Responding in Assertive Fashion: The Bruins Get Out to Early Led and Never Look Back, Beating the Boston University Terriers 71-40
Defense wins championships: This was the mantra internalized by the Bruins (2-1), as they defeated the Boston University Terriers (0-3) 71-40 at Pauley Pavilion on Monday night.
As opposed to the Bruins’ prior game, which saw the New Mexico Lobos torch the Bruins perimeter defense by shooting over 50% from the field, the Bruins only allowed the Terriers to shoot 30% from the three-point line and 25% from beyond the arc. They also forced the Terriers to turn the ball over 28 times by committing to a tenacious attitude on defense. The Bruins generated 36 points off these turnovers, which was more than half of their total points.
Junior Guard Skyy Clark embraced this notion of heart and hustle, leading the defensive effort with 16 deflections.
This heightened level of intensity allowed the Bruins to sprint out to a 39-22 as the first half expired. Even in the second half, the Bruins never took their foot off the pedal on defense, only allowing 18 points.
However, the Bruins’ offensive struggles continue to spell trouble. On the night, the Bruins shot 40% from the field and 22.7% from beyond the arc; they were only able to make 5 three-pointers. Shooting was thought to be something that Bruins improved greatly upon with the plethora of transfers that they acquired, but inconsistency has marred the Bruins’ shooting recently. Last season, the Bruins shot 33.2% from the three-point line, which ranked third-worst in the Pac-12.
Stefanovic, making his first start of the season, was the Bruins’ most consistent option on offense. He finished the game with 13 points and drained three shots from beyond the arc.
The Bruins will look to find their groove offensively while maintaining their defensive dominance in their bout against Lehigh Mountain Hawks at Pauley Pavilion on November 15th.
