Jones, McNair Reach Milestones as Men's Basketball Claims 78-63 Win Over Holy Cross

Wednesday, February 25

Boston, MA

7 PM

Boston University

14-16,9-8Patriot

Holy Cross

10-20,5-12Patriot

Holy Cross

Boston U.

Photo by: Trinity Robbins

Jones, McNair Reach Milestones as Men's Basketball Claims 78-63 Win Over Holy Cross

February 25, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Highlights Coach Jones-McNair Postgame

BOSTON – Highlighted by 20-point performances from junior Michael McNair and sophomore Ben Defty, the Boston University men's basketball team rolled to a 78-63 victory over Holy Cross Wednesday night at Case Gym.

The Terriers (14-16, 9-8 PL) shot 55.8 percent from the field and limited the Crusaders (10-20, 5-12 PL) to 40.4 percent to give head coach Joe Jones his program record-breaking 248th career victory. McNair reached two milestones behind his 10th 20+ point performance of the season, as he not only broke a 95-95 deadlock with John Papale ('16) to set a new single-season record for made 3-pointers at BU but also became the first Terrier to score 500+ points since the 2021-22 campaign.

McNair went 8-for-17 from the field,and Defty finished a near-perfect 9-for-10 to help give BU a pair of 20+ point scorers for the first time in February after freshmen Chance Gladden and Sam Hughes last accomplished the feat during a double-overtime contest at Bucknell on Jan. 31. Gladden tallied 14 points against the Crusaders, while both Hughes and sophomore Azmar Abdullah earned nine points apiece alongside a combined 12 rebounds.

Three Crusaders scored in double figures with Gabe Warren recorded a team-high 13 points. Both Tyler Boston and Aiden Disu added 10 apiece but went a combined 7-for-23 (.304) in the loss. BU outscored Holy Cross off turnovers (13-6), in the paint (36-16) and in second-chance opportunities (9-2) to help earn a sweep for the first time since 2019-20.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After McNair and Warren exchanged buckets to open the game, Defty gave BU the lead for good at 18:21 on a slam dunk assisted by Gladden.
Abdullah swiped the ball away from the Crusaders and fed Sam Hughes for a layup and BU's first double-digit lead at 17-7 with 13:41 left in the half.
After HC cut the deficit to 31-22 on a layup at 6:14, the Terriers reeled off seven straight points to grab their largest lead of the contest, 38-22, with 4:11 remaining.
The Crusaders though battled back, scoring 11 straight points to enter the locker room only down by five, 38-33.
After McNair scored on a layup to start the second half, HC responded with an 8-2 spurt featuring a 3-pointer from Disu.
Williams struck from behind the arc on the Crusaders' next possession to cut BU lead to 42-41, but McNair broke the BU single-season record for made 3-pointers at 16:49 and added No. 97 a minute later along with a layup to help the Terriers pull ahead, 50-41.
The Crusaders battled back to within four at 12:24 (52-48) and 8:50 (58-54), respectively, but would never get any closer.
Gladden drove to the hoop on a layup and added two free throws following Hughes' jumper for a 64-54 lead with 6:56 left in regulation.
The Terriers sealed the win by hitting nine free throws over the final 4:30.

GAME NOTES

Currently tied-for-eighth all-time in the Patriot League season record book at 98 3-pointers, McNair just needs two more to become the fourth Patriot League player alongside American's Garrison Carr ('08 and '09), Army's Jarell Brown ('08) and Army's Kyle Wilson ('16) to hit 100.
With 507 points, McNair is the first Terrier since Javante McCoy (609) and Sukhmail Mathon (528) in 2021-22 to score at least 500 points.
Adding four blocks to increase his season total to 49, Defty is just the fourth Terrier to earn that many in a season and is currently tied-for-seventh with Rashad Bell ('05) in the BU record book. BU Hall of Famer Tunji Awojobi ('97) sits in four of the top six spots, while Patrick Hazel ('12) owns the other two slots.
Hughes led BU in rebounding for the fourth time this season after he hauled in at least seven boards for the fourth time, all in the Patriot League.
Coach Jones set a new record for career wins after tying Dennis Wolff ('94-'09) last week in the 85-58 win at Colgate.
After appearing briefly on Sunday for the first time in a month, graduate student Malcolm Chimezie was back to wearing a suit alongside his six other injured teammates.

UP NEXT

BU will conclude the regular season at defending PL champion American on Saturday (Feb. 28) with the CBS Sports Network broadcast slated for a 12 p.m. start time.
Back on Jan. 3, the Eagles led by as many as 16 in the first half and overcame a 49-44 deficit with a 15-5 run en route to a 64-62 win at Case Gym.
Whoever wins the game will host the other team in the PL quarterfinals next Thursday (March 5) in a 4 vs. 5 seed matchup.