Boston University
0-1
Northeastern
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston University | 25 | 52 | 77 |
| Northeastern | 41 | 46 | 87 |
Huskies Hold Off Terriers in Season Opener, 87-77
November 11, 2016 | Men's Basketball
BOSTON – Despite four Terriers reaching double figures with senior Eric Fanning tallying 29, the Boston University men's basketball team was unable to overcome a cold-shooting first-half performance and fell at Northeastern, 87-77, on Friday night. The Huskies saw their 18-point lead cut to as low as five in the second half but used 21 free throws down the stretch to withstand the late charge in the season opener for both squads.
THE RUNDOWN
Final Score: Northeastern 87, Boston University 77
Records: Northeastern (1-0), BU (0-1)
Location: Matthews Arena – Boston, Mass.
BU Team Stats: 28-66 FG% (.424), 8-30 3FG% (.267), 13-17 FT% (.765)
NU Team Stats: 27-49 FG% (.551), 10-21 3FG% (.551), 23-37 FT% (.622)
BU Leaders: Fanning (29p, 7r, 4a, 2b, 2s), Alston (12p, 8r), Mosely (12p, 4s, 3r), Barnes (11p, 3 3FGs)
NU Leaders: Williams (30p, 8a, 4r, 2s), Murphy (20p, 4a, 4r), Gresham (12p, 3r)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Donnell Gresham opened the game with the first of Northeastern's 10 3-pointers to help the Huskies claim the lead for good.
- Following senior Justin Alston's slam dunk at 11:00 that cut BU's deficit to 18-15, the Huskies reeled off seven straight points and pushed their lead to as high as 18 (41-23) before freshman Destin Barnes hit a buzzer-beating layup at the end of the half.
- While the Huskies went 7-of-16 from three and 16-of-31 (.516) overall in the first 20 minutes of action, BU was held to 1-of-13 from behind the arc and 32.1 percent overall shooting.
- The Terriers started the second strong thanks to a pair of treys from Barnes and a 3-pointer from junior Cheddi Mosely to cut the lead to 52-44 at 12:38.
- Junior Cedric Hankerson added one of his own at 11:35 and then forced a turnover that led to Mosely's fastbreak layup and a small five-point deficit (54-49).
- BU would never get any closer but continued to battle, pulling within six (63-57, 7:26) on Fanning's layup and then later seven (69-62, 4:25) on two free throws.
- The Huskies only hit three 3-pointers in the second half but compensated for the lack of outside shooting by going to the line a staggering 32 times following just five trips during the first half to maintain the lead over the Terriers for the wire-to-wire victory.
- Fanning went 10-of-18 from the field and 9-of-12 at the line to pull within one point of hitting the 30-point mark for the second time in his career.
- The game marked the return of two medical redshirts in Alston and Hankerson ... After nearly reaching his second-career double-double in the first half, Alston was limited to just four points and one rebound in the second to finish at 12 points and eight boards, while Hankerson drained two treys for six points.
- Both freshmen Destin Barnes and Tyler Scanlon played 18 minutes apiece in their debuts with Barnes finishing 3-of-4 from behind the arc en route to 11 points and three boards.
- Mosely tied a career high in steals with four after forcing four turnovers in last season's CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament opening-round win at Fordham.
- T.J. Williams became the second consecutive opponent to hurt the Terriers with at least 30 points (9-15 FG, 11-15 FT) after NJIT eliminated BU in the CIT last spring behind Damon Lynn's 31 points.
- A former Duke Blue Devil, Florida Gator and ESPN Top-50 recruit, graduate student Alex Murphy started his first and only season at Northeastern by scoring a personal-best 20 points with three 3-pointers, four assists and four rebounds.
- The Huskies won their third straight against the Terriers, as the teams opened the season against one another for the seventh straight year.
- Despite the game being close for most of the second half, the Huskies became the first in the rivalry since 2006 to win a game by double-digits.
- The Terriers will next participate in their first home regular season tournament in 40 years on Friday (Nov. 18) against the Huskies in a rematch of today's season opener as part of the Steve Wright Classic.
- BU and the Huskies will meet twice in the regular season for the first time since they were both members of the America East in 2005-06.
- The two teams will also face Maine and LIU Brooklyn during the four-day round-robin event.
