BU Women Top New Hampshire, 75-53

Sparked by a hot-shooting performance from Kristi Dini (SAR’09),the Boston University women’s basketball team (17-6, 11-0 America East) earned a75-53 victory over New Hampshire (6-19, 4-7 America East) on February 15, asthe squad extends its unbeaten streak to 12 games. Dini led with agame-high 20 points and matched a career-best with six three-pointers. Jesyka Burks-Wiley (CAS’09) added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Dini, the Terriers’ America East Player of the Game, was7-for-13 from the field and following Sunday’s showing is just fivetreys away from becoming the program’s all-time leader in three-pointers.Burks-Wiley also had a standout afternoon, with her seventhdouble-double of the season. Aly Hinton (CAS’10) chipped in 11 points, and Christine Kinneary (CAS’09) dished out seven assists and collected three steals.

BU, which won its 10th double-digit victory over a conferenceopponent, shot an impressive 46.6 percent from the field and was 45.0percent from behind the arc. The Terriers scored 26 points in the paintand 13 off turnovers.

The contest started out with the teams battlingback-and-forth, before the Wildcats took a 6-5 lead following amidrange jumper from Rachel Fowler at 17:35. Burks-Wiley respondedwith a layup 20 seconds later to draw the Terriers to within one pointand Amarachi Umez-Eronini(CAS’09) gave BU its first lead of the game on two made free throws. Dini andHinton nailed back-to-back treys as the Terriers continued on a 10-0tear and give the visitors a 13-6 advantage at 14:14, forcing UNH intoan early timeout.

Binghamton outlasts Terriers, 60-59

Down by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Boston University men’s basketball team, led by 20 points from Scott Brittain (MET’10), staged a furious rally against Binghamton, but eventuallyfell short, 60-59, on February 14 at Case Gymnasium. Corey Lowe(SHA’10) had the last two shot attempts in the final 10 seconds, but his secondone, an open jumper, hit the backboard and bounced away at the buzzer.

With the loss, the Terriers drop to 14-11 and 9-4 in America Eastaction, while Binghamton (17-8, 10-3 America East) moves into a first-place tiewith Vermont in the league standings. The Bearcats own the tiebreakerafter earlier sweeping the Catamounts.

Named America East Player of the Game, Brittain tied a careerhigh in points and also had a team-high nine rebounds. Jake O’Brien (CGS’10) and John Holland (CGS’09) were the other two players in double figures, with 15 and 11, respectively.

For Binghamton, AE Player of the Game D. J. Rivera recorded adouble-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Bearcats alsohit double figures, including Emanuel Mayben (14), Reggie Fuller (10),and Chretien Lukusa (10).

Trailing 41-26 with 17:26 remaining in regulation, the Terriers wenton a 22-7 run, capped by O’Brien’s three-pointer and two made free throwsfrom Brittain to tie the game at 48-48 with 6:12 left. After both teamsmissed open shots, Lowe drained a trey to give his team its largestlead of the game, 51-48, at 4:53, but Mayben seconds later hit a clutchone of his own to tie the game.

The two AE second-place teams went back and forth for the next fourminutes, when at 1:10, Mayben hit two free throw attempts to put his team ahead 58-56. On the ensuing possession, Holland drained his thirdtrey of the game on Lowe’s sixth assist of the game to give theTerriers back the lead with 55 seconds left.

Mayben recorded his sixth assist as well when Lukusa made a back doorlayup at the 34-second mark that turned out to be the final basketof the game. Lowe missed a jumper with seven seconds left, but the ballwent out of bounds off a Bearcat to remain in the Terriers’ possession.

After a called timeout, Lowe received the ball inbounds outsidethe arc. He dribbled toward the free throw line, created separationwith a move, and let the ball go, but he was not able to end the game as thehero.

In the first half, the game remained relatively even for the first fourminutes, with the Bearcats leading, 12-11, at the 15:43 mark. Atthat point though, Binghamton went on a 24-5 run finished by a KyrieSutton jumper at 6:35.

Jeff Pelagecut the lead back to 12 on a layup at 3:06, but Fuller made two freethrows and Rivera drained a three-pointer to give the ‘Cats their largestlead of the game at 37-20, with 1:44 remaining in the half. O’Brien hita jumper with 24 seconds left, and Binghamton entered the locker roomahead, 37-24.

The Terriers ended the game 20-for-59 from the field, 33.9 percentshooting, with Lowe tying his worst shooting performance of the season,against George Washington, at 2-of-15. Both he and Holland, who eachentered the game averaging over 17.5 points per game, only had four points in thefirst half and finished with a combined 17.

They remained in the contest by turning the ball over only six timesand also by holding the ‘Cats to 36.8 percent shooting in the second half.More important, after giving up 8 offensive rebounds in the firsthalf and 24 total against 9, the Terriers outrebounded Binghamton,22-9, in the second, only to finish behind, 37-31.

The ‘Cats overall hit 23-for-50 from the field, 46.0 percent, andmade the final six free throw attempts in the last three minutes tofinish 11-of-15. They posted 11 turnovers, but also had 7 blocks and 5 steals.

Now in third place, with three conference games remaining, theTerriers make their final trip of the regular season when they visitStony Brook on Wednesday, February 18, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.

Tickets for Terrier men’s and women’s basketball are available in advance of agame at the Agganis Arena ticket office, 925 Commonwealth Ave.,or online.On women’s game days, the Walter Brown ticket office in the Case Gymnasium, 285 BabcockSt., opens one hour prior to a game. Discounted tickets for facultyand staff are available through the ticket office orby calling 617-353-GOBU. For more information, visit AgganisArena.com.