Box Score
BOSTON – Career scoring days by Devin Cherry and Dwight Tarwater and a terrific performance from the Big Red bench was not enough to get Cornell a victory at Boston University on Saturday afternoon, as the Terriers pulled away for a 70-57 win at Case Gymnasium.
Cherry set a new career high for scoring with 16 points and Tarwater topped his previous career best with 11, but the Big Red offense went cold midway through the second half with the contest tied at 46-46 as the Terriers went on an 11-0 run late to seal the game.
“We're probably nine equal guys,” Cornell coach Bill Courtney said of the bench scoring. “It can be a different guy's night every night. It's probably something we'll continue to do.”
Cornell (4-8) also committed 10 turnovers in the half to the six turnovers for Boston University (5-6). The Terriers converted those Cornell turnovers into 13 points, and the Big Red shot 37 percent in the period.
Boston University evened the lifetime series against Cornell and now holds a 2-2 record all-time against the Big Red.
Playing its third game in six days – the first two against major conference schools Vanderbilt and No. 1 Duke – the Big Red starters combined for just nine points. Eight of those points came from Shonn Miller and one was scored by Eitan Chemerinski. Miller led the Big Red in rebounds for the fifth consecutive game, bringing down 10 boards.
Saturday's game began in the same way as Wednesday's game at Duke. The Big Red committed four turnovers in the first 2:50, but the Terriers were unable to turn any of those into points.
After a slow start, the Big Red got its offense going midway through the half. Trailing 13-10, Cornell scored eight of the next 11 points. Tarwater had two three-pointers in that span, and the Big Red turned a three-point deficit into a five-point advantage. BU had multiple turnovers during that stretch, and Cornell ended the first half with 14 points off turnovers.
The Big Red bench was stellar in the first 20 minutes, as the team's top three scorers were not starters. Tarwater ended the half with 11 points thanks to three three-pointers, and Errick Peck added eight points and three rebounds.
Cherry also had seven points, and their 26 combined points left just nine between the other eight Big Red players who had seen time. Tarwater surpassed his previous career high of 10 points before the first half expired. Galal Cancer also added six points off the bench by game's end.
But in the second half, Cornell was unable to hold onto the lead. Cherry scored nine more points in the half to surpass his career high by two points, but Boston University shot 52.4 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes including 5 of 11 from long range. With the contest tied at 46-46, the Terriers scored the next 11 points including back-to-back threes from Malik Thomas. When the game had ended, BU outscored Cornell 40-22 in the half.
BU's D.J. Irving led all scorers with 23 points – the second-most Cornell has allowed from any opponent this season -- and Thomas added 17 on a 5 for 5 performance from beyond the arc.
The Big Red will return to the court after nearly a week off for Christmas, traveling to Loretto, Pa., to take on St. Francis on Friday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
BOSTON – Career scoring days by Devin Cherry and Dwight Tarwater and a terrific performance from the Big Red bench was not enough to get Cornell a victory at Boston University on Saturday afternoon, as the Terriers pulled away for a 70-57 win at Case Gymnasium.
Cherry set a new career high for scoring with 16 points and Tarwater topped his previous career best with 11, but the Big Red offense went cold midway through the second half with the contest tied at 46-46 as the Terriers went on an 11-0 run late to seal the game.
“We're probably nine equal guys,” Cornell coach Bill Courtney said of the bench scoring. “It can be a different guy's night every night. It's probably something we'll continue to do.”
Cornell (4-8) also committed 10 turnovers in the half to the six turnovers for Boston University (5-6). The Terriers converted those Cornell turnovers into 13 points, and the Big Red shot 37 percent in the period.
Boston University evened the lifetime series against Cornell and now holds a 2-2 record all-time against the Big Red.
Playing its third game in six days – the first two against major conference schools Vanderbilt and No. 1 Duke – the Big Red starters combined for just nine points. Eight of those points came from Shonn Miller and one was scored by Eitan Chemerinski. Miller led the Big Red in rebounds for the fifth consecutive game, bringing down 10 boards.
Saturday's game began in the same way as Wednesday's game at Duke. The Big Red committed four turnovers in the first 2:50, but the Terriers were unable to turn any of those into points.
After a slow start, the Big Red got its offense going midway through the half. Trailing 13-10, Cornell scored eight of the next 11 points. Tarwater had two three-pointers in that span, and the Big Red turned a three-point deficit into a five-point advantage. BU had multiple turnovers during that stretch, and Cornell ended the first half with 14 points off turnovers.
The Big Red bench was stellar in the first 20 minutes, as the team's top three scorers were not starters. Tarwater ended the half with 11 points thanks to three three-pointers, and Errick Peck added eight points and three rebounds.
Cherry also had seven points, and their 26 combined points left just nine between the other eight Big Red players who had seen time. Tarwater surpassed his previous career high of 10 points before the first half expired. Galal Cancer also added six points off the bench by game's end.
But in the second half, Cornell was unable to hold onto the lead. Cherry scored nine more points in the half to surpass his career high by two points, but Boston University shot 52.4 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes including 5 of 11 from long range. With the contest tied at 46-46, the Terriers scored the next 11 points including back-to-back threes from Malik Thomas. When the game had ended, BU outscored Cornell 40-22 in the half.
BU's D.J. Irving led all scorers with 23 points – the second-most Cornell has allowed from any opponent this season -- and Thomas added 17 on a 5 for 5 performance from beyond the arc.
The Big Red will return to the court after nearly a week off for Christmas, traveling to Loretto, Pa., to take on St. Francis on Friday. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Dec. 22, 2012
Box Score | Video Highlights | M. Thomas' postgame comments
BOSTON - Trailing 46-44 with 8:38 remaining in regulation, the Boston University men's basketball scored the game's next 13 points en route to a 70-57 victory over Cornell on Saturday afternoon at Case Gym. With the win, BU (5-6) enters the holiday break having won five of its last six non-conference games, a feat last accomplished at the start of the 2004-05 season.
Junior D.J. Irving went 7-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line to lead all players with 23 points, while sophomore Malik Thomas contributed all of his season-high 17 points in the second half. The 6-foot-7 wingman was on fire, hitting a career-high five 3-pointers on five attempts. Freshman Maurice Watson Jr. set up four of them with drives to the basket to finish with a game-high seven assists against two turnovers.
Owning a 35-30 lead at the half after shooting 51.9 percent from the field, Cornell (4-8) was held to just 37.0 percent in the second. Devin Cherry was one of three players in double figures with 16 points. Errick Peck and Dwight Tarwater were the other two at 12 and 11 points, respectively. Shonn Miller was one field goal shy of a double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds, as the Big Red won the battle at the boards, 28-26.
The teams battled back and forth to open the game with Watson's jumper giving #BU a 13-10 lead with 11:43 remaining. The Big Red responded with a 10-1 run behind two treys from Tarwater to move ahead, 20-14 at 8:39.
Tarwater's tip-in five minutes later gave Cornell its largest lead of the game, 30-22. He recorded his third and final trey with four seconds left to give Cornell a 35-30 advantage entering the locker room.
Despite the teams shooting over 47 percent, the first half was sloppy as they both recorded nine turnovers apiece. BU kept the miscues to a minimum in the second though with just six against the Big Red's 10.
Trailing 37-32 with 16:41 remaining, BU went on a 10-2 spurt over the following three minutes with Thomas hitting his first two bombs to give BU the 42-39 lead.
Cherry scored Cornell's next seven points and used a layup to push the Big Red back ahead, 46-44, before the Terriers took control of the game. Irving started the run with back-to-back baskets and then freshman Justin Alston hit two free throws before Thomas added two more 3-pointers.
Trailing 57-46 with 4:33 remaining, Cherry got the layup and helped Cornell get the defensive stop on the next possession. However, the Terriers prevented any chance of a rally with freshman John Papale swiping Cherry's pocket. Watson grabbed the ball and sent a bounce pass to junior Dom Morris, who threw down a thunderous dunk to bring the crowd to its feet.
Feeding off the energy, BU forced Cherry into a tough a shot and then found Thomas in the corner for his fifth and final 3-pointer. The Terriers shot 52.4 percent in the second half to finish 21-of-42 (.500) from the field and 9-of-19 (.474) behind the arc.
A key statistic came at the free throw line, as BU went 19-of-23 (.826) from the charity stripe while Cornell managed just five attempts the entire contest. Cornell scored nine second-chance points in the first half but was limited to four in the second.
Following the victory, the Terriers will next travel to the UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla. BU will first face off against defending Atlantic Sun champion Belmont on Friday (Dec. 28) before playing against either the host Golden Knights or Howard on Saturday, Dec. 29.
Junior D.J. Irving went 7-of-10 from the field and 8-of-10 at the line to lead all players with 23 points, while sophomore Malik Thomas contributed all of his season-high 17 points in the second half. The 6-foot-7 wingman was on fire, hitting a career-high five 3-pointers on five attempts. Freshman Maurice Watson Jr. set up four of them with drives to the basket to finish with a game-high seven assists against two turnovers.
Owning a 35-30 lead at the half after shooting 51.9 percent from the field, Cornell (4-8) was held to just 37.0 percent in the second. Devin Cherry was one of three players in double figures with 16 points. Errick Peck and Dwight Tarwater were the other two at 12 and 11 points, respectively. Shonn Miller was one field goal shy of a double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds, as the Big Red won the battle at the boards, 28-26.
The teams battled back and forth to open the game with Watson's jumper giving #BU a 13-10 lead with 11:43 remaining. The Big Red responded with a 10-1 run behind two treys from Tarwater to move ahead, 20-14 at 8:39.
Tarwater's tip-in five minutes later gave Cornell its largest lead of the game, 30-22. He recorded his third and final trey with four seconds left to give Cornell a 35-30 advantage entering the locker room.
Despite the teams shooting over 47 percent, the first half was sloppy as they both recorded nine turnovers apiece. BU kept the miscues to a minimum in the second though with just six against the Big Red's 10.
Trailing 37-32 with 16:41 remaining, BU went on a 10-2 spurt over the following three minutes with Thomas hitting his first two bombs to give BU the 42-39 lead.
Cherry scored Cornell's next seven points and used a layup to push the Big Red back ahead, 46-44, before the Terriers took control of the game. Irving started the run with back-to-back baskets and then freshman Justin Alston hit two free throws before Thomas added two more 3-pointers.
Trailing 57-46 with 4:33 remaining, Cherry got the layup and helped Cornell get the defensive stop on the next possession. However, the Terriers prevented any chance of a rally with freshman John Papale swiping Cherry's pocket. Watson grabbed the ball and sent a bounce pass to junior Dom Morris, who threw down a thunderous dunk to bring the crowd to its feet.
Feeding off the energy, BU forced Cherry into a tough a shot and then found Thomas in the corner for his fifth and final 3-pointer. The Terriers shot 52.4 percent in the second half to finish 21-of-42 (.500) from the field and 9-of-19 (.474) behind the arc.
A key statistic came at the free throw line, as BU went 19-of-23 (.826) from the charity stripe while Cornell managed just five attempts the entire contest. Cornell scored nine second-chance points in the first half but was limited to four in the second.
Following the victory, the Terriers will next travel to the UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla. BU will first face off against defending Atlantic Sun champion Belmont on Friday (Dec. 28) before playing against either the host Golden Knights or Howard on Saturday, Dec. 29.
BOSTON — Saturday afternoon’s game was not the way the Cornell University men’s basketball would have liked to head into the Christmas break.
The Big Red dropped its final game before the holiday, 70-57, against Boston University in Case Gymnasium. BU (5-6) went on a 13-0 run late in the second half to put the game away.
The loss wrapped up a 0-3 week for the Big Red (4-8), and it also highlighted the miscues the team needs to fix before Ivy League play: Turnovers and inconsistent defense.
“We have stretches where we show that we’re a really good team,” sophomore guard Devin Cherry said. “We have to really put it together. The inconsistencies that we have, we just have to fix those problems.”
Cherry led the Big Red with 16 points off the bench, shooting 7 of 14 from the floor. Errick Peck (12 points) and Dwight Tarwater (11 points) also provided a boost off the bench on a night when the starters scored a combined nine points.
Saturday’s game wrapped up a week-long road trip for the Big Red. They played at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Monday night and at top-ranked Duke University in Durham, N.C., on Wednesday night. Vanderbilt handed the Big Red a 66-55 defeat, while Duke turned an 11-point halftime lead into an 88-47 rout.
Following the game at Duke, a game against Boston seemed like an opportunity to clean up the deficiencies that tend to come to the forefront against the No. 1 team in the country. Instead the Big Red showed more of the same issues that plagued them earlier in the week.
“We looked at film from (the Duke) game, and a lot of our turnovers were from within ourselves,” Cherry said. “It wasn’t anything another team was doing. Basically, we’ve just got to come out and play better. We’re just not playing that well right now. We’re a good team. We’ve just got to put it together.”
Junior forward Dwight Tarwater lead a bench brigade that scored 30 of the Big Red’s 35 first-half points. Tarwater scored 11 points in the half on 4 of 7 shooting (3 of 5 on 3-pointers). Cornell’s bench has outscored the opposition’s in 11 of 12 games this season.
The Big Red grabbed a 35-30 lead at halftime, but the Terriers went on a 13-0 run beginning with a jumper by guard D.J. Irving with 8:37 left to play. That jumper tied the game at 46 and sparked the Terriers to a 57-46 lead with 4:33 remaining.
That run also epitomized the lessons the Big Red took away from the week’s games.
In the first half, the Big Red took control because of its defense. A steal and layup by Galal Cancer gave the Big Red its first lead, 14-13. Defense appeared to be contagious as 6-foot-8 223-pound senior center Eitan Chemerinski reached one of his big paws into the passing lane and intercepted a pass. Shonn Miller and Errick Peck both had blocked shots.
The problem was the Big Red inability to sustain that level of defense as Terriers guard D.J. Irving caused the Big Red fits. He scored five points, handed out two assists, and his pass out of a trap led to a foul and a pair of free throws for Justin Alston during the game-changing run.
Terriers 6-foot-7 forward Malik Thomas scored six points during the stretch, making the Big Red pay for slow or half-hearted defensive rotations and close-outs with a pair of 3-pointers. The Terriers shot 50 percent (21 of 42) from the floor.
“We’re not nearly where we need to be, defensively,” Cornell coach Bill Courtney said. “This is the third consecutive game where we’ve given up 50 percent or more from the field. That’s something that we’re supposed to pride ourselves on. We just haven’t got there yet. I’m not saying we won’t get there, but we’ve got to keep working on it.”
The Big Red also committed a pair of turnovers to help propel the Terriers on their run. Courtney’s squad turned it over 20 times, which led to 24 points for the opposition. Against Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Big Red committed 26 turnovers. Earlier this season, they had 23 turnovers against Arizona State.
“We’re just really not valuing the basketball like we should be, and that’s really hurt us,” Courtney said. “We started the game that way and then we started the second half that way. When you don’t get field goal attempts or chances to get it up to the basket, you’re going to struggle.”
Prior to this week, the Big Red had won three out of its four previous games. The Big Red will not play again until Dec. 28, when they will play at St. Francis (Pa.) followed by a game two days later at Binghamton University.
Malik Thomas’ identity as a basketball player may not be that of a pure 3-point shooter just yet, but there was always a feeling he could hit the deep shot.
And yesterday, when Boston University needed it, the sophomore forward from Harlem proved it.
Thomas went 5-for-5 from behind the arc — all in the second half — and matched a career high with 17 points to go along with five rebounds, spurring the Terriers to a 70-57 victory against Cornell at Case Gym.
“It was a great feeling,” said Thomas, who came into the game shooting just 3-for-15 on treys for the season. “My shot finally fell. I hadn’t been shooting well on the season and it was a good feeling. My teammates were trying to pick me, telling me to keep shooting and I was able to help my teammates and get some big rebounds as well. But it was beyond the shots, although the shots went in. It was about us getting stops in a row, getting big rebounds and making the right passes, the extra passes. I think that was more important than the shots.”
BU coach Joe Jones said Thomas had played several consecutive all-around games and, yesterday, it came together with the shots falling.
“He’s a very confident kid and, to his credit, he’s worked hard on his shot. He put a lot of time in, he believes in himself,” Jones said. “My thing has always been with him is I think he has a chance to be a terrific all-around player. I’ve wanted him to know that and for him to look to do different things with his game.”
Guard D.J. Irving led all scorers with 23 points to lift the Terriers (5-6) to their fifth win in six games, the first time the team has won 5-of-6 nonconference games since 2004-05.
Irving kept BU in the game in the first half when Cornell was threatening to break it open. The Big Red (4-8) led by as many as eight points in the first half but, thanks in large part to Irving, they could never shake the hosts.
Cornell, which took a five-point lead into halftime, contributed to its own demise. The Big Red dominated in the paint throughout the game, outscoring the Terriers 34-18 in close and beating BU in second-chance points 13-3. But 19 turnovers, 10 in the second half, did in Cornell.
“That’s our biggest bugaboo,” Big Red coach Bill Courtney said. “We’re just not really valuing the basketball like we should be, and it’s really hurt us.”
A 13-0 run in the second half gave the Terriers an 11-point lead with 4:33 remaining that essentially served as the knockout punch.
As Boston University heads into its holiday break, the Terriers hope they’ve left behind for good their disastrous start to the season.
D.J. Irving scored 23 points and sophomore forward Malik Thomas came off the bench to score all 17 of his points in the second half to the lead the surging Terriers past Cornell, 70-57, Saturday at Case Gym.
Thomas made all five of his 3-point attempts and also hit a pair of free throws for BU (5-6), which has won five of six games after losing its first five.
Down by 2 points with 8:38 to play, Irving scored three baskets in a row to kick off a 13-0 run and put the Terriers ahead to stay.
Devin Cherry led Cornell (4-9) with 16 points, while Errick Peck and Dwight Tarwater added 12 apiece. Tarwater’s tip-in midway through the first half gave Cornell its biggest lead, 30-22, and his third and final 3-pointer with four seconds left sent the Big Red into intermission with a 35-30 advantage.
Playing its second Ivy League team this season, the Boston University men’s basketball team defeated Cornell University 70–57, Saturday afternoon at Case Gymnasium.
Cornell (4–8) entered the game fresh off an 88–47 dismantling courtesy of the Duke University Blue Devils. Cornell has also lost to other powerhouse teams such as Vanderbilt University, Arizona State University and the University of Wisconsin.
In their only other matchup against an America East opponent this season, the Big Red lost to Stony Brook University by a score of 76–53
Even with the teams having similarly below-average records, BU (5-6) expected a physical game from Cornell.
“[The Big Red] had most of their team back from last year and they thoroughly outplayed us last time, even though we only lost by six,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “We knew it was going to be a tough game coming in.”
The teams were evenly matched in the first 10 minutes of the game, with neither squad controlling the tempo or building a significant lead. After two 3-pointers from Cornell guard Dwight Tarwater midway through the first half, the Big Red took the lead over the Terriers, 20–14. Cornell led the rest of the half and went into the locker room with a 35–30 advantage.
“We gave them some second-chance points in the first half,” Jones said. “They had four offensive rebounds that led to straight put backs. That really hurt us.”
Junior guard DJ Irving kept the Terriers in the game with 12 points, even as BU was being out rebounded on the glass in the first half.
At the start of the second half, redshirt sophomore forward Malik Thomas found his shot. With zero points in the first half, Thomas shot a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the 3-point line and totaled 17 points.
“[Cornell] left [Thomas] open a lot when they tried keeping DJ out of the lane,” Jones said. “When we rolled [junior forward] Dom [Morris] to the basket, the defenders were helping off Malik, leaving him open because he wasn’t shooting well coming in. Once he hit one, he started feeling it a little bit and he got it going.”
Thomas hit two clutch 3-pointers to tie the game at 37 points apiece 5:06 into the second half. The score remained close for the next few minutes, with the teams exchanging baskets.
Then, Irving and Thomas took over for the Terriers.
Irving got the run started with six quick points, and then Thomas nailed two 3-pointers for six points of his own. After being out-rebounded in the first half, the Terriers began pulling down boards and giving themselves second chances on the offensive side.
A dunk from Morris at the 17:00 mark of the second half put the Terriers up by eleven and put the Big Red in a deep hole.
The Terriers built on their lead late in the game when Thomas hit his last 3-pointer of the night. After hitting their foul shots late in the game, the Terriers defeated the Big Red, 70–57.
The second-half defense for the Terriers was exceptionally strong. BU held Cornell to 22 points in the second half while forcing 10 Big Red turnovers, six of which came from forward Errick Peck.
Cornell shot just 37 percent from the field and 15.4 percent from 3-point land. The BU defense also played smart, tight defense, committing only one foul in the second half.
“[The Big Red] were bigger in size and they tried to post us up a ton, so in the second half we really packed it in and forced a lot of turnovers when they tried passing out of the double team,” Jones said.
On the other hand, the Terriers’ offense, led by Irving and Thomas, was able to shoot 52.4 percent from the field while also hitting 13-of-14 free throws in the second half.
Following the holiday, BU will travel to Orlando, Fla., for the Men’s Basketball at University of Central Florida Holiday Tournament. The Terriers are slated to play Belmont University on Friday.
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