The Boston University men’s basketball team defeated American University 67-52, winning a second consecutive game for just the second time this season.
From the jump, the Terriers (12-16, 7-8 Patriot League) exploded with a layup from sophomore forward Nico Nobili. They charged ahead of the Eagles (14-14, 8-7 PL) and did not let up in their wire-to-wire win.
“I think we’ve been trying to just focus on competing,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “That’s been the thing that we’ve struggled with. When we started in the second half, we did not start great, we lost our focus … but it was a good chunk of the game that I thought we really competed.”
After Eagle freshman forward Matt Mayock hit a three that bumped the score to 9-5, BU answered with a 10-0 run, taking a 19-5 lead.
With three minutes left in the first half, the Eagles started beating their wings. They turned it up on both sides of the ball, holding the Terriers scoreless in the last three and a half minutes of the half, and going on a 9-0 scoring run.
Although American couldn’t bypass BU, they only lagged eight points behind.
“[American] came out and played with a lot of force to start the half, and then we regained our composure and competed down the stretch,” Jones said. “But we need to be better.”
Senior guard Miles Brewster started the second half with two three-pointers, followed by two back-to-back layups from senior wing Anthony Morales.
Both players led BU in scoring, with Brewster earning 16 points and two assists, Morales picking up 17 points and three blocks.
“I thought our defense and then those two guys [Brewster and Morales] really led us offensively,” Jones said. “They were outstanding … That’s what a senior does. Those two guys played like upperclassmen.”
After freshman wing Matai Baptiste snatched the ball for a steal and a dunk, Brewster snapped two more three-pointers that gave the Terriers a commanding 22-point lead halfway through the second half.
Despite a daunting scoreboard, American did not surrender.
Once again, the Eagles held BU scoreless for three minutes, going on a 10-0 run to cut the Terrier lead to 12.
“We know who we are now,” Jones said. “And they just need to be reminded of that.”
With this win comes another triumph for BU — in his 13th year as head coach for the Terriers, Jones reached 300 overall career wins. He seized 214 career victories at BU and previously 86 wins at Columbia University from 2003-2010.
“I feel really fortunate that I’ve worked with a lot of great staff and a lot of great coaches, and I’ve had so many great players,” Jones said. “That’s the thing that you think about more than anything. It’s because of the people around you more than it is you.”
Jones and the Terriers will return home to face Loyola Maryland on Sunday at 2 p.m.
