EASTON, Pa. – Despite earning a pair of double-doubles and allowing just 18 second-half points, the Boston University men's basketball team came up just short at Lafayette, 61-59, on Wednesday night.

The Terriers (16-12, 10-5 PL) rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to within two during the final minute and shortly thereafter watched the go-ahead 3-point attempt rim in and out for the two-point loss. The Leopards (17-9, 9-6 PL) outscored BU in turnovers, 15-7, to avenge earlier 73-72 defeat at Case Gym for the split.

Sophomore Walter Whyte recorded his second consecutive double-double and fifth of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Max Mahoney tallied 14 points and earned his sixth double-double with an offensive rebound after Whyte missed his late 3-point attempt, but he was forced to rush the follow-up shot with a hand in his face as time expired. E.J. Stephens recorded 18 of his game-high 27 points in the first half for Lafayette, who also had 10 points off the bench from Myles Cherry.

DOWN THE STRETCH

• Stephens flushed his fifth and final bomb for 59-49 lead with 6:41 remaining in regulation.
• Whyte responded with a layup, steal and fastbreak dunk to spark an 8-0 spurt capped by Mahoney's layup at 1:54.
• BU got another defensive stop but turned the ball over, as the Leopards deflected a high-arching pass into the paint.
• Stephens made the Terriers pay by burning the clock and flushing a jumper at the buzzer with 35 seconds left for the 61-57 lead.
• Following a called timeout, Whyte finished off Mahoney's nice feed with another slam dunk and then earned his second steal by stripping the ball away from Stephens to set up the thrilling finish that ended in heartbreak.

THE SETUP

• Three different Leopards scored in the first two minutes to grab an early 6-0 lead they would never relinquish.
• Stephens scored from behind the arc at 9:42 for Lafayette's first double-digit lead of the game, 23-11.
• Facing a 26-13 deficit, sophomore Jonas Harper and freshman Ethan Brittain-Watts combined for three bombs on the next three possessions to pull within six (28-22) at 6:23.
• Stephens then hit back-to-back treys to ignite a 10-0 run over the next three minutes to help the Leopards enter the locker room leading, 43-27.
• Looking for their largest comeback of the season, the Terriers opened the second half with an 9-0 run behind two jump shots from junior Sukhmail Mathon.
• Junior Andrew Petcash hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 52-47 at 9:22, but Stephens was able to score Lafayette's next seven points to build the Leopards' lead back up to double-digits (59-49).

GAME NOTES

• The Terriers made the comeback despite shooting 1-of-10 from behind the arc in the second half and would go on to finish 21-of-56 FG (.375) and 6-of-22 3FG (.273), respectively.
• BU won the rebounding battle, 38-30, and had 10-2 advantage in second-chance points. 
• BU was without No. 2 leading scorer and junior Javante McCoy (15.5 ppg in PL games) due to illness, which led to Brittain-Watts earning his first career start.
• The Terriers had two double-doubles for the second time this season following an 84-79 overtime loss at Binghamton.
• Lafayette shot 16-of-25 (.640) in the first half and was held to 8-of-30 (.267) in the second.
• BU dropped to 3-7 in games decided by five points or less.
• Now owning a 14-8 advantage in the all-time series, the Terriers had their four-game road win streak and also four-game win streak at the Kirby Sports Center snapped by the Leopards.

NEXT UP: AMERICAN

• The Terriers will return home to host the Eagles on Sunday (Feb. 23) with the CBS Sports Network broadcast set to begin at 12 p.m.
• American won the first meeting, 67-63, in Washington, D.C., back on Jan. 5.
• PL Preseason Player of the Year Sa'eed Nelson led the Eagles with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, while McCoy posted 17 points and four assists for BU.