EASTON, Pa. – Using a strong defensive effort, the Boston University men's basketball team completed the weekend sweep at Lafayette with a 64-61 victory Sunday night on the CBS Sports Network.

The Terriers (3-5, 3-5 PL) improved to 3-0 on the road, as senior Javante McCoy tallied a team-high 14 points to grab the No. 20 spot in the program record book with 1,162 career points. Sukhmail Mathon and junior Walter Whyte combined for 25 points and 16 rebounds.

The Leopards (5-3, 5-3 PL) entered the weekend averaging 81.7 ppg and 10.5 made 3-pointers but were held to a season-low 33.9 field goal shooting percentage and just four made shots from behind the arc on 26 attempts (.154 3FG%). E.J. Stephens came off the bench for 17 points, and preseason All-PL honoree Justin Jaworski was held to 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting. 

THE TURNING POINT

• Down by as many as 11 late in the first half, Lafayette tied the game with 12:30 remaining and then grabbed its first and only lead (58-57) at 3:12 on Neal Quinn's layup.
• The Leopards tried to extend the lead following a defensive stop, but Mathon stepped up with his second block on Jaworski's jump shot attempt.
• Junior Jonas Harper hauled in the rebound and went across the court for the fastbreak layup at 2:09 to retake the lead for good.
• Whyte, sophomore Ethan Brittain-Watts and McCoy each hit a free throw during the final minute to keep BU ahead, 62-60.
• After Kyle Jenkins went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe with 13 seconds remaining, Harper grabbed another rebound and hit two free throws to push the lead to 64-61.
• The Leopards missed three frantic game-tying 3-point attempts during the final seven seconds for the loss.

THE SETUP

• Mathon opened the scoring with a short jumper, and McCoy followed at 16:11 with a 3-pointer to push the lead to 7-2.
• After Jaworski flushed a trey at 9:03 to pull the Leopards within two, 19-17, Brittain-Watts drained one of his own to key a 12-3 run capped by senior Andrew Petcash's free throw at 5:17 for the 31-20 advantage.
• The Terriers finished the half 1-of-6 and went scoreless for the last 3:23 to enter the locker room leading, 35-31.
• Lafayette eventually tied the game at 12:12 on Stephens' jumper, 41-41, before sophomore Garrett Pascoe, Whyte and Mathon hit six straight free throws over the next two minutes.
• Junior Jack Hemphill completed a 3-point play to maintain the six-point advantage, 50-44, at 9:26.
• Leo O'Boyle hit Lafayette's final 3-pointer at 6:34 to cut BU's lead to 55-54, and Jaworski flushed two free throws three minutes later to set up Quinn's go-ahead bucket.

GAME NOTES

• Missing all of last season due to injury, Pascoe earned his first start since Dec. 13, 2018 at Dartmouth and finished with two assists, as the Terriers used their seventh different starting lineup in eight games.
• McCoy needs 30 points to tie No. 19 LeVar Folk's 1,192 points ('99) in the BU record book.
• Mathon led BU with three assists and eight rebounds alongside Whyte, while Lafayette's Quinn also had three helpers alongside nine points and nine rebounds.
• The Terriers outscored Lafayette in the paint, 30-16, and posted a 20-15 advantage in made free throws.
• BU earned its first win under head coach Joe Jones when shooting below 35 FG% (20-of-58, .345).
• Dylan Hastings had five of the Leopards' eight blocks. 
• BU improved to 16-8 all-time against Lafayette and 14-4 since joining the PL with their first two-game sweep since 2018 after the teams recorded a split each of the last two seasons.

NEXT UP: HOLY CROSS

• The Terriers will face the Crusaders next weekend with both teams hosting a contest.
• Holy Cross will welcome BU to the Hart Center on Saturday (Jan. 30) for a 2 p.m. tip.
• BU will then host the Crusaders on Sunday (Jan. 31) for a 5 p.m. start on the CBS Sports Network.
• Both road teams won to open the season with the Terriers prevailing first, 83-76, before being edged, 68-66.