Men’s Basketball: BU Drops First League Loss at Loyola

By: Matt Doherty

Boston University’s furious second half comeback fell short Monday night as Loyola Maryland knocked off the visiting Terriers 77-69, ending their perfect Patriot League mark.

Andre Walker poured in a masterful performance for the Greyhounds as the junior guard scored a career-high 35 points on a program record nine 3-pointers made.

Walker’s blistering start of six consecutive triples against the BU zone defense opened up a commanding first half lead for Loyola.

The Terriers spent the whole contest trying to battle back from their slow start but a Greyhound run to open the second half gave the home team a 60-41 lead with under 13 minutes left.

BU controlled the game from there on out and a Kyle Foreman layup cut the lead to 62-55 with under four minutes to go.

Eric Fanning led the comeback as the senior guard scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Fanning continuously attacked the hoop leading to a 13-15 mark from the foul line.

After the Greyhounds controlled their lead in the final minutes, the Terriers went to the foul game with just over a minute remaining.

Following two splits at the line from Jarred Jones, Fanning and Nick Havener completed back-to-back three point plays to make it a 69-65 game with 40 seconds left.

However, the Terrier comeback fell just short as Walker nailed key free throws to ice the game and give Loyola a 77-69 victory over the previously league unbeaten Terriers.

BU’s achilles heel on Monday proved to be their biggest strength as of late, the three point shot. After setting a school record for three-pointers made a week ago, the Terriers shot a dismal 1-18 3FG vs. Loyola. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds shot a season best 56% from behind the arc, with Walker making all of them.

Havener provided a productive 20 minutes, notching a 15-point, 8-rebound stat line while playing pivotal minutes down the stretch. Junior sharpshooter Cedric Hankerson contributed to the poor shooting night going just 1-7 3FG.

Cam Gregory and Jarred Jones both had double-doubles in the win as they out rebounded BU 34-33.

Overall, it was the Terriers inability to make the shots when they needed to in order to complete the comeback. The loss moved BU to (10-8, 5-1 PL) while Loyola improved to (9-8, 3-3 PL).

BU will look to get back to their winning ways when they host Colgate on Wednesday. Tip-off from Case Gym is scheduled for 7 p.m.