BOSTON – The Boston University men's basketball team shot over 50 percent in the first half but was unable to keep pace late in the second for a 79-63 loss to defending Patriot League champion Colgate on Monday night at Case Gym.
With their season-high five-game win streak snapped, the Terriers drop to 15-11 and 9-4 in conference play, as the Raiders (20-6, 11-2 PL) move two games ahead with just five contests remaining. Named Patriot League Player of the Week earlier in the day, junior
Javante McCoy tallied a game-high 18 points with five rebounds and three assists, while senior
Max Mahoney posted 16 points and eight boards.
Four of Colgate's five starters finished in double figures with Jordan Burns posting 15 points, six assists, six rebounds and five steals. Tucker Richardson added 14 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Colgate claimed advantages in both 3-pointers (9-4) and free throws (14-7), as the teams finished tied in the paint, 36-36.
DOWN THE STRETCH
- After sophomore Jack Hemphill tied the game for the seventh and final time on a layup at 11:08, former PL Rookie of the Year Will Rayman drew a foul while attempting a 3-pointer and flushed all three free throws to grab the lead for good.
- Mahoney cut the deficit to 54-51 at 9:47, but the Raiders went on a 14-6 run over the next seven minutes to pull away.
- Reigning PL Player of the Year Rapolas Ivanauskas scored six points during the stretch to help the Raiders.
- Rayman gave Colgate its first double-digit lead at 3:48 (65-55) with a 3-pointer.
- BU cut the deficit to eight at 2:59 (65-57) and 1:58 (68-60), respectively, but the Raiders scored from behind the arc on each ensuing possession.
THE SETUP
- The first half featured five ties and seven lead changes.
- Mahoney used a tip-in and layup to spark a 9-0 run that was capped by sophomore Walter Whyte's 3-pointer at 17:44 for the 9-2 lead.
- Colgate scored six straight and retook the lead at 13:12 (12-11) on Jack Ferguson's 3-pointer.
- The teams traded blows back and forth the rest of the half with Whyte's second bomb breaking a 29-29 deadlock at 4:30.
- After Mahoney extended the lead to 36-31 at 1:54, the Raiders scored the final five points on a layup and 3-pointer to enter the locker room tied, 36-36, as neither team could score on their final possession.
- Despite Colgate reeling off seven straight points to start the second half, the Terriers clawed their way back and tied the game at 13:24 (47-47) with the help of two free throws from McCoy following freshman Ethan Brittain-Watts 3-pointer.
GAME NOTES
- McCoy now sits at 980 points, 20 shy of becoming the 39th Terrier to reach the 1,000-point milestone, while Mahoney (1,434 pts.) sits 23 points shy of overtaking D.J. Irving ('14) for the No. 9 spot in the program record book.
- Whyte was the third Terrier in double figures with 10 points.
- BU was limited to 34.4 FG% in the second half and ended the game 4-of-21 (.190) from behind the arc compared to the Raiders' 9-of-18 (.500) performance.
- Colgate cut BU's all-time lead to 28-24 with its first sweep in the series since 2014-15.
NEXT UP: NAVY
- The Terriers will next visit the Midshipmen on Saturday (Feb. 15) at 4 p.m.
- Navy won the first meeting back on Jan. 22 at Case Gym in OT, 60-58.
- The road team has won each of the last nine meetings in the series.
