The Boston University men’s basketball team had its two-game winning streak end Wednesday night when it dropped a 76-69 contest to Colgate University at Agganis Arena.
The Raiders (12-14, 9-4 Patriot League), who stand tied for first in the Patriot League standings, finished off the season sweep of the Terriers (10-14, 6-7 Patriot League) in a nail-biter that had 10 lead changes and 10 ties.
BU’s defense struggled in the second half, allowing Colgate to shoot 55.6 percent from the field while sending the Raiders to the free throw lines 19 times. The half had a much more physical and slower pace, which played to Colgate’s advantage as it ranks second in the Patriot League in both scoring defense and opponent’s field goal percentage.
“I thought the stoppage of play crushed us, and it just changed everything,” said BU coach Joe Jones.
The Terriers and the Raiders engaged in a very physical battle midway through the half as both teams were in the double bonus with 8:24 remaining. In the latter part of the final frame, both teams were shooting free throws frequently, as the referees were controlling the game with their whistles.
“I thought they were calling it pretty tight, but there were a lot of foolish fouls in the game,” Jones said.
Sophomore guard Cedric Hankerson for the Terriers and senior Ethan Jacobs for the Raiders were both on the bench halfway through the second half with four fouls each. Colgate coach, Matt Langel, was tentative with his big man’s playing time in the second half, but when Jacobs checked back in with just over a minute remaining, he nailed a crushing deep ball to extend Colgate’s lead to four.
After Jacobs headed to the bench with foul trouble, Langel said he told his senior, “Sit down here, but stay ready because you are going to make a three to help us win this game.”
Although it was not the play drawn up in the huddle, Langel said he trusted the senior from beyond the arc. Guard Luke Roh set up Jacobs with a great hesitation move to get into the paint before kicking it out to Jacobs.
“Luke Roh is very good at drawing the help defense, and he has enough size to make a pass to Ethan, and it is a hard play to guard when you have two guys like that,” Langel said.
A majority of Colgate’s offense runs through Jacobs in pick-and-roll and post-up situations. The post-up is averaging 12 points a game, while being able to stretch the floor with 32 threes made on the season, none bigger than his game-winner at Agganis Wednesday night.
In addition, Roh contributed all over the floor for Colgate, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists. He played a big role on the defensive end with active hands as he got a piece of sophomore guard Eric Fanning’s layup that nearly cut Colgate’s lead to one with 20 seconds left.
BU played with energy during most of the first half and made four out of five 3-pointers during one stretch. However, the first half was spoiled by a 12-4 run by the Raiders, highlighted by a 3-pointer from senior Damon Sherman-Newsome in the waning seconds of the first half.
The sharpshooter drained four 3-pointers and finished with 19 points, leading the way for the Raiders. Sherman-Newsome is one of seven seniors on this talented, veteran squad. Colgate relies heavily on its starting five, as four of them played at least 31 minutes.
“Hopefully, the young guys are learning what it takes to win, by watching the older guys find ways to win, and this is the first time in my four years we have been in this position, and I credit this group, and they have preserved together,” Langel said.
BU struggled to close out its early lead at Agganis, which has shown to be a constant theme this season for the young Terrier squad. Despite the defensive struggles, BU got a great spark off the bench, as Fanning had 19 points and junior forward Nathan Dieudonne added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Nick Havener made his second consecutive start for the Terriers and was quickly replaced by the hot bench who provided a much-needed spark.
BU failed to put together a full 40 minutes Wednesday night, as Jones said his team struggled mentally to get over the hump in the second half.
“We made too many poor decisions, both offensively and defensively, foolish fouls, turnovers, missed assignments, poor execution,” Jones said. “You are going to have a hard time beating a team like that.”
