Defense, experience help men’s basketball tally first win

In the closing minutes of its game against the State University of New York at Albany, the Boston University men’s basketball team found itself in a familiar place — embroiled in a back-and-forth battle.

After being down for nearly all of Monday night’s matchup, the Terriers (1-1) fought to tie the game just before the halfway mark of the second half, only to see their opportunities to take the lead slip away due to careless turnovers and sub-par defense.

With just over eight minutes remaining, the Great Danes (0-2) took a 58-54 lead and looked poised to extend it when senior guard John Papale’s 3-point attempt missed the mark and fell toward a group of purple jerseys.

Had this moment occurred with last season’s Terriers, with their dearth of experience, they might have seen the wheels come off. But make no mistake, these are not last season’s Terriers.

Instead, sophomore guard Will Goff broke through the crowd to come up with the offensive rebound, laid it in and gave new life to BU coach Joe Jones’ squad. The Terriers locked in, going on a 13-6 run to earn their first victory of the year.

“From that point on, we made enough effort plays to put ourselves in a position to win,” Jones said. “We really fought.”

After allowing the Great Danes to collect offensive rebound after offensive rebound, the BU defense tightened in crunch time, forcing three turnovers and denying Albany entry into the paint.

Papale’s 3-pointer off a feed from senior forward Justin Alston put the Terriers up for the first time at the 6:44 mark, and his teammates did not waver when the Great Danes briefly regained a one-point edge. Where it would have panicked last season, Jones’ squad weathered the storm, staying patient on offense and capitalizing on Albany’s mistakes.

“We stay confident at all times during the game,” Papale said. “We don’t really get too down. We know that someone is going to step up and make plays.”

Even after senior forward Nathan Dieudonne turned the ball over, giving Albany a chance to increase its one-point advantage with 3:18 remaining, the Terriers remained cool under pressure.

Sophomore guard Cheddi Mosely collected a key defensive rebound and Papale handily sank two free throws on the other end to retake the lead for good. On the ensuing Great Dane possession, Dieudonne put his body on the line to draw a crucial offensive foul against forward Greig Stire.

“To have guys like that that you can kind of point to that are doing it the right way and they can lead in those tough times,” Jones said in reference to his senior stalwarts. “They don’t get rattled. There was nobody trying to lose their wit about them and everyone was trying to grind it out.

“That’s what I’m really impressed with is the fact that we kept coming back,” Jones added. “Even against Northeastern [University], we kept coming back to put ourselves in a position to win. That’s because we have older guys that know what we’re trying to do here.”

The steady play of Papale and Dieudonne down the stretch helped buoy the Terriers’ younger players, such as freshman point guard Kyle Foreman. In the early parts of Monday’s contest, Foreman struggled to play with composure, committing six turnovers.

But when his team needed him most, he delivered, hitting big shots and coming up with a steal in the final minute to seal the Terriers’ first win.

It’s those kind of gritty plays that Jones said were simply not there during the 2014-15 campaign. Now, with improved resolve in the face of adversity, Monday’s win may have signaled the arrival of a new era for BU basketball.

“Last year, we didn’t play with great toughness for a good portion of our season,” Jones said. “Last year, it was bad. Older guys would look at the young guys, like ‘What’s going on?’ They didn’t understand terminology. They didn’t understand concepts. There’s just a much better understanding of what’s going on. This team has shown a lot of growth.”