Senior guard Darryl Partin has been the king of second halves in America East play and on such a special night, Partin had arguably his best half of the year. Partin exploded for 25 of his career-high 33 points in the second half and recorded his 1,000 point in a Terriers uniform, to lead Boston University to their second straight huge comeback at SEFCU Arena.
Boston University (13-13, 9-3 America East) earned their seventh straight victory over the Great Danes (15-11, 7-5 AE) as they overcame a 17-point deficit to all but secure a top three spot in the America East Tournament. Partin connected on 12-of-17 shots and blanketed Albany's leading scorer Gerardo Suero on the final play of the game to ensure the victory. He was so good that he finished with half (25 points) of the Terriers points in the second half, when the Terriers outscored the Great Danes 50-32.
Sophomore point guard D.J. Irving was the other Terrier in double figures, finishing with 17 points and four assists. Center Patrick Hazel made his impact known down the stretch, finishing with seven points, three rebounds and a block. Hazel hit the layup that gave the Terriers the lead for good, blocked Suero with under 20 seconds to go and then coolly sank two free throws with 1.9 seconds to go to ice the game.
Suero finished with a team-high 28 points for the Great Danes. The impressive junior college transfer was dominant for the first 30 minutes, but struggled down the stretch as Albany failed to score over the final 2:23. He also turned the ball over six times, bringing his total to 14 for the season in two games against the Terriers.
Albany's final chance of the game was squandered when Suero was denied the entry pass by Partin. Instead the Great Danes inbounded the ball to forward John Puk with 1.9 seconds left, who looked lost and failed to get a shot off.
It was the second-straight huge second half comeback for the Terriers at SEFCU Arena, as they overcame a 16-point halftime deficit last season to earn a 70-67 victory against the Great Danes.