BOSTON -- John Holland scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half and led Boston University back from a 15-point deficit as the second-seeded Terriers held off fifth-seeded Stony Brook, 56-54, to capture the 2011 America East men's basketball title Saturday at Agganis Arena.
Holland, who was named the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, sank two free throws with 2.4 seconds left to deliver Boston U. its first league title since 2002 and sixth overall. With the win, Boston U. earned the league's automatic NCAA tournament berth and will learn its draw on Sunday at 6 p.m. on CBS.
Boston U. (21-13) struggled offensively in the first half, shooting just 22 percent from the floor in the period. As a result Stony Brook (15-17), which was making its first-ever championship game appearance, was able to build a double-digit lead. Sophomore Leonard Hayes, an All-Championship team selection, scored all 14 of his points in the first half and hit an elbow jumper to give the Seawolves a 17-7 lead with 5:32 left in the period.
The Terriers, who have won 11 straight games, stayed in the contest by getting to the foul line and sank 11-of-14 freebies in the first half to trim the deficit to 30-23 by halftime.
The Seawolves, who were trying to become the lowest seeded squad to ever win the league title, grew their advantage to 15 in the early part of the second half. Senior Chris Martin, who scored 12 points and was an All-Championship team choice, put his team up 41-26 with just over 15 minutes to go in the game.
That's when Holland took over the game. He scored the contest's next 14 points, and added two steals and a rebound in the stretch, to bring his team to within one at 41-40 on a three-point play with 10:31 left.
But Stony Brook, which outrebounded Boston U. 41-34 in the contest, withstood the rally and stretched its lead six with 3:31 to go after a pair of free throws by Martin. Those would be the last points the Seawolves would score however as Boston U. closed the game on an 8-0 run, capped by Holland's free throws. Bryan Dougher's half-court heave caught the rim but fell off and many of the 3,845 fans stormed the court to celebrate.
"We practice for the worst situations, so when you’re really in it and you’re really facing it, you’re going to keep a calm head and maintain an even keel, said Holland, the league's Player of the Year. "And I know to just keep playing hard. During the game, I wasn’t making some shots in the first half, but it’s really just about being confident and staying confident."
Holland, who added 11 rebounds and averaged 20 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three tournament games, was joined on the All-Championship team by teammate Darryl Partin, who had 12 points in Saturday's win. Hartford's Genesis Maciel rounded out the all-tournament team.