The Boston University men’s basketball team lost its fifth consecutive game on Saturday afternoon, suffering a 99-77 loss to Syracuse University at the Carrier Dome.
The Terriers (4-6) are still winless on the road, with an 0-5 mark away from Case Gym, while the Orange (6-3) hold an undefeated 6-0 record at home following the win.
The first half of the contest was hard-fought by BU, but the Orange pulled away in the second 20 minutes. After 20 minutes Syracuse led 45-39, but overall the first half was back and forth, as the Terriers led 20-12 at the 12:53 mark of the first half.
However, in the second half an efficient 30 combined points among Syracuse freshman Taurean Thompson, graduate student Andrew White III and graduate student John Gillon helped put the game out of reach.
Not only did the Orange’s offensive output stifle the Terriers, but BU’s sloppy play and turnovers ended up being the one of the deciding factors, according to BU head coach Joe Jones.
“We did a good job in the first 20 minutes,” Jones said. “I was concerned about the turnovers and we talked about having 12 or less as a goal. That was really tough after having nine at half, so I was concerned about that. My concerns really came to fruition in the second half.”
BU finished with 18 total turnovers, double the Orange’s nine. Points off turnovers were even more of a disparity, as Syracuse finished with 28 points off turnovers compared to BU’s seven.
The Terriers cut the lead to four just over a minute into the second half, but Syracuse went on a 16-0 run during the next four minutes to take a 20-point lead.
“We were really sloppy; we turned it over,” Jones said. “We didn’t get great shots. They’re going to make their shots — that’s what happens when you’re playing against a BCS-level team. We were going to have to win the game by not turning it over and staying with it offensively.”
Junior forward Nick Havener, came off the bench for the first time this season. Jones indicated that it was a coach’s decision and was not injury-related.
The game’s greatest disparity was field goal percentage. BU shot 36.2 percent from the field, while the Orange shot 51.6 percent. Jones said he believes that the difference in efficiency came from turnovers.
On a positive note for the Terriers, junior Cedric Hankerson put up 34 points, a career-high for the guard who is coming back from an ACL injury. He had one of the most bizarre stat lines of the season, knocking down a Terrier-record 10 threes and finishing 10-20 from the field (all 3-point shots).
“Playing against a zone that was the only shots you’re going to get,” Jones said. “It’s hard to get the ball into the paint and score against them consistently. He’s not going to take 20 shots every game. I was happy to see he got his confidence back.”
Saturday’s contest reminded Jones of the losses against the University of Connecticut and North Carolina State in terms of the game’s relevance on a national stage. He said he believes big games on national television against bigger schools can only help the Terriers, even if they end in defeat.
“I think we can draw some positives,” Jones said. “In the end we have to take some positives from the experience.”
In the future, the Terriers need to limit their turnovers if they want to compete against big-name schools like Syracuse.
“I really felt like the turnovers really dictated the pace of the second half,” Jones said. “We missed shots, but that’s going to happen. Overall, we didn’t keep our composure.”
