HAMILTON, N.Y. – Led by a stellar defensive effort and senior Max Mahoney's 20th career double-double, the No. 3-seeded Boston University men's basketball team clinched its first automatic NCAA berth in nine years with a 64-61 triumph at No. 1 Colgate on Wednesday night.
 
The Terriers (21-13) shot 56 percent from the field in the second half and held the Raiders (25-9) to 35.7 FG% to claim their first Patriot League title since joining the conference in the summer of 2013. Averaging 76.6 ppg, Colgate entered the contest ranked sixth nationally at 10.2 made 3-pointers per game but finished with a season-low four treys on 22 attempts en route to its second lowest scoring output of the season.  
 
Named Tournament MVP, Mahoney claimed a team-high 18 points and 10 rebounds with four assists, as second All-Tournament Team member and junior Javante McCoy posted 11 points alongside seven assists. Sophomore Walter Whyte matched his former St. Luke's (Conn.) classmate Jonas Harper in points at 12 while combining for 17 rebounds.
 
Jordan Burns posted 21 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead the Raiders, as Jack Feguson (17 pts.) and Rapolas Ivanauskas (13 pts.) also finished in double-figure scoring. Ivanauskas and Will Rayman (8 pts.) combined for 21 boards to help the contest finish in a 40-40 rebounding deadlock.
 
DOWN THE STRETCH

• After Harper scored from behind the arc and Ferguson tied the game for the eighth and final time (53-53) at 7:19 on a layup, Harper struck again on his fourth bomb to grab the lead for good.
• Ivanauskas cut the deficit to 56-55 with 5:56 remaining on a jumper before Whyte grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the putback.
• Mahoney pushed the Terrier advantage to 62-57 at 3:39 on McCoy's feed and added a short jumper off the glass at 1:00 to grab the 64-58 advantage.
• The Raiders called a timeout and set up Burns' second 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit in half.
• Following their own timeout, the Terriers were able to earn a pair of 1-and-1 free throw situations on consecutive possessions but missed both shots.
• The defense continued to pressure, and the Raiders could not deliver for the home crowd, missing two attempts from behind the arc in the final possession for the loss. 

• The teams exchanged haymakers to start the game, as sophomore Fletcher Tynen tied the game for the fourth time (10-10) at 12:55 on a jumper
• Ferguson flushed a pair of 3-pointers during a 13-4 run that ended with his bonus free throw at 9:42 to grab Colgate's largest lead of the game, 23-14.
• Never allowing the Raiders to extend their lead to double digits, McCoy scored in 3-point territory on the next possession and later assisted on junior Sukhmail Mathon's hook shot at 5:00 to pull within four, 28-24.
• Mahoney hit a free throw with 1:41 remaining to keep the deficit at four (33-29) entering the half, as the teams finished on a combined 1-for-15 from the field over the final 4:17.
• Whyte opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and Mahoney took advantage of a Colgate turnover with a jump shot to retake the lead, 34-33.
• The teams went into another see-saw affair with Whyte flushing a 3-pointer at 13:13 to tie the game, 45-45.
• Fouled attempting a 3-pointer on the next possession, Ferguson went 2-for-3 at the line and later hit a layup at 10:41 to push Colgate's lead to 49-45.
• Mahoney though set up Harper's bucket from behind the arc and added a jumper at 9:35 for a quick 5-0 spurt.
• Scoring eight straight points for Colgate, Ferguson momentarily retook the lead on a layup (51-50) at 9:12 and responded to another Harper bomb to set up an exciting finish to the third ever postseason meeting between the two programs.

• Led by head coach Joe Jones, the Terriers secured their eighth overall NCAA berth and seventh tournament crown with the last occurring in the 2011 America East title game on campus.
• Improving to 7-10 all-time in conference finals, BU won its first-ever championship in a true road game after last falling at Vermont in 2010 while also becoming the first No. 3 seed in Patriot League history to claim the conference trophy.
• BU finished at 46.4 FG% and held Colgate to 37.1 FG% to improve to 19-1 this season when posting a higher shooting percentage, as the Raiders suffered their first loss of the year when holding an opponent below 70 points.
• Colgate is now 30-3 at home over the last two seasons with BU handing the Raiders two of their losses in four trips and avenging last year's PL quarterfinal elimination (81-69).
• With 11 double-doubles this season, Mahoney currently sits at No. 7 all-time in the BU record book with 1,559 points and No. 8 in rebounds (710).
• The Raiders outscored BU in the paint (38-32) and free throws (11-4), but the Terriers had three more field goals (26-23) and an 8-4 lead in made 3-pointers.
• Mahoney and McCoy were joined by Burns, Ivanauskas and Bucknell's Avi Toomer on the All-Tournament Team.

• The Terriers will learn their next destination during the selection show on CBS on Sunday (March 15) at 6 p.m.
• BU is 2-7 all-time in the NCAAs, winning both of its games in 1959 en route to a hard-fought 86-82 loss to Jerry West and West Virginia during the Elite Eight.
• In its last appearance in 2011, the Terriers were down six with 9:30 remaining before falling to No. 1 seed Kansas, 72-53.