BALTIMORE, Md. – Down by as many as 18 in the second half, the Boston University men's basketball team rode senior Anthony Morales' career-best 24-point performance to a thrilling 60-58 come-from-behind victory at Loyola Maryland Saturday night.

After being held to 28.6 percent shooting in the first half, the Terriers (7-10, 2-2 PL) shot 50 percent during the second to stage the furious comeback and win back-to-back games for the first time this season. The Greyhounds (3-14, 1-3 PL) scored 24 points in the paint during the first 20 minutes but were limited to just 12 over the final 20 in the loss.

Morales went 9-of-15, including 5-of-11 from behind the arc, with 19 of his points coming in the second half, including 17 over the last 8:23. He also added a personal-best seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks, while sophomore Nico Nobili tallied 11 points. Coming off a career-high 21 points this past Wednesday against American, senior Miles Brewster tallied nine points.

Three Greyhounds finished in double figures with both Milos Ilic and D'Angelo Stines earning 13 points apiece. Golden Dike went 6-of-7 in the paint for 12 points but committed six turnovers as well. Loyola's leading scorer Deon Perry (15.4 ppg) finished 2-of-10 to end the game with just seven points after averaging 25.7 ppg over his last three contests, including a 30-point performance in Wednesday's win at Army West Point.

DOWN THE STRETCH

• BU faced a 41-23 deficit with 17:08 remaining and was later down, 54-40, with 8:23 left in regulation, at which point Morales took over the contest with 17 of the Terriers' final 20 points.
• Morales sparked the 14-0 run with a 3-pointer, steal and layup before adding another steal to set up Nobili's hook shot at 7:21.
• Morales added back-to-back treys to cut the deficit to one (54-53) with 5:43 remaining, and Nobili tied the game at 4:21 on a free throw.
• After Perry knocked down a jumper, Morales drove to the hoop for a layup and free throw with 2:59 left for a brief 57-56 lead.
• Perry then responded with two free throws, but Morales would not be denied, grabbing the lead for good with a 3-point dagger at 2:28.
• Morales stepped up defensively with a monster block at 40 seconds on a layup attempt by Ilic and also helped BU force an off-balance 3-point attempt at the buzzer for the victory.

THE SETUP

• Junior Ethan Okwuosa opened the game with a 3-pointer, and freshman Kyrone Alexander added another for an early 8-4 lead at 16:32.
• Dike came back with a hook shot to spark an 9-0 spurt capped by Alonso Faure's putback at 14:12.
• Morales scored from behind the arc for the first time two minutes later to cut the deficit to 15-13, but the Greyhounds punched back with an 18-6 run ended by Perry's 3-point play at 3:01 for a commanding 33-19 advantage.
• Morales drove to the hoop with 1:23 left for the final bucket of the half to put BU's deficit at 33-21 entering the locker room.
• After the teams exchanged buckets to start the second half, Loyola flushed back-to-back 3-pointers to grab their largest lead at 17:08.

GAME NOTES

• BU overcame an 18-point deficit for the first time since trailing to American, 38-20, with 3:15 left in the first half on Feb. 23, 2020, and eventually prevailing, 64-60.
• Morales' 24 points are the most by a Terrier this season and top his previous high of 19 set a year prior against Hartford.
• Morales previously earned seven rebounds at Navy, and his four steals doubled his previous high.
• Nobili scored in double figures for the sixth time over the last 11 contests.
• BU's 12 steals were the second most this season, two shy of the 14 earned at Rutgers back in November.
• BU earned its first win of the season when trailing at the half (now 1-6) and also when shooting a lower field goal percentage (now 1-10). The Terriers ended the contest at 39.6 FG%, while the Greyhounds shot 46.2 FG%.
• The Terriers ended the contest by doubling the Greyhounds in made 3-pointers, 10-5, and forcing Loyola into 17 turnovers against 13 miscues of their own.
• The Terriers improved to 18-7 all-time against Loyola with a five-game win streak.

UP NEXT

• BU will return home to host Bucknell on Wednesday (Jan. 17) at 7 p.m. as part of Club Sports Night.
• The Terriers have won six of the last seven meetings, including last year's sweep.