Basketball, Sports

3-point shooting woes doom Terriers against Saint Peter’s

Freshman Cheddi Mosely is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range this season. PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Freshman guard Cheddi Mosely is shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range this season. PHOTO BY JUSTIN HAWK/DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

When freshman guard Cheddi Mosely hit a 3-pointer on the opening possession of the Boston University men’s basketball team’s game against Saint Peter’s University Saturday, it looked like it might be smooth sailing for the Terriers.

Unfortunately for BU (2-5), the team would make only one of its next 10 3-point attempts, as the Terriers trailed by 20 points at halftime, before eventually falling to the Peacocks (3-6), 70-59.

“That’s a problem. That’s what we’re into,” said BU coach Joe Jones about his team’s tendency to attempt shots beyond the arc. “We’re not into the other things that make you good. We’re so into whether we’re making shots or not that we do not understand the other things it takes to be good. We do not do them.”

While having a reliance on shots from 3-point range can be beneficial to teams, it also can plague squads if shooters are having an off day, such as what transpired for the Terriers against Saint Peter’s.

Against Binghamton University on Dec. 3, the Terriers hit 14 of their 28 3-point attempts in a 77-65 win. In their only other win of the season against Norfolk State University on Nov. 19, the Terriers shot 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

While the Terriers lead the Patriot League in 3-point attempts, only three players with more than seven tries from deep on the season are shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc.

The bright spots for the Terriers come in the form of sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson and Mosely, who are shooting 41.5 percent and 42.9 percent from long range, respectively.

It seems as if Mosely has found his niche in 3-pointers, as 35 of his 46 attempts from the field have come from deep.

Meanwhile, the shooting struggles of junior guard John Papale have been a dent in the Terriers’ offensive game, particularly with 3-pointers.

Last season, Papale was arguably the Terriers’ go-to option from 3-point range, as he went 70-for-169 on trey-ball attempts, good for 41.4 percent.

This year, Papale is only 14-44 on 3-pointers (31.8 percent). On a team built for long-range shots, the return of the Papale from last year is necessary going forward.

During their two wins this season, the Terriers shot 46.9 percent from deep, but in their five losses, that percent dropped to 33.6 percent.

“One thing we have to do every time we go out there is to make them compete,” Jones said. “We got to get more out of our players. We aren’t getting enough out of our guys. That’s the number one thing. And then we have to simplify what we’re doing to take away some of the indecision that they have. Those two things are what we have to do a better job of.”

During the game against Saint Peter’s, the Terriers missed 3-pointers at key moments, especially in the first half, which allowed the Peacock’s lead to increase.

While the Terriers hit six of their 15 attempts from 3-point range over the final 20 minutes of play, a 2-of-11 (18.2 percent) showing in the first half essentially sealed their fate before halftime.

“We have to hope that guys start to say, ‘Hey, we have to get our act together. We got to get this thing going,’” Jones said. “We just need the buy-in from them, and right now, we’re not getting that.”

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