Terriers top Bears in finale

loading...

BOSTON – Outplayed in almost every area of the game, according to coach John Giannini, the University of Maine men’s basketball team dropped its final regular-season game Sunday afternoon.

Boston University’s Chaz Carr scored 18 points to lead the Terriers to a 72-61 America East victory over the Black Bears at Case Gymnasium.

Maine, which goes to 10-17 (7-9 in America East), will have the next week to prepare for the America East conference tournament, which starts Saturday at Matthews Arena in Boston.

Maine has the No. 5 seed for the playoffs and faces No. 4 New Hampshire Saturday. The game will start 30 minutes after a 6 p.m. matchup between No. 1 Vermont and No. 8 Stony Brook.

The Bears have lost two in a row and six of their last seven games.

No. 2 BU is now 19-9 (13-3).

The Black Bears kept within eight or nine points early in the second half, but a 10-0, four-minute Terrier run gave BU an 18-point lead and highlighted some of Maine’s struggles.

During the spurt BU grabbed six rebounds, made two free throws and went 4-for-5 from the floor. The Bears, meanwhile, were 0-for-4 shooting, didn’t log a rebound, and picked up three team fouls (including Derrick Jackson’s fourth).

“We were outscored, outrebounded and outdefended,” Giannini said Sunday. “They beat us in each of the key areas.”

Team-wise, the Terriers outrebounded the Black Bears 35-30; shot 51.9 percent from the floor to Maine’s 36 percent; made eight of 15 3-point attempts to 7-of-20 for Maine; and held 7-foot Black Bear center Justin Rowe to four field-goal attempts and two rebounds.

Maine cut into BU’s lead a bit, getting it down to 63-53 thanks to Errick Greene’s 6-for-8 free-throw effort and a 3-pointer with 4:26 left in the game. But the Terriers went to a number of players to firm up their lead: six different players scored either a free throw or a field goal in the final 4:04.

Greene scored a game-high 20 points. He made eight of 11 free-throw attempts.

Giannini was pleased with the effort of Rickey White, who recorded his second straight double-double (he had 13 points and 10 rebounds).

BLACK BEARS 72, TERRIERS 61

Maine men (10-17) Boston Univ. (19-9)

Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP

Campbell 0 4 0 0 0 Fitzgerald 4 11

Jackson 1 5 0 1 2 Michalek 0 0

Greene 5 13 8 11 20 Dhondt 1 4 3

White 5 7 2 3 13 Rodriguez 3 7

Rowe 1 4 0 0 2 Butt 5 12 2 12

Flavin 1 2 2 2 4 Seymour 2 3 4

Tibbetts 4 6 1 2 13 Carr 6 10 18

Brown 1 9 5 5 7 Bell 4 10 12

Kudlacz 0 1 0 0

Grochowalski 2 3 5

Daccarett 0 0 0

Totals 18 50 18 24 61 Totals 27 52 10 18 72

Maine 29 61

Boston University 38 72

3-pt. goals: Maine (7-20): Tibbetts 4-6, Greene 2-3, White 1-1, Jackson 0-2, Campbell 0-3, Brown 0-5; BU (8-15): Carr 4-6, Fitzgerald 2-3, Bell 1-1, Dhondt 1-2, Seymour 0-1, Butt 0-2

Attendance: 1,042