In a rematch of the 2014 Patriot League tournament final, the Boston University men’s basketball team defeated American University by a score of 59-54 at Agganis Arena.
The Terriers (8-10, 4-3 Patriot League) earned the win Wednesday night following a three-game losing streak.
In addition to getting back into the win column, it was a historic game for BU as two players entered prestigious company with their play in this matchup.
The story of the game was the turnovers committed by American (11-8, 4-3 Patriot League), which BU capitalized on. Sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and a program-record nine steals.
“We played against them last year, so we’re experts on their offense,” Hankerson said of his big day. “They like to back-cut a lot, so at times, I kind of saw that coming.”
BU played stifling defense throughout the game, forcing 13 American turnovers. The Terriers were able to turn those turnovers into 15 points.
“We just wanted to be active defensively,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “We hoped that our press could generate some turnovers for us, and I thought that was key tonight. I thought our guys kind of played with a lot of energy, and that created some things for us.”
In addition, junior guard John Papale moved into the program’s all-time top-10 list in 3-point field goals when he hit the 170th long distance make of his career.
This game was a test for both teams, as the top ranked defense in the Patriot League faced off against the fourth-ranked offense. The Eagles were only surrendering 55.6 points per game entering Wednesday’s matchup, eight points better than the second-ranked Colgate University defense.
The Terriers got off to a quick start, scoring the first seven points of the contest, despite the absence of junior forward Nathan Dieudonne. This was the first game he missed all year after appearing in all of the previous 17. He was benched following an incident in the team’s previous overtime loss at Loyola University Maryland Sunday.
“We had an incident at the end of the Loyola game,” Jones said. “I just thought it was the right thing to do for him and our program. We love Nate, and he’ll be ready to go Friday at practice and in Saturday’s game.”
BU had a 10-point lead at one point during the first half, but the Eagles came storming back with a flurry of 3-point shots.
Despite the best efforts of the Eagles’ offense, the Terriers were able to keep them at bay and entered halftime with a 27-24 lead.
Free throw shooting was key for the Terriers early, as they made seven shots from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes. Coming into the matchup, Hankerson ranked 13th in the NCAA in free throws attempted, and went 5-of-6 from the line against the Eagles. Freshman guard Cheddi Mosely sank two key free throws in the final seconds to seal the victory for BU.
The Terriers started off the second half even hotter than the first, scoring 12 unanswered points. However, the Eagles would not go away.
“It was funny because you felt like you had control of the game, and then a minute later it’s a four-point game,” Jones said. “They’re just smart, veteran players who know what they need to do. We knew that they were just going to keep coming at us, and we had to keep them at bay.”
The 3-point bomb seemed to be the go-to play for American in this one, but to an extent, it worked. The Eagles went 7-of-21 from 3-point range but hit some key buckets that kept the game close.
It was a one-possession game going into the final minute, but BU’s defensive prowess held strong to win the contest.
The Terriers will look to make it two in a row against Bucknell University on Saturday at Agganis. Jones said he appreciates the resiliency of his team and is confident about what’s to come.
“I love this team, and I feel like we have a chance to evolve into something pretty good if we keep moving in the right direction,” Jones said. “I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of what we could be, and I think in the next month and a half, we could make a run at this thing.”
Nick Neville is a junior in COM studying journalism and the Sports Editor of the Daily Free Press. When he's not making a paper on Beacon Street, you can catch him working as a Sports Correspondent for the Boston Globe or helping to produce BU's only professional sports talk show, Offsides. Follow him on Twitter: @n_nebs95
