Mens Basketball: Freshman Lead in Victory over Wheaton

By: Greg Levinsky

BOSTON — It was the unlikeliest of heroes on Sunday afternoon for Boston University. Freshmen guards Walter Whyte and Javante McCoy have started every game in their Terrier careers, but it was a different duo of freshman who took over; Riding career-best performances from Sukhmail Mathon and Andrew Petcash, the Boston University Men’s Basketball team ousted the Wheaton College Lyons, 83-48, in the Terriers annual Division III matchup.

“Overall, I was pleased with the way we approached the game,” said Boston University Men’s Basketball Head Coach Joe Jones.

Mathon notched 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. He never played more than 15 minutes in a game, but earned a team-high 26. McCoy added 12 points rounding out the three Terriers in double figures.

Petcash scored a game-high 15 points in just 13 minutes, including 10 in the first half. He had played just three minutes over the Terriers’ first four games. Jones said Petcash could be relied on for valuable minutes in the near future.

“He can get in the game, at some point he’s gonna play,” Jones said. “He’s poised, he’s smart, he’s athletic, he can shoot, [and] he’s a really good passer; he’s good.”

The Lyons never looked to be a threat, besides being down by one in the opening three minutes. Wheaton 21st-year Head Coach Brian Walmsley and company could not muster a comeback, never taking a lead or garnering a tie.

Mathon assisted on two baskets and added another in an early Terrier 12-2 run that put the game out of reach under 10 minutes in. The six-foot-ten Mathon connected on two deep jumpers, just beyond the right and left elbows respectively before adding a three-point play to move BU to a 43-22 halftime lead.

“I’ve been really challenging my staff to have him play more,” Jones said. “Sometimes we’re subbing and forget about him, and I’m challenging my staff to get him in more often because his minutes have been really productive.”

The Terriers connected on 42.1 percent of their first-half field-goal attempts. The Lyons shot just 16.7 percent from the field, missing seven-of-eight 3-point tries.

Sophomore forward Max Mahoney had three fouls in the opening stanza, including getting nabbed for a foul on a 3-point attempt by Wheaton sophomore Alex DuBrow. The Terriers racked up 13 first half fouls.

“They were able to drive on certain guys and I thought we did a better job in the second half of not fouling,” Jones said.

Junior guard David Carbonello accrued 11 points, the only Lyon in double figures.

“Their guards were really fast, so they were able to get in the lane,” Jones said. “They competed the whole game and I have a lot of respect for how they came in and attacked the game.”

The Terriers coasted in the second half, outscoring Wheaton by 14, en route to the 35-point victory.

Junior guard Cheddi Mosely and sophomore forward Destin Barnes missed their third consecutive games due to injury, and were seated at the end of the bench in suits. Jones said he will know more on their statuses as the week progresses.

“I think we’ll know more this week,” Jones said. “I think we’ll be able to find out what exactly the deal is early this week.”