Dec. 7, 2013

Box Score | Highlights | Watch Replay on PLN

BOSTON - Trailing by seven with 50 seconds left, the Boston University men's basketball team rallied to send the game to overtime before eventually falling to defending Ivy League champion Harvard, 79-68, on Saturday afternoon in Case Gym.

With their four-game win streak snapped, the Terriers drop to 6-3, while the Crimson improves to 9-1 behind its fifth straight victory. The contest marked the first extra session of the season for both teams and the first ever in 64 meetings between the two programs in a series dating back to 1904.

Senior Dom Morris led BU with 15 points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Maurice Watson Jr. tallied 14 points, a season-high eight assists and four steals. Senior D.J. Irving was the third Terrier in double figures with 10 points. Sophomore John Papale added eight points, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers that keyed the 8-1 run to send the game to overtime.

Winning last year's game (65-64) with four seconds left, Harvard also featured three men in double figures with Wesley Saunders recording a game-high 25 points off 8-of-24 shooting and 9-of-10 performance at the charity stripe. Kyle Casey posted a double-double behind 19 points and 12 rebounds. Siyani Chambers contributed 16 points, as he was the lone player on either side to play all 45 minutes of action.

BU countered every Harvard run during regulation but could never pull away from the Crimson. During the first half, the Terriers opened the game with a quick layup by Watson after sophomore Nathan Dieudonne won the tip. They trailed 24-15 after Chambers drained consecutive 3-pointers with 7:46 left but came back to grab a 28-26 lead on Morris' layup with 2:42 remaining. Harvard would then score six straight points and enter the locker room leading 32-30.

Down 40-34 with 16:35 left in the second half, Watson ignited a 10-3 Terrier run that was capped by Irving's 3-pointer at 13:03. Harvard quickly responded with a trey by Chambers and never trailed again in the back-and-forth clash. The Crimson pushed its lead to 10 (60-50) off Chambers' steal and layup at 6:20 and used a made free throw to maintain the lead at 65-58 with 50 seconds left in regulation.

Held scoreless until the final minute, sophomore John Papale banked a 3-pointer from the top of the key, prompting a timeout by the Teriers with 44 seconds left. Helping in BU's press, Watson forced Casey into a turnover. After senior Travis Robinson missed a 3-point attempt, Papale grabbed the offensive rebound and hit his second trey to bring the game within one, 65-64.

Pressed again, Harvard managed to get the ball over midcourt and was sent to the free throw line. Steve Moundou-Missi made the first free throw but missed the second. Robinson grabbed the defensive rebound and quickly fed it to Watson, who slashed through the defense to the basket for the game-tying layup.

The Crimson tried to beat the Terriers on the game's final basket for the second consecutive season but Chambers missed a 3-pointer and Saunders' attempted tip-in on the offensive rebound failed to go into the hoop, prompting the extra session.

In overtime, Papale answered Saunders' jumper with one of his own with 3:45 remaining to put the game at 68-68. The Terriers though would be held scoreless rest of the game. Harvard forced three turnovers and went 11-of-12 at the line for the win.

BU ended the game 25-of-63 (.397), including 6-of-24 (.250) from behind the arc, and went 12-of-20 (.600) at the line. The teams finished in a 39-39 rebounding deadlock, but Harvard had four extra points off turnovers (15-11) while committing five fewer turnovers (15-10). 

Ranked second in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, the Crimson shot 26-of-62 (.419) from the field and 21-of-27 (.778) at the charity stripe.

The Terriers will next hit the road and visit Atlantic 10 foe George Washington on Wednesday (Dec. 11) at 7 p.m. with NESN broadcasting the game. BU will then return to Case Gym on Sunday (Dec. 15) against defending MEAC regular season champion Norfolk State at 1 p.m.