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After nearly six years, they still had to wait perilously through a referee’s review of the final shot. But Boston University’s Corey Hassan’s potential game-winning half-court prayer was ruled after the buzzer, and the University of Maine men’s basketball team escaped with a 53-51 victory over the Terriers, their first regular season win over their archrivals in 11 tries.
The Black Bears overcame an eight point deficit and heavy foul trouble in their frontcourt, storming back to snap BU’s three game winning streak and move just one game behind the Terrier’s for third-place in America East.
“Let’s just say we had an animated halftime discussion,” mused UMaine head coach Ted Woodward on WZON’s post-game show. “I want them to keep their expectations high, individually and as a group. We played like we did in November towards the end of the first half, and we’re tougher and better than that.”
Junior center Olli Ahvenniemi’s emergence continued in a big way, as he had eight points, twelve rebounds, and six blocks. He hit three free throws in the final two minutes, and made a crucial block with 33 seconds left that helped UMaine secure the win. In addition, he played lock-down defense despite remaining the game with three and four fouls down the stretch.
“You can’t replace minutes,” Woodward said of his Finnish center’s development. “He’s getting the time under his belt and he just keeps getting better and better.”
Junior Chris Bruff missed two free throws that could’ve iced the game with 2.7 seconds left on the clock. The Terriers’ had no time-outs and thus no time to draw up a play to tie the game.
Hassan got just over the timeline before launching a miraculous shot that went in, and was immediately ruled after the buzzer. A video review, made possible because the game was televised on NESN, confirmed that the shot should not count.
“I just wanted to make sure they started the clock on time,” Woodward said of the final seconds.
The win, UMaine’s fourth in their last five, improves the Black Bears to 4-5 in America East play and 9-11 overall. The Terriers fell to 5-4 in conference, 8-12 on the season.
After allowing an 11-2 Terrier run to end the first half and send them into the locker room trailing 28-20, UMaine began the second half on a 6-0 run sparked by junior Jon Sheets’ only two buckets of the day. Ernest Turner then gave them their first lead since early in the first half with a pair of free throws that made it 37-35.
The teams would trade leads and buckets for the next few minutes, before junior Rashard Turner’s three with just under four minutes to play gave UMaine the lead for good.
The Terriers found themselves in the penalty with around five minutes to play. BU continually fouled on the offensive glass, handing the Black Bears the opportunity to seal the game from the free throw line.
UMaine wouldn’t let that chance slip away, shooting 16-of-21 from the charity stripe as Ahvenniemi, Sheets and Bruff all connected in the game’s final minutes.
With freshman post-presence Philippe Tchekane Bofia on the bench most of the second half with four fouls, and leading scorer Ernest Turner struggling, UMaine relied on lockdown defense and open looks in making their comeback and statement win. Woodward’s preaching of defense and rebounding carrying a team on an off-shooting night paid off, as the Black Bears held BU to 32 percent from the field.
Rashard Turner and Bruff led UMaine with 12 points each, while Ernest Turner had just seven, well below his average of 17 per game. Turner was working on former America East defender of the year Shaun Wynn, and his teammates stepped up to hit the open looks the extra attention on him created. Turner held Wynn to just 11 points on the afternoon.
BU was led by Kevin Gardner’s double-double, 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the talented big man fouled out of the game with 58.7 seconds remaining, and was hampered by foul trouble most of the game.
The Black Bears will look to continue their climb up the America East standings Thursday night at Alfond Arena, when they challenge the Hartford Hawks.
UMaine lost their first game with the Hawks in Dec., and will have their hands full with center Kenny Adeleke, America East’s leader in points and rebounds.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
