would not go away, however, as two free throws by Saddler and the tip-in by Hagins made it a 67-64 game with one minute left. However Partin drilled a contested 16-foot jumper with 30 seconds remaining, and the Blue Hens would not threaten the rest of the way.
“We had a lot of opportunities, but just didn’t cash in enough,” said Delaware sixth-year head coach Monté Ross. “We had a bunch of good looks, but the ball wouldn’t fall through. Credit BU, they fought us tooth and nail, and we just couldn’t cash in enough tonight. Josh (Brinkley) and Jamelle (Hagins) really played well tonight, and affected the game inside. We just have to make sure we’re sharp in our late-game possessions.”
BU connected on five of its first seven shots from the field and took and early 12-6 lead but Delaware answered with a 13-3 run, taking a 19-15 margin on a Lewis three-pointer six minutes into the contest. The Blue Hen lead grew to six on an Anderson jumper with 11 minutes on the clock, and after the Terriers closed within one, a three-point play by Brinkley increased the margin to 32-28 at the 6:50 mark.
However the Blue Hens would go scoreless over the next four and a half minutes, as the Terriers regained the lead at 33-32 on a three-pointer by Irving and a putback by Partin. But three-pointers by Saddler and Anderson on consecutive possessions put Delaware back on top, before Robinson closed the first half scoring with an emphatic dunk to cut the Blue Hen lead to 38-37 at the break.
Picking up where they left off Saturday against Lafayette, the Blue Hens shot a blistering 57.7 percent during the opening half, hitting on 15 of their 26 field goal attempts. However Boston University stayed right with Delaware by shooting 48.4 percent (15 of 31) from the floor, including 5 of 11 from behind the arc.
The Terriers continued to shoot well in the second half by connecting on 13 of 28 field goals for a 46.4 percent, while holding the Blue Hens to just 10 of 35 shooting (28.6 percent) over the final 20 minutes.
