BOSTON – Playing in the first game of his sixth year on Commonwealth Ave., graduate student Walter Whyte flushed a career-high six 3-pointers en route to a personal-best 27 points alongside a career-tying 13 rebounds to help lead the Boston University men's basketball team to a 72-63 victory over crosstown rival Northeastern on Monday night at Case Gym. 

The Terriers (1-0) utilized a strong defensive effort to limit the Huskies (0-1) to a 36.7 percent shooting performance from the field while finishing ahead in rebounds, 40-37, for a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points. BU also forced 17 turnovers while committing just 11 miscues.

Whyte finished 10-of-16 from the field and 6-of-9 from behind the arc alongside two blocks. Fellow grad student Jonas Harper went 7-of-10 at the charity stripe to tally 15 points with four assists, while junior Miles Brewster dished out a career-high six assists. Junior Daman Tate came off the bench with seven points and a career-tying three assists. After playing just six games last season due to injury, senior Nevin Zink recorded seven rebounds and five points.

Preseason All-CAA Jahmyl Telfort posted 26 points and nine rebounds to lead the Huskies, who went just 8-of-25 FG in the second half for the loss. Masai Troutman was the other player in double figures at 13 points.

TURNING POINT

• After NU's Glen McClintock nailed his second 3-pointer to tie the game, 53-53, at 8:45, Whyte responded with a dunk to spark a 14-4 run capped by his sixth trey and finally a jumper at 2:51 to break the game open.
• Harper's two free throws one minute later to pull ahead, 71-59, and help BU tie its largest lead of the game set early in the first half at 12 points.
• Telfort's 3-pointer in the final seconds kept the Terriers from earning their first double-digit win in the series since an 82-68 win during the 2003-04 season.

THE SETUP

• Whyte was on fire to start the game, flushing four bombs over the first six minutes to help BU grab a 16-8 lead.
• After sophomore Malcolm Chimezie hit both free throws for a 22-10 lead at 12:24, Telfort drained a 3-pointer of his own to help the Huskies go on a 20-6 run over the next nine minutes capped by another trey to grab a 30-28 advantage at 3:40.
• Facing a 32-30 deficit, Brewster grabbed a defensive rebound and fed Tate for a fastbreak layup.
• In the final minute, Whyte nailed his fifth 3-pointer and took advantage of freshman Otto Landrum's block for a slam dunk on Harper's assist to move ahead, 37-32, entering the locker room.
• Zink started the second half with back-to-back buckets to extend the lead to 41-32, but the Huskies slowly chipped away and eventually cut the deficit to 46-45 at 12:58 on Chris Doherty's layup at 12:58.
• Grad student Fletcher Tynen responded with a 3-pointer and bonus free throw, and junior Anthony Morales nailed a jumper at 11:26 to keep the lead at five (53-48).
• The Terriers would go three minutes without a point until Whyte's dunk broke the fourth and final tie.

GAME NOTES

• Though the Terriers started the 2020-21 season with a victory at Holy Cross, they opened a season with a home victory for the first time since earning a 69-57 victory over St. Bonaventure in 2007. BU was 0-5 in combined season/home openers during that stretch.
• Former teammates in high school, both Whyte and Harper have now hit six 3-pointers at least once during their time at BU.
• Freshman Ben Roy also saw action in the first game of the year alongside Landrum.
• BU tied the all-time series against Northeastern, 75-75, with now 15 of the last 16 contests featuring a single-digit victor.

UP NEXT

• BU will next travel to Big East foe UConn on Friday night (Nov. 11) with the Fox Sports 2 broadcast set to begin at 6 p.m.
• The Terriers have lost the previous six meetings, including most recently 2017, with the last win occurring in 1986.