Max Mahoney slam dunk vs. Vermont before the end of the first half.
Rich Gagnon
80
Bucknell BUCKNELL 7-7, 1-1 PL
87
Winner Boston University BOSTONU 8-7, 1-1 PL
Bucknell BUCKNELL
7-7, 1-1 PL
80
Final
87
Boston University BOSTONU
8-7, 1-1 PL
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Bucknell BUCKNELL 32 48 80
Boston University BOSTONU 43 44 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Goes Wire-to-Wire in 87-80 Win over Defending PL Champion Bucknell

BOSTON – Highlighted by junior Max Mahoney's third double-double in six contests, the Boston University men's basketball team went wire-to-wire in a thrilling 87-80 victory over two-time defending Patriot League champion Bucknell on Saturday afternoon at Case Gym.

By avenging last year's road PL semifinal loss and snapping a six-game home losing streak to the Bison (7-7, 1-1 PL), the Terriers improve to 8-7 and 1-1 in conference play. Mahoney went 12-of-20 from the field and 2-of-3 at the line for a season-high 26 points while adding a career-high 14 rebounds and team-high four assists. Sophomore Javante McCoy (18 pts.), junior Tyler Scanlon (12 pts.) and redshirt-freshman Alex Vilarino (11 pts.) all reached double figures to help BU offset an impressive 27-point performance from preseason All-PL honoree Nate Sestina.

THE FINAL STRETCH
  • Trailing 68-59 with 5:55 remaining after Mahoney completed a 3-point play, Bruce Moore scored the Bison's next eight points off an emphatic slam dunk, layup and four free throws to help Bucknell pull within three (70-67) at 3:47.
  • On the next possession, freshman Jack Hemphill hit a huge 3-pointer at 3:17 off a quick pass from McCoy to ignite a 9-3 spurt capped by two Vilarino free throws at 1:25.
  • Sestina drained one of his game-high five 3-pointers and tipped in a missed Bison shot attempt at the 45 second mark to cut the deficit to 79-75.
  • The Terriers though went a perfect 8-of-8 at the charity stripe to seal the victory with McCoy, freshman Fletcher Tynen and Villarino all attempting at least two shots from the line.
THE SETUP
  • After Bucknell missed a game-opening 3-point attempt, Vilarino grabbed the defensive rebound and fed Scanlon for his first of two 3-pointers to give the Terriers the lead for good.
  • Tynen added another and Vilarino completed his own 3-point play at 15:11 to give the Terriers a 13-2 lead.
  • The teams traded blows for the rest of the contest in a fast-paced contest, but the Bison could never cut the deficit below three points.
  • After McCoy hit a short jumper for the 29-20 advantage at 6:26, John Meeks flushed a 3-pointer and was shortly thereafter followed by Kimbal Mackenzie's two free throws.
  • Mahoney then grabbed an offensive rebound following a missed BU attempt and scored on the layup with the foul to spark an 8-0 run capped by freshman Jonas Harper's steal and fastbreak basket at 4:14 for the 37-25 advantage.
  • McCoy's layup with 34 seconds remaining and a defensive stop helped the Terriers enter the locker room leading, 43-32.
  • In the second half, the teams continued the seesaw affair with Scanlon hitting his second trey at 11:07 to grab a 62-51 lead.
  • Sestina hit a bomb in response and added another at 8:42 to cut the deficit to 63-59.
  • Bucknell though was held scoreless for the next three minutes with McCoy hitting two free throws at 6:33 and Mahoney converting on the bonus free throw to pull ahead, 68-59, at 5:55.
GAME NOTES
  • Mahoney finished three points shy of his personal high at 26, while edging his previous record of 13 rebounds set against Bethune-Cookman with 14 for his fourth career double-double.
  • McCoy went 5-of-11 from the field to match his season high in points at 18, and Vilarino reached double figures for the second consecutive game with a career-high 11 points.
  • Both McCoy and Vilarino went a combined 11-of-11 at the charity stripe, as the Terriers finished 16-of-18 against Bucknell's 10-of-15 performance.
  • Tynen started in his first game against a Division I opponent and played a season-high 27 minutes with seven points and three rebounds.
  • By shooting 47.8 FG% and overcoming Bucknell's 53.4 FG% performance, BU snapped a 57-game losing streak during contests in which it posted a lower field goal shooting percentage.
  • Besides tallying six more made free throws, the Terriers also outscored the Bison in the paint (40-34), off turnovers (17-14) and in second-chance points (20-12).
  • BU out-rebounded the Bison, 37-29, with 13 offensive rebounds and also had a season-high nine steals.
  • The Terriers won at home against Bucknell for the first time since a 63-53 victory on Dec. 6, 2009 and now trail the all-time series, 12-5, with two victories in the last three meetings.
  • Kimbal Mackenzie tallied 19 points to help the Bison, while the PL's No. 2 assist leader Jimmy Sotos dished out seven helpers.
  • Bucknell entered the contest with a 6-3 record away from home, claiming wins over UNLV, Vermont and Rhode Island with a heartbreaking 73-71 loss at then-No. 14 Ohio State.
NEXT UP: ARMY WEST POINT
  • The Terriers will conclude their two-game homestand on Wednesday (Jan. 9) by hosting the Black Knights with a 7 p.m. start time.
  • BU swept the regular season series last year, posting a 90-82 home win and 61-59 victory at Army.
  • In the previous matchup at Case Gym, Cedric Hankerson ('18) flushed five 3-pointers en route to a season-high 33 points.
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