Men’s Basketball: Terriers Searching for a Win over Lafayette

By: Dave Souza

Seeking to rebound after a nine-point loss to Navy on Thursday night, the Boston University Men’s Basketball team will look to go 8-4 in conference play when they take on the Lafayette Leopards Sunday at noon.

BU (12-11, 7-4 PL) started off its conference schedule with five straight wins, however has since gone 2-4, with both of their wins coming in their last three games. Last time out against Lafayette, the Terriers set a school record with 18 three-pointers in their 91-75 win.

Cedric Hankerson led the Terriers with 18 points from beyond the arc, while also leading the team in scoring with 21 total points. This season, Hankerson is averaging 10.5 points per game for the scarlet and white. However, the prolific scorer has been in a funk the past few games – scoring six points combined in the last two contests.

Two other seniors have been paving the way to success for BU this season. Eric Fanning currently leads BU with 15.4 points per game and is also averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds per contest. Last time out against Lafayette, Fanning drained three of five three-point attempts en route to an 18-point night.

Justin Allston has been a force on the glass for the Terriers, grabbing an average of six rebounds per game, including 91 on the defensive side. Against the Leopards, Allston grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Offensively, Allston is averaging 11.4 points per game.

Last time out, the Leopards were led by junior forward Matt Klinewski. The 6’8″ New Jersey native led all scorers with 34 points, a mark he achieved largely thanks to his 10 of 12 field goals made. Klinewski leads the Leopards with 16.4 points per game and is by far the best rebounder on his squad with an average of six per game.

The Terriers are at a very interesting cross roads in their season’s final stretch. Hovering around .500 with seven games to go, BU is in need of one of their signature winning streaks in order to get a higher seed in the Patriot League tournament. The Terriers currently sit in third place in the conference.

Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. at Boston University’s Case Gym. Catch all the action on mixlr.com/wtbusports.