For the second consecutive game, the Terriers jumped out to a sizeable lead against an Atlantic 10 opponent before significant scoring droughts and costly turnovers led to a loss.

Wednesday, the Boston University men’s basketball team led George Washington University by eight before a six-minute scoring respite allowed the Colonials to close the half on a 17-6 run, essentially ending the game.

Saturday, BU led St. Joseph’s University by seven midway through the first half, but was unable to consistently execute an effective offense, eventually succumbing to the Hawks, 57-48.

In front of 3,204 fans at Agganis Arena, BU’s (1-2) shooting struggles and five or six of what BU coach Dennis Wolff termed “ridiculous turnovers” allowed the Hawks to close their early deficit via a 17-5 run and take a 25-20 lead into the locker room. SJU (2-1) never relinquished its advantage and defeated the Terriers for the third time in two seasons.

“We seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot on offense,” Wolff said. “We’re careless with the ball at times, and we’re rushed.”

Junior Ahmad Nivins netted 18 points and hauled in 13 boards — both game highs. Coupled with 12 points in the first 11 minutes of the second half by sophomore guard Darrin Govens, St. Joe’s was able to build a 16-point lead with nine minutes remaining.

“It was a combination of their good defense and us being a little too casual and not mentally tough enough to keep running the offense,” said sophomore guard Corey Lowe.

The Hawks played phenomenal defense, especially on the perimeter. Lowe (five points) and sophomore Carlos Strong (four points) — the Terriers’ most dangerous threats from beyond the arc — were a combined 3-of-16 and 0-of-6 from downtown.

“Our perimeter defense on Lowe and Strong was really a focus for us coming in, and I was really happy with the defense of [Tasheed] Carr, Govens and [Garrett] Williamson,” said SJU coach Phil Martelli.

Carr, a junior transfer student from Iowa State University, was in Lowe’s face all night, as was Williamson. BU’s leading scorer shot 2-of-11 from the field and 0-of-5 from 3-point range. Despite the Newton native’s shooting struggles, he led all scorers with six assists, all of which were dished into the paint.

Like Lowe, Carr possesses solid court vision and tallied five dimes. He now has 26 assists through the Hawks’ first three games of the season and has been a crucial addition to the SJU’s lineup.

In addition to Lowe’s below-average night, Strong remained in a dry spell that’s hampered him since connecting on his first four shots against GW. His only bucket was a jumper for the right side roughly two minutes into the contest.

“Right now he’s fighting himself too much,” Wolff said. “We’re not gonna win if he struggles. He just has to let the game come to him.”

Sophomore forward Scott Brittain was easily BU’s best performer, recording a team-high 14 points and nine rebounds. Going up against a proven talent in Nivins, Brittain was able to assert his post presence and secure important offensive and defensive boards. He went 5-of-6 from the field and energized the crowd with a two-handed dunk in the first half. He would have had another, more impressive, jam in the second but was fouled on his way to the net.

“Our guards were finding me very well,” Brittain said of his opportunities near the basket.

“He was more aggressive ducking in, and he was on the boards more,” Wolff said. “That got him in position to get offensive rebounds.”

BU actually out-rebounded the significantly taller Hawks, but 20 turnovers hampered any advantage the Terriers gained on the boards.

“With our size advantage, for us to walk out of here with the rebounding loss, 35-33, [is something] that needs to be addressed immediately,” Martelli said.

While they didn’t win the rebounding battle, the Hawks’ size was apparent, as they blocked nine BU shots. Williamson and senior forward Pat Calathes both had three, while Nivins swatted two.

Still, stretches of the game – mainly the play of the bigs — were encouraging for BU, especially given the Terriers are without co-captain Tyler Morris and junior Ibrahim Konate. Morris is still out indefinitely with a stress reaction, though he’s no longer wearing a protective boot on his right leg. Wolff said that Konate will be back against Marshall University on Nov. 25.

“It’s unfortunate we don’t have who we have, but everybody has to deal with that, so it can’t be used as an excuse,” Wolff said.

The Terriers face Northeastern University (0-2) tonight at 8:00 p.m. in Case Gymnasium.