For the first six minutes of the first half and the last five of the second, the Boston University men’s basketball team was crisp and effective on offense. But sloppy turnovers, missed layups and an overall passiveness on offense during the other 29 spelled the first loss of the season.
The Terriers (1-1) lost by 13 points to George Washington University (2-0) for the second year in a row, this time by a score of 69-56. The Terriers jumped out to an early 18-10 lead, but two early fouls on leading scorer Corey Lowe (14 points) and a GW defensive switch sent BU into a scoring slump that would last the better part of the game.
Sophomore Carlos Strong (13 points) nailed three 3-pointers against the zone defense in the first six minutes to help the Terriers grab the early lead. Seeing the holes on the perimeter, GW coach Carl Hobbs put 6-foot-6 freshman Xavier Alexander (11 points) on Strong, holding him to two points the rest of the way.
“Xavier did an outstanding job,” Hobbs said in a post-game radio interview. “He was the difference guarding Strong, who we have a great deal of respect for.”
The next 34 minutes belonged to GW junior Rob Diggs (20 points, 12 rebounds). Diggs outhustled, outworked and out-jumped the Terriers on the glass, grabbing seven offensive boards, including three consecutive second-chance points in the second half that put GW up 46-30.
Lowe was whistled for his second foul at the 10:33 mark of the first half, with the Terriers still up 18-15, forcing ball-handling duties into the hands of Strong and junior Marques Johnson. BU committed seven turnovers as they were outscored 21-8 to close out the half.
“We were sloppy with the ball,” said BU coach Dennis Wolff. “Instead of getting our composure we rushed.”
The Terriers committed 20 turnovers, but they also benefited from GW’s 19 mistakes (nine Terrier steals) that led to BU’s nine fastbreak points, continuing the season’s trend of effective secondary breaks to trailing big men, most often sophomore Scott Brittain.
Without Lowe, Strong and the Terrier guards displayed a reluctance to create mid-range shots, yet they – particularly junior Marques Johnson – still found the forwards underneath for a number of nice feeds that turned into missed gimmies.
“We got the ball in a number of instances where we wanted to get it,” Wolff said. “And we didn’t finish.”
But even with Lowe back, GW would open the second half on a 10-4 run, taking a 61-42 lead with 5:16 left in the game. BU mounted an ill-fated run, closing the gap to 65-56, but it wasn’t enough to shake the steady Colonials.
Freshman Will Creekmore saw his first action of the season (12 minutes), playing effectively alongside Brittain while scoring four points with two rebounds. Rookie John Holland recorded the same stat line in his second consecutive game with significant playing time (23 minutes).
The Terriers will finish their three-game Atlantic 10 conference swing Saturday at Agganis Arena against St. Joseph’s University (1-1).