Headed into Monday’s matchup against Holy Cross, the Boston University men’s basketball team was tasked with slowing down the Patriot League’s best three-point shooting team.
After the final buzzer sounded and the Crusaders finished 6-21 from behind the arc, the Terriers’ (11-11, 5-4 Patriot League) 69-59 win was a sign they did just that.
“I thought we were very good defensively. They’re a terrific shooting team,” head coach Joe Jones said. “The big [question] was, ‘Could we guard the three point line?’ And we did a really good job of that.”
The Terriers were led by sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander’s 15 points, while senior forward Malcolm Chimezie dominated the boards with 10 rebounds.
Guard Joe Nugent was the standout player for Holy Cross (11-11, 3-6 PL) with 12 points, while forward Caleb Kenney recorded five rebounds and freshman Max Green provided support with four assists.
The game started with back-and-forth play until sophomore guard Michael McNair drove to the basket to reclaim the lead for the Terriers and set off an impressive 12-0 run.
The Crusaders didn’t go away entirely, outscoring the Terriers 14-2 in a span of five minutes midway through the half, but the Terriers regained control to enter halftime up 31-26.
“We were able to carry over some of the momentum from the game on Saturday,” Jones said. “We got out to a nice lead, and we haven’t really been able to do that [so far].”
At the break, McNair led the Terriers with eight points, while Nugent and forward Aidan Richard each had six at the break for the Crusaders.
“We were talking to our guys about having a better flow,” Jones said, about his halftime talk with the team. “We played great out of the gate…[but] when we got stagnant, we struggled…it was, ‘just keep going at them and wear them down.’”
The second half reignited with a pair of Chimezie layups, but an 8-0 run from Holy Cross put pressure on the Terriers as their lead narrowed.
Alexander countered with a layup, keeping BU ahead 37-34 and spurring an explosive 16-1 run for the Terriers.
The stretch of dominance compelled another Holy Cross timeout, with BU leading by a staggering 51-35 with eight minutes left.
As the game drew closer to its end, the gap had become insurmountable for Holy Cross as the Terriers expertly managed their late-game lead.
Chimezie, who finished with eight points and 10 rebounds, noted the significance of his individual improvements as well.
“I haven’t been rebounding as well as I wanted to in the past couple games. So this was a good step in the right direction for me,” he said.
Throughout the game, the Terriers had an impressive 42 rebounds to support their commanding effort.
“I think that was one of the first games where we looked long and athletic,” Jones said. “We’re starting to be able to impose our will a little bit more.”
The Terriers look to build off this strong showing in their next game at Loyola Maryland on Saturday, with tip-off set for 2 p.m.
