BU men's basketball bench celebrates after a big play against UNC Greensboro
Steve Simoneau
68
UNC Greensboro UNC GREE 17-15
71
Winner Boston U. BOSTON U 22-12
UNC Greensboro UNC GREE
17-15
68
Final
71
Boston U. BOSTON U
22-12
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNC Greensboro UNC GREE 33 35 68
Boston U. BOSTON U 26 45 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Rallies Past UNC Greensboro in CBI Opener, 71-68

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Down by as many as 13 points in the first half, the No. 10-seeded Boston University men's basketball team rallied past No. 7 UNC Greensboro, 71-68, in the Roman College Basketball Invitational opener on Sunday evening at the Ocean Center.

With their first postseason win since 2016, the Terriers improve to 22-12 and advance to Monday's quarterfinal matchup against No. 2 Middle Tennessee. They shot 53.8 FG% in the second half after being held to 32.1 FG% in the first and went a nearly-perfect 17-of-18 from the free throw line to eliminate the Spartans (17-15).

Graduate student and reigning Patriot League Player of the Year Sukhmail Mathon led the Terriers with 18 points and game-high nine rebounds, while senior Jonas Harper flushed a season-high five 3-pointers to help lead the rally. Graduate student Javante McCoy tallied 13 points alongside three assists and three steals, and senior Walter Whyte came off the bench with eight points and six boards.

De'Monte Buckingham also hit five 3-pointers to finish with a game-high 21 points for UNCG, while Bas Leyte contributed 17 points and eight boards. Dante Treacy directed the offense with seven points and six assists.

SECOND-HALF RALLY
  • Facing a 43-34 deficit, Harper flushed a 3-pointer to spark a 14-3 run capped by Whyte's layup and bonus free throw at 10:04 to pull ahead for the first time since Mathon opened the game with a layup. 
  • Mathon flushed four straight free throws to extend the run to 18-3 and grab a 52-46 lead with 8:38 left in regulation.
  • Buckingham though kept UNCG within striking distance by hitting a 3-pointer and responding to Harper's trey at 7:28 with one of his own at 7:09.
  • The teams continued to trade blows with McCoy's jumper giving BU a 67-62 advantage at 1:48
  • UNCG used a pair of steals and layups to cut the deficit to one point, 67-66, with 42 seconds remaining.
  • Following the Spartans' called timeout, BU drained the clock and found Whyte at the top of the key for a 3-point dagger.
  • BU then got a defensive stop on a missed 3-point attempt and added a free throw to extend the lead to 71-66 with nine seconds left.
  • UNCG eventually scored on a putback with 0.6 seconds remaining, but BU was able to inbound the ball after UNCG's timeout to seal the victory.
THE SETUP
  • Buckingham responded to Mathon's game-opening layup with the first of his five 3-pointers, as UNCG jumped out to an early 7-2 lead.
  • Harper eventually tied the game, 9-9, at 15:24 on his first trey, but UNCG retook the lead for the rest of the half at 12:31 on Keyshaun Langley's 3-pointer.
  • Owning a 14-11 lead, the Spartans went on a 12-2 run capped by Buckingham's 3-pointer at 7:33 to grab their largest lead of the game.
  • Kobe Langley added another to move ahead, 31-19, but the Terriers began their comeback with seven quick points, as sophomore Caelan Jones scored from behind the arc while being fouled.
  • Harper added another 3-pointer before Leyte hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds remaining to give UNCG a 33-26 halftime advantage.
  • Mathon started the second half with a short jumper, but Dante Treacy netted a 3-pointer on the next possession to push the Spartans ahead, 36-28.
  • UNCG would eventually extend the lead to nine points (43-34) at 15:18 but would never get it to double digits in the second half, as BU megan mounting the comeback.
GAME NOTES
  • BU improved to 3-1 all-time in the Roman CBI after reaching the semifinals back in 2010 with wins at Oregon St. and vs. Morehead State in overtime. This is the second consecutive season that the annual postseason tournament, now in its 14th year, is being held at one location.
  • The Terriers last prevailed in a postseason game in the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament with a 69-66 first round win at Fordham.
  • BU earned its largest come-from-behind win of the season with a 13-point deficit, topping the 42-30 deficit against Merrimack back on Nov. 28.
  • McCoy now ranks No. 2 all-time at BU with 726 career made field goals with BU Hall of Famer Tunji Awojobi ('97) well ahead at 871.
  • Besides appearing in game No. 150 without missing a single contest, Mathon moved up to No. 3 at BU for rebounds in a season with 346 total, 19 shy of Awojobi's haul in 1994-95. Ed Washington ('59) owns the program record with 382 set his final season.
  • Harper hit his most 3-pointers since going 6-of-9 at Army a season prior.
  • BU posted a 34-32 advantage in rebounds to out-rebound a Spartan squad that ranked 34th nationally in rebound margin (+5.4 rpg).
  • The Terriers won the first-ever meeting with UNCG and also earned a win over the Southern Conference for the first time since beating then-member Davidson during the 1955-56 season. The Spartans were the 2021 SoCon champs.
UP NEXT
  • BU will next face No. 2 Middle Tennessee (24-10) in the Roman CBI quarterfinals at 6 p.m. on Monday (March 21) evening.
  • The Raiders opened the tournament with a 64-58 win over No. 15 Cal Baptist this past Saturday.
  • The teams are meeting for the first time in program history. BU will be seeking its first win against Conference USA since 1997-98.
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