The Boston University men’s basketball team’s streak of down-to-the-wire home finishes continued Monday night, as it escaped Case Gym with a 78-74 win over the University of New Hampshire.
BU’s (6-6) victory gives the team a perfect 4-0 record against former America East foes and ensures that it will end non-conference play at .500 or better.
Freshman point guard Kyle Foreman, finally playing at full speed after struggling with injury, had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists, while junior guard Eric Fanning scored a game-high 18 points.
“I thought we got contributions from a lot of different guys in a lot of different areas,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “We were able to win a game without, I thought, a couple of key guys playing well, which was also a good sign. I liked what I saw. We’ve just got to get more consistent and we’ve got to get guys to play more consistently, but I like what I saw.“
Early on, it looked like the same Terrier squad that surrendered 24 turnovers to Canisius College on Saturday had returned. The Terriers’ first possession resulted in a turnover, which was followed by nine other of the same variety. Too often in the game’s opening half, BU tried to force offensive looks that simply weren’t there, leading to a bevy of missed opportunities and extra Wildcat possessions.
“We shot at a pretty high level tonight and we shot at a pretty good level against Canisius, but in both games we were turning the ball over at such a high rate in the first half it was like we were kicking ourselves in the foot,” Jones said.
With guard Joe Bramanti, the Wildcats’ (7-5) best defender, assigned to lockdown senior guard John Papale on the perimeter, the Terriers adjusted by making aggressive moves inside. Fanning and Foreman frequently drove through UNH defenders with ease, and the BU big men got the chance to show off their impressive post moves.
“I think Kyle being healthy is a big key because Kyle is able to put pressure on people by driving the ball, and Eric Fanning can put pressure on people too,” Jones said. “So, if they’re going to extend out on John and [sophomore guard] Cheddi Mosely and make it hard for those guys to score, then we have to drive the ball more and our bigs have to finish at the rim better.”
At halftime, BU owned a 61.9 percent field goal percentage, but only led 39-36. Foreman and BU then opened things up to start the second half, staying patient in their half-court offense and locking down on defense.
When Bramanti’s defensive assignment was switched, Papale took advantage. He earned his first points of the game on a short jump shot and followed that up with a 3-pointer and an assist that gave the Terriers a significant lead.
Another Papale trey extended BU’s advantage to 13 with 9:26 remaining, but the Wildcats clawed their way back into the contest due to Terrier foul trouble. By the game’s end, senior forward Nate Dieudonne and sophomore forward Nick Havener both fouled out. Meanwhile, junior forwards Dylan Haines and Blaise Mbargorba finished with four fouls each.
“We’ve got to get them to understand how to defend in the post without fouling,” Jones said. “Right now, we’re not doing a good job of that and we’re leaving it to the referee to make calls. We need to get in the gym and really work on that. We’re fouling a ton, even before the guy catches the ball.”
This gave the Wildcats a clear size advantage and left BU with more of an uphill battle inside. UNH exposed the Terriers’ lack of height and cut the lead to seven with less than two minutes left.
BU then struggled to beat the Wildcats’ press and UNH capitalized on the opportunity to shrink the Terrier advantage to just two points with 16 seconds remaining. Late free throws from Fanning and Haines proved to be the difference, though.
Now, the Terriers will take four days off to rest and recharge before coming back to campus to prepare for a matchup with Kean University at home Monday and the Patriot League opener at the College of the Holy Cross on Dec. 30.
“I think the guys are excited,” Jones said. “I really want them to just be able to go home and spend some time with their families, get off their feet a little bit … We have some time to work on some things in the hopes that we’re able to start the league the right way. I’m hopeful that we can use the time when they get back to get better. “
Jackie is a sports reporter for The Daily Free Press and has previously served as Managing Editor and Associate Sports Editor of the FreeP. At this moment, she's probably watching Shark Tank and thinking of ways to work, "and for that reason, I'm out," into casual conversations. Please send all inquiries in the form of a box combo from Cane's with no coleslaw and extra fries or follow her on Twitter at @jackie_bam
