BOSTON – Helped by a strong defensive effort that included a season-tying nine blocks, the Boston University men's basketball team claimed a 76-72 win over Colgate on Friday afternoon at Case Gym. 

The Terriers (15-8, 6-4 PL) earned their fourth straight victory by handing the Raiders (8-11, 4-2 PL) their first conference loss in regulation this year. BU shot 44.8 percent and held Colgate to 41.9 FG% while boasting a 40-31 advantage in rebounds and 18-11 lead in made free throws.

Graduate student and two-time Patriot League Player of the Week Sukhmail Mathon collected his fifth double-double in seven games with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds, as classmate Javante McCoy delivered 17 points and three assists. Both seniors Jonas Harper and Walter Whyte finished in double figures with a combined 21 points, while freshman Malcolm Chimezie came off the bench with a season-high nine rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.

A preseason All-PL honoree alongside McCoy, Nelly Cummings tallied 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists for Colgate, while Tucker Richardson nearly had a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Jack Ferguson earned 11 points and four points alongside Ryan Moffat's 14 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Colgate responded to Whyte's 3-pointer with a 11-2 run with the help of two Richardson bombs and Ferguson's fastbreak layup at 15:55 for the 14-7 lead.
• Facing a 22-15 deficit with 10:27 remaining, the Terriers scored seven quick points, as Harper and Mathon hit back-to-back field goals before McCoy flushed a 3-pointer at 8:00.
• In a matchup featuring four ties and five lead changes, junior Ethan Brittain-Watts broke a 29-29 deadlock with a 3-pointer to give the Terriers the lead for good.
• Mathon and McCoy scored the last two buckets of the half in the final minute to enter the locker room ahead, 40-32.
• Harper flushed a jumper and 3-pointer to extend the lead to double digits for the first time, 47-37, with 17:19 remaining.
• The Raiders chipped away and eventually pulled within two, 55-53, on Ferguson's layup at 10:28, but they would never get any closer after Mathon and sophomore Caelan Jones combined for five quick points.
• Mathon hit two free throws at 4:54 for the largest lead of the game, 71-58.
• The Terriers though came up empty on their next six possessions with three turnovers and saw Colgate reel off nine straight points, including a putback from Moffat at 53 seconds while being fouled.
• Moffat missed his free throw attempt, and BU hit five shots at the charity stripe in the final 20 seconds to seal the victory.

GAME NOTES

• McCoy is the fifth Terrier in program history to eclipse 1,700 career points (now at 1,701).
• Mathon is just 46 rebounds away from becoming the fourth to reach 800 boards.
• Mathon earned his fourth career 20+ point performance.
• Harper has scored in double figures two times in the last three games and eight times overall this season.
• BU is now 13-2 this season when hitting more FTs than opponents and 12-1 when leading at the half.
• The Terriers retook the lead in the all-time series, 30-29, after Colgate avenged the 2020 Patriot League title loss to BU by winning all five meetings last season, including the 2021 PL quarterfinals.
• BU snapped a four-game losing streak at home to the Raiders with their first win since 2018.

UP NEXT

• BU will remain home and host Holy Cross on Monday (Jan. 31) with the CBS Sports Network broadcast set for 7 p.m.
• The two teams met six times last season and finished in a 3-3 tie.