The Boston University men’s basketball team relied on stellar defensive play to win their second straight conference game, knocking off American University by a score of 61-50 Wednesday night at Bender Arena.
The Terriers (9-9, 2-3 Patriot League) are now 8-0 when keeping their opponents below 67 points, as they held the Eagles (2-14, 0-5 Patriot League) to 34.7 percent shooting from the field and forced 14 turnovers. BU also limited American’s top scorer, guard Jessie Reed, to no points in the first half and only four points in the second.
Junior guard Eric Fanning led the way offensively for BU, totaling 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting. Senior guard John Papale and junior center Blaise Mbargorba chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively.
“I was pleased, ” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “I thought it was a good team win. I liked how we played as a team tonight. Both on the offensive and defensive end, I was happy.”
At the start of the game, American came out in a 2-3 zone defense, which clogged up the paint but opened up shots for the Terriers from deep. As a result, BU did not connect on a 2-point attempt in nearly the first eight minutes. The Terriers relied too heavily on the 3-point shot, shooting 2-for-7 from deep in that span, as they fell behind the Eagles 17-11 with 9:57 to go in the half.
Eventually, Jones’ squad became more patient on offense and looked to get the ball down low. This sparked a 17-3 run led by Mbargorba, who contributed six points in the run.
Fanning also was a big factor in the first half, going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line and notching 12 points. The Terriers were able to survive six 3-pointers from American in the half to take a 32-27 lead heading to the locker room.
“I thought we just missed shots,” Jones said regarding the team’s slow start. “They do a good job on defense, but I thought it was more or less us. We missed some shots we normally make. I thought we didn’t finish a few times inside. We had three guys miss layups in the first half, and that was the big difference.”
In the second half, Jones’ squad locked down even more on defense, limiting American to seven made field goals in the period. BU was able to take a 14-point lead at one point, as the Eagles simply lacked the offensive firepower to make a comeback.
This improved defensive play can be largely credited to the 6-foot-11 inch, 225 pound Mbargorba, who used his length and physicality to block two shots and alter many others in what was likely his best game of the season. Jones said he has noticed the improved play of the Southern Methodist University transfer recently.
“He made an impact in the game,” Jones said. “I thought he played really well against Lafayette too. He’s playing with more confidence. I was very happy for Blaise. He played well and he’s really helping us.”
On offense, Papale shined, scoring 10 of his 13 points in the second half. His layup with over two minutes to go extended BU’s lead to 11 and put the game out of reach for the Eagles, who notched their ninth-straight loss.
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
