ANNAPOLIS, Md. – In a Patriot League quarterfinal matchup that lasted nearly four hours, the No. 5 seeded Boston University men's tennis team came up just short to No. 4 Bucknell on Friday afternoon at the U.S. Naval Academy Tennis Courts.

The Bison (10-16) captured four singles points, including the last two in three-set thrillers, to edge the Terriers (3-18) and advance to Saturday's semifinals.

Both sophomores Jonah Dickson and Ben Letzer went a perfect 2-0 on the day to lead BU.

In doubles, Dickson teamed with freshman Dion Loutas for a 6-2 win at line 2. After the Bison earned a 6-4 victory in the top slot, Letzer and freshman Gabe Brown clinched the doubles point at line 3 in the tiebreaker for a 7-6(3) win.

Letzer doubled the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles, but the Bison dropped the same amount of games at line 5 and tied the contest with a 6-4, 6-4 victory in the No. 2 slot. 

Dickson retook the lead for the Terriers by rallying from a set down for the 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 win against UNC Wilmington transfer Harrison Gold in the top singles match. 

The last two matches saw both teams mount a rally to force a third set. Bucknell's Tim Zlikovsky held off Brown in a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 win at line 3. In the last contest, freshman Adrian Pawlowski stayed alive by winning the second-set tiebreaker but ultimately couldn't overcome a service break for the 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3 loss to Michael Owen.

Bucknell - 4, Boston University - 3

SINGLES (Order of finish: 6, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4)
1) Jonah Dickson (BU) def. Harrison Gold (Bucknell): 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
2) Nick Mueller (Bucknell) def. Dion Loutas (BU): 6-4, 6-4
3) Tim Zelikovsky (Bucknell) def. Gabe Brown (BU): 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
4) Michael Owen (Bucknell) def. Adrian Pawlowski (BU): 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-3
5) Nicolas Grunig (Bucknell) def. Johann Sajonz (BU): 6-1, 6-3
6) Ben Letzer (BU) def. Charlie Nordahl (Bucknell): 6-3, 6-1

DOUBLES (Order of finish: 1, 2, 3)
1) Gold/Mueller (Bucknell) def. Pawlowski/Sajonz (BU): 6-4
2) Dickson/Loutas (BU) def. Owen/Zelikovsky (Bucknell): 6-2
3) Brown/Letzer (BU) def Grunig/Nordahl (Bucknell): 7-6(3)