WORCESTER, Mass. – Boosted by redshirt-freshman
Daman Tate's double-double and a strong defensive performance in the second half, the defending Patriot League champion Boston University men's basketball team opened the 2020-21 season with an 83-76 victory at Holy Cross on Monday afternoon.
Missing all of last season due to injury, Tate had quite the debut shooting 9-of-10 with four 3-pointers, four steals and 10 rebounds. 2020 All-PL Third Team honoree and senior
Javante McCoy added 17 points, while both junior
Jack Hemphill (12 pts.) and senior
Sukhmail Mathon (10 pts.) reached double figures.
Austin Butler led the Crusaders (0-1) with 24 points and matched Gerrale Gates' (19 pts.) eight rebounds in a contest featuring just three lead changes. After shooting 56.3 percent in the first half for the 44-39 halftime lead, Holy Cross was held to 37.1 FG% in the second, while the Terriers shot 66.7 FG% to overcome a 52-41 deficit.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Butler hit the game's first two buckets and Ryan Wade flushed a 3-pointer for the early 9-2 lead at 15:36.
- After Hemphill hit a layup to cut the Crusader's lead to 30-26 at 6:11, Gates scored one of his own with the bonus free throw to key a 9-0 spurt capped by another one of his layups at 3:56 for the 39-26 advantage.
- Keeping the Terriers within striking distance, Tate flushed back-to-back 3-pointers and added a fastbreak dunk during the final three minutes.
- McCoy ended the half with one of his two blocks and a layup before the buzzer to put the HC's lead at 44-39.
- Following Mathon's second-half opening layup, R.J. Johnson and Matt Faw flushed back-to-back treys, as the Crusaders extended their lead back to double-digits, 52-41, at 17:41 on Buttler's steal and dunk.
- Mathon, Harper, McCoy and junior Fletcher Tynen though all scored a bucket in response to pull back within three (52-49) at 15:50.
- McCoy eventually tied the game six minutes later, 61-61, on a driving layup, and Tynen broke the 63-63 stalemate for BU's first lead of the game at 7:07 on a free throw.
- Hemphill took the lead for good, 69-68, at 4:50 with his second 3-pointer, and Tate added another at 3:30 to push the lead to 74-68.
- After Wade hit one of his own following a called timeout, McCoy converted on a layup and the bonus free throw to help the Terriers maintain separation.
- Tate sealed the win with four free throws in the final 40 seconds, as the Crusaders missed three consecutive field goal attempts with two turnovers for the loss.
GAME NOTES
- The Terriers are now on a five-game win streak dating back to last year in which they ended the 2019-20 season with a conference championship.
- Tate became the first Terrier to open a season with a double-double since Nathan Dieudonne (10 pts., 10 rebs.) accomplished the feat against Northeastern in 2015.
- Tate's 26 points are the most in a season opener since Eric Fanning ('17) netted 29 against Northeastern in 2016.
- Tate's offensive output is the largest in a freshman's debut for the Terriers in over 20 years with Matt Turner ('04) the closest to the mark with 20 points against Northern Illinois in 1999.
- BU's bench outscored HC, 57-17, with freshman Anthony Morales contributing a bucket for his first career points alongside two assists, a block and steal.
- Sophomore Garrett Pascoe made his first appearance in two years, as like Tate, he missed all of 2019-20 due to injury.
- BU finished 7-of-18 (.389) from behind the arc, while the Crusaders went 6-of-15 (.400).
- The Terriers won the battle at the boards, 41-32, and also recorded a 12-8 advantage in made free throws.
NEXT UP: HOLY CROSS
- The two teams will have a quick turnaround and next face off on Tuesday at Case Gym in Boston with the ESPN+ broadcast set for 2 p.m.
- The contest marks game two of six scheduled contests this regular season between the two programs.
