Boston U. 66, Columbia 37
BOSTON (AP)—Matt Turner and Ryan Butt each scored 12 points as Boston University beat Columbia 66-37 Saturday night in the Terriers’ home opener.
BU (1-1), which raised its 2002 America East title banner in a pre-game ceremony, bounced back from a 61-57 loss at Stanford in the first round of the Preseason NIT.
The Terriers featured a balanced attack and a defense that often forced Columbia (0-2) to run down the 35-second clock searching for an open shot. BU outrebounded Columbia 34-16 and allowed the Lions just two offensive rebounds.
The Terriers broke the game open after the teams nearly came to blows early in the second half. Billy Collins gave Boston a 34-21 lead with a one-handed slam dunk off a feed from Chaz Carr.
Carr was fouled hard by Dave Bizgia on the ensuing Terriers possession, and the teams had to be seperated by officials. Carr hit both free throws, and Butt and Turner then hit 3-pointers during a 15-0 run that pushed the Terriers lead to 44-21 with 14:17 left.
Columbia was held scoreless for the first 6:53 of the second half. Grant Clemons scored eight points to lead the Lions.