WASHINGTON, D.C. – Competing in a defensive slugfest that saw both Patriot League programs shoot under 35 percent from the field, the Boston University men's basketball team came up just short at American, 48-44, on Saturday evening.

With their eighth straight home victory, the Eagles (18-11) remain atop the PL standings at 12-4, as the Terriers (14-15) drop to 8-8 in conference play. BU earned an 8-2 advantage in made 3-pointers, but AU outscored the Terriers off turnovers, 14-8, and at the free throw line, 10-2, to avenge an earlier 60-54 loss.

Senior Malcolm Chimezie was the lone Terrier to score in double figures with 10 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Kyrone Alexander posted nine points alongside four assists. Junior Nico Nobili hauled in a game-high nine rebounds, and graduate student Miles Brewster dished out five assists.

For the Eagles, both Matt Rogers and Greg Jones earned 13 points apiece, while Elijah Stephens recorded 10 points, three assists and five steals. AU posted a season-low 48 points and its second lowest shooting percentage of the season at 32.1 FG%, but had 10 offensive rebounds to edge the Terriers in second-chance points, 8-7, while earning its second most steals at 12 total.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Alexander and Brewster opened the game hitting BU's first two 3-point attempts to tie the game (6-6) at 17:28, freshman Ben Defty scored on a layup three minutes later to keep the game tied, 8-8.
• Chimezie gave BU a 10-8 lead on a layup at 10:41, but BU would miss its next eight field goal attempts with freshman Azmar Abdullah scoring from behind the arc at four seconds to cut the Eagles' lead to 20-14 entering the locker room.
• Alexander helped BU open the second half strong by feeding Chimezie for an emphatic slam dunk and then hitting a 3-pointer to pull within one, 20-19, at 19:16. 
• Abdullah netted his second trey to grab the Terriers' lone lead of the second half, 36-35, with 7:36 left in regulation.
• Matt Mayock retook the lead for good, 37-36, on a layup at 6:05.
• Jones scored from behind the arc to extend AU's lead to 46-38 with 2:23 remaining.
• BU tried to chip away with multiple defensive stops but was never able to get within a single possession of the Eagles before time ran out.
• Alexander went 1-of-2 at the charity stripe to cut the deficit to 46-41 at 17 seconds, and McNair responded to two AU free throws with a 3-pointer at five seconds for the last field goal of the game for either team.
• AU earned a 1-and-1 with 2.3 seconds left but committed a violation, giving the ball back to a BU squad that could only let out a desperate half-court shot at the buzzer in defeat.

GAME NOTES

• Chimezie scored in double digits for the seventh time this season and fourth in conference play.
• Brewster dished out at least five assists for the second time this season after recording six against Sacred Heart back in December.
• AU cut BU's all-time series lead to 16-10, as the Terriers fell to 6-6 at Bender Arena.

UP NEXT

• BU will visit Lehigh in the final road game of the regular season on Wednesday (Feb. 26) at 6 p.m.
• The Terriers won the first meeting, 63-58, back on Jan. 15 with Alexander earning a team-high 18 points.