Despite a hard-fought comeback, the Boston University men’s basketball team fell 73-65 to Sacred Heart University on Sunday evening at Case Gym.
“I can’t say I’m shocked by the outcome,” head coach Joe Jones said. “We got good ones and we didn’t stick them, but I just thought the overall effort from our team, the focus in terms of the details of stuff, we were not locked in the way you need to be locked in.”
Senior guard Amiri Stewart led the Pioneers (3-5) with his 20-point performance. Freshman guard Mekhi Conner supplemented the offense effectively, contributing with seven assists.
Freshman guard Nyle Ralph-Beyer was another dominant presence on the scoreboard, securing nine rebounds and providing vital second-chance opportunities.
The Terriers (3-5), led by sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander, delivered a stellar performance with 22 points.
“[It was] just finding ways to penetrate the defense, try to get into the lane, get into the opening spots,” Alexander said.
Graduate guard Miles Brewster played a key role in facilitating the team’s plays, tallying six assists. Additionally, senior forward Malcolm Chimezie contributed defensively with six rebounds, helping to maintain the Terriers’ competitiveness throughout the game.
BU won the tip-off, setting the stage for the game. However, it was Sacred Heart’s Conner who seized the spotlight early on with a swift steal. He quickly passed the ball to junior forward Anquan Hill, who launched a 3-pointer from the left side of the court.
As the game progressed, the Pioneers held an 8-4 lead when they erupted with a 9-0 run. Suddenly, the Terriers found themselves trailing by 13 points with 13 minutes remaining.
Chimezie provided a spark for the Terriers, executing a layup followed by a successful free throw at the 11:10 mark. His efforts narrowed the gap, bringing the score to 17-7.
After Stewart converted a free throw, the game heated up, with Brewster and Ralph-Beyer trading 3-pointers. The Terriers responded aggressively, with back-to-back 3-pointers from freshman guard Azmar Abdullah and Alexander. This narrowed the deficit to just 4 points at 26-22, with seven minutes left on the clock.
Junior guard Ben Roy aided BU’s comeback by making both of his free throw attempts. Alexander then followed with a jumper to bring his team just behind the Pioneers, 27-26.
Now trailing by a single point, the Terriers felt the momentum shift and fought to take their first lead of the game.
However, junior guard Griffin Barrouk dashed their hopes by expertly draining a 3-pointer with just 50 seconds left in the first half. As the clock wound down, Alexander managed to score on a layup, closing the gap once more.
The first half concluded with BU trailing by 2 points.
At the start of the second half, Alexander tied the game at 30-30. Stewart then gave the Pioneers a narrow lead, initiating a 14-0 scoring run led by Hill and Carpenter. With less than 12 minutes left on the clock, the Terriers found themselves down 14 points, 50-36.
“I thought [Sacred Heart] made a couple of tough shots, to be honest with you,” Jones said. “We weren’t able to consistently play the way where we need to be able to play to take the lead.”
McNair ended the Pioneers’ run with a crucial 3-pointer, narrowing the Pioneers’ lead to 50-39.
Despite Brewster’s free throws narrowing the gap to 3 points, 58-55, the Pioneers, leading 62-57, called a critical timeout with two minutes remaining. Conner added key free throws and a decisive 3-pointer that sealed BU’s fate, resulting in a 73-65 loss for the Terriers.
Looking ahead, BU will face the University of Albany on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 1 p.m. at Case Gym.
