After letting a close game slip away last Friday night, the Boston University men’s basketball team picked up its first win of the year when it defeated the State University of New York at Albany 69-64 Monday at Case Gym.
BU (1-1) was led yet again by senior guard John Papale, who came up with 21 points, while freshman guard Kyle Foreman and senior forward Nathan Dieudonne each added 15 points.
Although the Terriers came out on top, they could not find their footing at the start, as Albany (0-2) jumped out to a 21-10 lead through a full-court press.
“We were down 21-10 and there was no one really losing their wit, we just kept trying to grind it out,” said BU coach Joe Jones. “I think that’s where I’m really impressed with, that we kept coming back to put ourselves in a position to win.”
Foreman, who committed two turnovers in the game’s opening minutes, was most impacted by this scheme.
Foreman only committed one turnover in the Terriers’ opener against Northeastern University, when he scored 15 points to go along with seven assists. The Clyde Hill, Washington, product finished this game with six turnovers, though.
BU was implementing a 2-3 zone at the start of the game when Albany scored consecutive mid-range jumpers. Junior center Blaise Mbargorba seemed unsure of his positioning in the scheme during this sequence.
Albany forward Travis Charles hit four consecutive mid-range shots, forcing Jones to call a timeout and switch his team back to man-to-man defending.
After getting into a hole, BU stormed back with three 3-pointers. The game leveled after that with Albany holding the lead the entire half, yet the Terriers never got down by more than seven.
The teams were comparable in their shooting numbers. Albany finished the half shooting 48.1 percent from the line, stacked up against the Terriers’ 46.7 percent.
The real difference came in Albany’s free throw numbers. While the Great Danes got to the line 16 times in the half, converting 10 of those attempts, the Terriers were just 2-for-3.
The second half brought out differences, as each team showed ability in different aspects. The Terriers relied on their 3-point shooting to get them out of their deficit.
After going 11-for-29 from 3-point range against Northeastern on Nov. 13, BU followed boasted a 10-for-30 performance Monday. Even though that is only 33.3 percent from the field, the Terriers hit those shots at critical moments.
For Albany, it was their rebounding and ability to force turnovers that proved crucial. The Great Danes more than doubled BU’s offensive rebound total, as they collected 15 to the BU’s seven.
As the game continued to sway back and forth, the Terriers stood four points down with 7:49 left. BU would then go on an 13-4 run to seal the victory. This comeback included seven points from Papale, including a key 3-pointer that put BU up 61-60.
The key play of the game, though, came from Foreman as the Terriers were up 65-64. As Albany tried to get the ball to guard Evan Singletary, Foreman jumped the route and converted the steal into a layup to seal the victory.
“In our game-scout we knew he was going to get the ball at the end of the game,” Foreman said. “We knew if we get one stop the game was in our hands. I didn’t even know I was going to get the steal, I just fought through it and that’s what happened.”
For Jones, the key play came before that. With 8:01 left and BU down by four points, sophomore guard Will Goff grabbed Papale’s missed 3-pointer and put the ball in to cut the deficit to two.
“Will Goff had that offensive rebound putback and I think from that point on we made enough effort plays to put ourselves in a position to win,” Jones said.
While there were plenty of positives to the night’s victory, Jones still said this game came down to one or two bounces of the ball, emphasizing how fickle that can be.
“Tonight if Albany wins the game, are we sitting here saying that we’re a tough team?” Jones said. “Are we saying that we let another one get away?”
Luckily for BU, it doesn’t have to worry about missed opportunities, as the team was able to capitalize when it mattered most Monday night. Jones’ squad will look to build on this momentum when it travels to Newark, New Jersey, to take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Thursday night.
