Anthony Morales attempts a long field goal over a Navy defender.
Matt Woolverton
61
Navy Navy 13-18,8-10 Patriot
70
Winner Boston U. BU 16-16,10-8 Patriot
Navy Navy
13-18,8-10 Patriot
61
Final
70
Boston U. BU
16-16,10-8 Patriot
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Navy Navy 27 34 61
Boston U. BU 33 37 70

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Opens PL Tournament with 70-61 Win over Navy

BOSTON – Boosted by strong bench production, the No. 2 seeded Boston University men's basketball team opened the Patriot League tournament with a 70-61 quarterfinal victory over No. 7 Navy on Thursday night at Case Gym.

Never trailing in their sixth straight victory, the Terriers (16-16) advance to their fifth semifinal contest in eight years, while the Midshipmen see their season end at 13-18. BU will next host No. 6 Lehigh on Sunday (March 10) with the CBS Sports Network broadcast set for 4 p.m.

Senior Anthony Morales came off the bench to lead BU with 17 points, and sophomore Otto Landrum tallied 11 points alongside a team-high seven rebounds. Senior Miles Brewster added 10 points and four assists with two steals, while freshmen Kyrone Alexander nearly had a double-double on nine points and eight boards. Freshman Matai Baptiste (9 pts.) and sophomore Ben Roy (6 pts.) joined Morales off the bench, combining for 15 points and eight rebounds.

For the Midshipmen, Austin Benigni earned a game-high 22 points but did most of the damage from the free throw line, shooting 10-of-11 compared to his 6-of-17 performance from the field. Mac MacDonald was the second Mid in double figures at 14 points. Donovan Draper and Aidan Kehoe combined for 24 rebounds to help Navy edge BU in rebounds, 40-39.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • After Landrum and Aidan Kehoe opened the game with layups, the teams went scoreless for nearly five minutes until junior Ethan Okwuosa grabbed the lead for good with a pair of free throws at 15:12.
  • Baptiste gave BU its first double-digit lead by finishing a feed from Roy with a layup and then setting up Landrum's own layup at 11:04 for the 16-6 advantage.
  • Landrum scored on the putback at 4:20 to to grab the Terriers' largest lead, 32-18, but MacDonald scored the final five points, as part of a 9-1 run to help Navy pull within six entering the locker room, 33-27.
  • Benigni started the second half with a successful drive to the hoop to cut the deficit to just four, 33-29, but the Midshipmen would never get closer, thanks to Landrum and Alexander both scoring from behind the arc to lead, 39-29, at 17:01.
  • After Lysander Rehnstrom hit a 3-pointer, Morales, Baptiste and sophomore Nico Nobili all scored in the paint to extend their lead to 54-42 with 9:49 remaining.
  • Facing a 65-53 deficit with 2:10 remaining, Navy utilized a full-court press to help score six straight over the next minute.
  • BU beat the press by finding Okwuosa for a layup and 67-59 advantage at 54 seconds.
  • Morales sealed the victory with three free throws over the last 32 seconds.
GAME NOTES
  • BU's six-game win streak is the program's longest since the Terriers won seven straight in conference play during the 2015-16 campaign.
  • Morales netted two 3-pointers and went 5-of-6 at the free throw line to earn his fifth 17+ point performance over his last nine appearances.
  • Despite being edged by one rebound in the final tally,  BU posted a 13-10 advantage in second-chance points while also winning in the paint, 30-24 and from behind the arc with a 7-4 lead in made 3-pointers.
  • After the teams shot an identical 33.3 FG% in the first half, the Terriers shot 50.0 FG% in the second and also held the Mids to 39.3 FG%.
  • The Terriers improved to 14-11 all-time against Navy and 2-1 in PL tournament action. BU last dropped a PL semifinal decision on the road in 2022 after winning in the 2020 quarterfinals at home.
  • BU is now 6-5 all-time in PL quarterfinal games since joining the league in the summer of 2013 with a 5-1 home mark.
UP NEXT
  • BU will next host Lehigh on Sunday (March 10) in the PL semifinals at 4 p.m. after No. 1 Colgate hosts No. 5 Bucknell at 2 p.m. with CBS Sports Network broadcasting both games.
  • The Terriers won both games against the Mountain Hawks by a combined three points, including the 64-62 OT victory at Lehigh on Feb. 28.
  • BU is 2-1 all-time against Lehigh in the PL tournament, last winning in 2021 in the first round at home. The teams last faced off in the semifinals in 2017 with the Mountain Hawks prevailing in 2OT, 91-88, at Case Gym.
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