Terriers are in tiptop shape
Since losing at home to Vermont Jan. 14, Boston University has surged into first place in America East. With yesterday's 67-49 road romp over New Hampshire, the Terriers will take an eight-game winning streak into their toughest week of the season, ready to prove they are March material.
BU (14-9, 9-2) used an early 15-2 run to establish control in Durham, N.H., and coasted from there as Corey Lowe finished with 19 points and John Holland contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds. Building the lead to 26 in the second half, the Terriers could start thinking ahead to pending showdowns with two teams tied for second place, at Vermont (Wednesday) and against Binghamton (Saturday).
Tyrece Gibbs had 20 points for UNH (9-13, 4-6).
Vermont 79, Albany 70 - Mike Trimboli (20 points) and Marqus Blakely (19 points, 12 rebounds) carried the Catamounts (17-7, 8-3 America East) on the road.
UMBC 73, Maine 68 - Gerald McLemore's 25 points weren't enough as the Black Bears (8-16, 3-8 America East) fell in overtime to the visiting Retrievers (10-13, 4-7).
West Virginia 86, Providence 59 - Alex Ruoff (24 points) shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range and the host Mountaineers (16-7, 5-5 Big East) sank 11 threes overall to bury the Friars (14-9, 6-4), who have lost three in a row.
Holy Cross 64, Lafayette 50 - Andrew Keister was 7 of 7 from the field en route to 16 points and 10 rebounds, and the visiting Crusaders (12-11, 7-1) shot 50 percent after the break to stay tied atop the Patriot League with American.
Harvard 64, Brown 63 - Jeremy Lin capped a 27-point night for the host Crimson (10-10, 2-4 Ivy) by sinking a free throw after he was fouled with no time left.
Dartmouth 57, Yale 54 - Marlon Sanders converted the go-ahead layup for the Big Green (6-14, 4-2 Ivy) with a minute to play in Hanover, N.H.
Robert Morris 64, Central Conn. 44 - The Northeast Conference-leading Colonials (17-8, 11-1) held the host Blue Devils (11-12, 7-6) without a field goal for the final 8:34 of the first half, and limited Ken Horton, Central Connecticut's leading scorer, to just 4 points.
Sacred Heart 101, Long Island 72 - Corey Hassan's 25 points guided the host Pioneers (11-12, 8-5 Northeast) past the century mark for the first time this season.
Bryant 72, Quinnipiac 68 - At Hamden, Conn., the Bulldogs (7-17) received 21 points from Nick Pontes, who tied his career high. James Feldeine paced the Bobcats (10-13) with 15 points.
Bentley 72, Franklin Pierce 46 - The Falcons, ranked 23d in Division 2, reached 20 wins for the fifth straight year and stayed atop the Northeast-10 at 14-3. Lew Finnegan paced the visitors with 17 points.
UMass-Lowell 77, Merrimack 72 - Kevin Carr had 16 points to help the River Hawks (18-4, 13-4 NE-10) overcome 29 turnovers and beat the Warriors (15-7, 11-6) in North Andover.
Southern N.H. 67, Stonehill 48 - Troy Bowen collected 18 points as the visiting Penmen (12-10, 8-9 NE-10) knocked off the Chieftains (17-5, 12-5), ranked 24th in Division 2.
AIC 74, Assumption 73 - At Springfield, Adrian Hynes-Guery hit a layup with three seconds left to lift the Yellow Jackets (14-9, 10-8 NE-10) over the Greyhounds (15-7, 12-5).
Saint Rose 96, Saint Anselm 88 - Jermaine Clark's 25 points helped the Golden Knights (11-11, 9-8 NE-10) outlast the Hawks (13-9, 8-9) in Albany, N.Y.
Middlebury 78, Colby 73 - Ben Rudin poured in 27 points and the host Panthers (20-2), ranked 16th in Division 3, set a school record for victories and moved to 7-0 in NESCAC play.
Amherst 84, Tufts 70 - The Lord Jeffs (18-4, 6-1), ranked 20th in Division 3, maintained second place in the NESCAC, getting 22 points from Conor Meehan in Medford.
UNew England 47, Roger Williams 44 - Johnnie Jefferson led the way with 12 points as the Nor'easters (18-3, 9-0 Commonwealth Coast) rallied on the road for their 17th win in a row.
Colby-Sawyer 75, Salve Regina 73 - Matt Lemieux's layup with one second remaining kept the Chargers (16-4, 8-1 Commonwealth Coast) from a possible upset in Newport, R.I.
R.I. College 62, Plymouth St. 46 - The Anchormen (16-4, 9-1 Little East) ripped off their seventh consecutive victory behind 17 points from Bobby Bailey in Plymouth, N.H.
UMass-Dartmouth 89, Keene St. 66 - At North Dartmouth, Brandon Stephens had 24 points for the host Corsairs (19-2, 9-1 Little East), ranked 17th in Division 3.
Elms 92, Mitchell 62 - At New London, Conn., Antoine Holder provided 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers (18-1, 8-0 NECC), the 13th-ranked team in Division 3.
Coast Guard 67, MIT 63 - Craig Johnson led the Bears (9-11, 2-7 NEWMAC) to a surprising overtime win over the host Engineers (16-6, 7-2), who got 38 points from Jimmy Bartolotta.
Bridgewater St. 82, Fitchburg St. 80 - The visiting Bears (15-5, 8-1 MASCAC) barely won their ninth straight as Roland Millien scored 19 points to eclipse 1,000 for his career.
Salem St. 75, Westfield St. 71 - Dylan Holmes powered his way to 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Vikings (17-4, 7-1 MASCAC) slipped by the host Owls (13-8, 6-3) in overtime. 