Men's Basketball Triumphs in OT Thriller at Northeastern, 76-75

Monday, November 3

Boston, MA

7:30 PM

Boston University

1-0,0-0Patriot

Northeastern

0-1,0-0CAA

OT 1

Boston U.

Northeastern

Men's Basketball Triumphs in OT Thriller at Northeastern, 76-75

November 3, 2025 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score Defty and Coach Jones Postgame

BOSTON – Boosted by a pair of 20-point performances from underclassmen, the Boston University men's basketball team opened the season with a 76-75 overtime victory at Northeastern Monday.

Down by as many as 10 in the first half, the Terriers (1-0) eventually triumphed over the Huskies (0-1) in the series' first overtime matchup since 2015.

Freshman Sam Hughes flushed five 3-pointers and hit two clutch free throws with 3.6 seconds left in regulation en route to a team-high 21 points, while sophomore Ben Defty totaled a career-high 20 points, game and career-high eight rebounds, career-high five blocks and three steals in his first career start. Freshman Chance Gladden tallied eight points and game-high five assists in his debut, and graduate students Malcolm Chimezie and Ethan Okwuosa combined for 13 points and 12 boards.

For the Huskies, preseason All-CAA honoree LA Pratt tallied a game-high 26 points, four assists and three steals. Youri Fritz (15 pts.) and William Kermoury (14 pts.) both finished in double figures as well, but it wasn't enough as the Terriers outscored the Huskies in bench production, 42-10.

OVERTIME

After Hughes sent the game to overtime with his two free throws, Defty started the extra session by winning the jumpball and hitting a slam dunk off an assist from Gladden to grab the lead for good.
Following a defensive stop, junior Michael McNair hit two free throws and Defty followed with a layup at 2:15 for the Terriers' largest lead, 72-66.
Defty and Okwuosa drained the next four free throws to keep the six-point lead, 76-70, with 48 seconds left.
After Pratt hit two free throws on the next possession, Luca Soroa Schaller forced a turnover and Pratt flushed his lone 3-pointer to pull within one at 41 seconds.
BU was unable to score on the next possession, but the defense stepped up by forcing Pratt into a tough 3-point attempt to seal the victory.

THE SETUP

The Huskies jumped out to an 9-2 lead with Fritz and Kermoury draining a pair of 3-pointers over the first four minutes.
After BU pulled within three (13-10) on Defty's layup at 12:07, the Huskies responded with a 12-5 run capped by Pratt's steal and drive to the hoop with 7:02 remaining in the half.
Facing a 31-26 deficit with 1:57 left, Hughes scored his third 3-pointer and later ended the half with his fourth trey on the final possession for BU's first lead of the game, 32-31.
The teams traded blows during a second half that featured seven lead changes and six ties.
Pratt scored on a layup and bonus free throw for a 43-38 lead at 15:48, but the Terriers came right back with a 6-0 spurt featuring back-to-back buckets from Okwuosa.
Gladden extended BU's lead to 59-54 on a drive to the hoop at 5:34 before the Huskies scored eight straight points with the help of four free throws and Pratt's layup with 3:20 left in regulation.
After JB Frankel converted on his steal with a fastbreak layup at 1:19 for a 66-63 lead, Defty went 1-of-2 at the charity stripe with 40 seconds remaining.
BU's defense forced a turnover from Fritz and Hughes drew a foul at 3.6 seconds to set up his game-tying free throws.

GAME NOTES

BU won its fourth straight overtime contest following last year's 3-0 performance at home and won on the road in OT against a non-conference opponent for the first time since posting a 71-68 victory at Bucknell in 2008 when the Terriers were members of the America East.
Defty and Hughes became the first Terrier duo to reach 20+ points in the same game since Max Mahoney ('20) and Javante McCoy ('22) combined for 53 points on Jan. 29, 2020, in a 92-77 home win over Loyola Maryland.
Defty's 20 points top his previous best of 15 scored in a 2OT victory over Colgate last February, and the five blocks edged the four earned in that same contest. As a freshman, he recorded seven rebounds vs. the Raiders and against Lafayette.
Beset by injury last year, Okwuosa played 32 minutes in his first action since the 2024-25 season opener against Northeastern.
The Huskies nearly doubled the Terriers in points off turnovers, 27-14, as the two teams finished tied, 10-10, in second-chance points and also points in the paint at 38-38.
BU cut NU's series lead to 77-76 in a rivalry that dates back to 1920.
The contest had extra special meaning as it was the final contest between the two programs at 115-year-old Matthews Arena, which was previously known as Boston Arena with the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins serving as tenants.

UP NEXT

BU will conclude the season-opening two-game road trip at Big 10 school Northwestern on Friday (Nov. 7) with a 6 p.m. ET tip. The game will be shown live on Peacock.
Northwestern won the lone meeting, 78-74, at home on Dec. 19, 1959.
The Terriers will seek their first win against the Big 10 since defeating Indiana, 71-67, at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in 2009.