The Boston University men’s basketball team will attempt to bounce back from a tough loss Thursday night when it faces off against Loyola University Maryland Saturday at Agganis Arena.
The Terriers (10-14, 6-7 Patriot League) will look to make a climb in the Patriot League standings with just five games left in the regular season. They are currently tied for fifth overall with the Greyhounds (10-14, 6-7 Patriot League).
BU is coming off a back-and-forth battle with Colgate University at Agganis, where the Terriers let a one-point lead slip away in the final two minutes, ultimately losing 76-69. Sophomore guard Eric Fanning led the way for BU with 19 points, but missed a crucial layup that would have cut the lead to one with 17 seconds left.
“We didn’t get any stops late in the game, that’s the key,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “Down the stretch, you’ve got to hand it to them, I thought Colgate executed and they made some tough shots. Obviously, we had a chance to cut it to one and we missed the opportunity. We just didn’t get the job done.”
One aspect of the Terriers’ game that has been haunting them all season is their defense. In its last game, BU let Colgate (12-14, 9-4 Patriot League) shoot 50.9 percent from the field and 39.1 percent from behind the 3-point line. Jones has maintained all season that his team defense’s has been a work in progress, as the Terriers are seventh in the Patriot League in opponent field goal percentage with 45.5 percent.
“I just think we’re inconsistent,” Jones said. “Whether in the course of a game, or for the season, we’ve just been inconsistent and that’s the big thing. We just have a hard time consistently getting stops. That’s been the big issue for the most part with our team.”
Jones and his squad will look to improve against the Greyhounds, who are coming off of a dominant 62-43 win against Lafayette College. Loyola won the first game against BU, a 91-86 overtime win in Jan. 18 at Reitz Arena in Baltimore.
In that game, the Terriers had a 74-69 lead with six seconds remaining before the Greyhounds hit a 3-pointer and a flagrant foul was called on junior forward Nathan Dieudonne that sent Loyola to the line. The Greyhounds made two free throws to tie the game. The Terriers were then outscored 17-12 in the overtime period and lost the game. Freshman guard Cheddi Mosely had a career game for BU that night, as he had 23 points on 5-for-9 shooting from 3-point range.
They Greyhounds are led on offense by guards Eric Laster and Tyler Hubbard, who are averaging 11.5 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. Laster has averaged 14 points in the last five games, and is shooting 38.9 percent from beyond the 3-point arc. Hubbard is also shooting 37.5 percent from deep.
Loyola is respectable in all aspects of the game, but rebounding is where it really shines, as its plus-2.1 rebounding margin leads the Patriot League.
The Terriers will need to have a strong defensive game in order to pull out a win against the Greyhounds and inch closer to the top of the Patriot League standings.
“I just think that our defensive mindset needs to be there … that’s first and foremost.” Jones said. “We need to be able to make toughness plays.
“I think just overall our execution on offense needs to improve. I thought in the Colgate game, we had a number of sets that we didn’t execute well, and we just need to have a better focus on offense as well. But for the most part, it’s gonna come down to us defending.”
Nick is currently writing for the Boston Hockey Blog. In the past, he has served as associate sports editor, and has covered men's and women's cross-country, women's soccer, men's basketball, and men's lacrosse for the Daily Free Press. You can keep track of Nick's exciting life by following him on Twitter at @nikfraz14
