Boston University
8-12, 4-5PL
Army
14-6, 5-4PL
Army Edges Men's Basketball, 71-67
January 29, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Box Score | Watch Replay
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Despite sophomore Eric Fanning tallying a career-high 27 points, the Boston University men's basketball team fell short at Army, 71-67, on Thursday night in a contest that went down to the final seconds.
With their third straight win to end the first half of the Patriot League schedule, the Black Knights improve to 14-6 (5-4 PL), while the Terriers drop to 8-12 (4-5 PL).
Three points shy of becoming the first Terrier in three years to reach 30 points, Fanning went 7-of-11 from the field and 11-of-14 at the charity stripe while adding a career-high eight rebounds. Freshman Cheddi Mosely and junior Nathan Dieudonne were the other two in double figures at 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Kevin Ferguson led Army with 20 points and owned six rebounds alongside Dylan Cox, who also contributed 16 points and five assists. Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year Kyle Wilson added 12 points to help Army snap a seven-game losing streak in the series.
The game was closely contested throughout and featured nine lead changes with the fifth and final tie taking place at 5:44 (56-56) in the second half following Dieudonne's dunk on a nice feed from Fanning.
The Terriers had two opportunities to grab the lead back but missed a free throw and a 3-point attempt following a steal. In the final 20 minutes of regulation, BU shot 1-of-14 from behind the arc and 5-of-10 at the line after going 5-of-11 and 8-of-12, respectively, during the first half.
Ferguson broke the deadlock at 4:49 with a layup and extended the lead to 62-58 with 2:30 remaining. On the ensuing possession, Hankerson drove to his right for the layup, but the shot was nullified, as the referee deemed a Black Knight had moved into position just in time to take the charge.
The turnover and foul proved costly with Wilson giving Army its largest lead of the contest on a layup, 64-58. The Terriers kept the game close though, using a 3-pointer by junior John Papale to pull within two (69-67) with eight seconds left.
They quickly fouled Larry Toomey, who was 5-of-17 from the line entering the game. He calmly drained both of his free throws though to seal the victory.
Mosely helped BU open the game on a 9-3 spurt behind a pair of 3-pointers, and Hankerson pushed the lead to 13-5 at 12:26 on a layup. Averaging 75.6 ppg, the Black Knights regrouped and tied the game five minutes later, 20-20, on a layup from Toomey.
Trailing 27-25 with 4:05 left in the half, Fanning and sophomore Cedric Hankerson keyed a 10-1 run with back-to-back 3-pointers. BU went into the locker room ahead, 37-32, and maintained the lead for six minutes in the second half before the game became a see-saw affair.
BU won the battle at the boards, 37-31, and outscored Army in second-chance points, 16-0. The Black Knights though had a 17-13 advantage in points off turnovers and 44-30 lead in the paint.
Army also shot 56.5 percent in the second half to finish 26-of-52 (.500) despite going 3-of-22 (.136) from behind the arc. The Terriers ended the contest, 24-of-60 (.400), and were unable to overcome a 13-of-22 (.591) performance at the line, as the Black Knights hit 16 of their 19 attempts.
The Terriers will remain on the road and begin the second go-round of the Patriot League schedule at Lehigh on Saturday (Jan. 31) at 2 p.m.
