Four seconds left — Boston University senior guard Miles Brewster on the foul line. A 1-point game, resting in the hands of Brewster, who was about to flip a game the Terriers trailed for the most part into a last-second win.
The crowd leapt to their feet and shook Case Gym –– Brewster made both free throws, snagging a BU win over Lehigh University, 72-71.
“I switched up my routine this year, and I say a mantra when I get the ball every time, just to calm myself down and make sure my thoughts aren’t going all over the place,” Brewster said. “I just try to shoot the ball like I always do… It is pressure, but I’ve worked on it and I know I can make it.”
Despite winning, the Terriers (9-14, 4-6 Patriot League) only led for 7.5% of the game.
BU set the scoring off with a layup from freshman wing Matai Baptiste. But after three ties in the first 7 minutes, the Terriers couldn’t match the Mountain Hawks (7-14, 4-6 PL) again until the final seconds of the game.
A steady back-and-forth game quickly became a scrap to the finish.
“I think they did a great job with continuing to fight through adversity [and] stay connected,” said assistant coach Mike Quinn. “I felt we just played with a little more confidence too in that last 15 minutes. We played with a little swagger to us, and that’s something we need to continue to build on.”
After the first half’s last 10-10 tie, Lehigh scored four threes back to back within four minutes. The Terriers kept creeping up.
It wasn’t until freshman guard Michael McNair flicked his wrist for a 3-pointer that BU dug up some fire. McNair and Brewster paired up for a blitz of threes, attacking until it was a 2-point game at 57-59.
Coming off the bench, McNair scored a game-high 21 points, while Brewster picked up a season-high of four 3-pointers.
“I’m not going to lie, I was not worried at all,” Brewster said. “I trust the coaches putting us in our position and I trust the guys to play hard and keep pushing back.”
With eight minutes to go, the Terriers found a new energy. They turned a 15-point deficit into a back-and-forth fight yet again, trailing two or three points behind Lehigh multiple times.
They still didn’t eke out a lead –– that is, until a layup from sophomore guard Ben Roy combined with the free throws by Brewster won them the game.
“Hopefully we can build on this [and] now pull a full 40 minutes together, so we don’t have to pull it out in the last four seconds,” Coach Quinn said. “But it’s certainly good for the guys and I’m happy for them.”
BU will host defending Patriot League champion Colgate on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
