Dec. 21, 2013

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Earning its second win over the Atlantic Coast Conference in three years, the Boston University men's basketball team claimed an 83-77 victory at Maryland on Saturday afternoon in front of 10,882 fans. The Terriers (7-5) snapped a three-game losing skid and now own seven non-conference regular season wins for the first time since 1993-94, as the Terrapins drop to 7-5.

Senior D.J. Irving overcame foul trouble to lead BU with a season-high 25 points in the fewest minutes played (22) since the ninth game of his rookie season by shooting 7-of-11, including 4-of-5 from behind the arc. Senior Dom Morris added 16 points, and sophomore Maurice Watson Jr. nearly had his second consecutive double-double with 13 points and seven assists. Freshman Cedric Hankerson posted a season-high 14 points off the bench. Both he and Watson also had three steals apiece to lead the defensive effort, while sophomore Nathan Dieudonne tallied nine rebounds.

Maryland also featured four players in double figures with Dez Wells recording 18 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and six turnovers. Evan Smotrycz had 15 points and 13 rebounds for the double-double. Jake Layman and Nick Faust contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively, as the Terrapins shot 28-of-58 (.483) and finished ahead in rebounds, 42-34. .

Last winning at Boston College (75-61) in 2011, BU led 42-32 at the half but saw Maryland rally back to grab a 56-55 advantage with 8:19 remaining in regulation. Dieudonne responded with a 3-pointer and was followed by a jumper and two free throws by Hankerson to give the Terriers the lead for good.

The Terrapins cut the deficit to three (64-61) with 5:28 remaining on a layup by Roddy Peters. Continuing his impressive play this season, Morris stepped up big with a jumper from the corner and then seconds later had the putback off a missed BU 3-pointer against the bigger Maryland forwards.

With the seven-point lead, Hankerson plucked the ball away from Peters to force a turnover leading to Watson's layup. The Terriers went 11-of-16 at the charity stripe in the final two minutes to seal the win.

BU finished the contest 25-of-59 (.424), including 10-of-26 (.385) from behind the arc. The Terriers had committed 49 total turnovers during the three-game losing streak but kept them to a minimum with 12 against Maryland while converting 17 Terrapin miscues into 25 points.

Maryland entered the game with a 3-1 all-time record against the Terriers with the last victory coming in 1991. Dropping a 65-61 decision at the Boston Garden in 1990, the Terrapins had earned all three wins at home by 23 or more points but could never pull ahead by more than two on Saturday.

The contest was a historic one for the Terrapins as it marked the 200th to be played in the Comcast Center. Head coach Mark Turgeon was also seeking his 300th career win as a head coach. Shaquille Clare opened the game with a dunk, but Irving erased the early deficit with his first of four 3-pointers.

Smotrycz's layup pushed Maryland back ahead, 18-17, with 8:28 left in the half. Sophomore John Papale started and capped a 9-0 spurt over the next two minutes with 3-pointers. The Terrapins though mounted a mini-rally to put deficit at two (28-26) off a Layman 3-pointer at 3:38.

Irving and Hankerson drained treys to spark a 12-3 run and help BU enter the locker room with a 42-32 lead. Maryland chipped away in the second and eventually tied the game for the first time at 12:25 (51-51). The game went back and forth over the following five minutes before Dieudonne hit BU's 10th and final 3-pointer.

Clinching its first winning non-conference schedule since going 6-3 in 2004-05, the Terriers will next travel to Saint Joseph's on Sunday, Dec. 29 with tip-off slated for 5 p.m. BU will then begin its inaugural Patriot League schedule at Agganis Arena against Holy Cross on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 7 p.m.