Men’s Basketball: Terriers’ final homestand ends with loss to Holy Cross
By: Ethan Fuller
BOSTON, MA — The loudest player in the gym on Wednesday — both on the court and on the scoreboard — was Holy Cross senior Austin Butler.
The sweet-shooting guard scored a career-high 30 points of 11-of-14 shooting to lead the Crusaders in an 86-75 win over Boston University men’s basketball on senior night. Butler dominated the Terriers despite Jonas Harper’s best efforts to contain him. He led a furious assault on the BU defense, which fell to 0-4 in games this season where they have allowed 80 or more points.
“We had no answer for Austin Butler,” said coach Joe Jones. “He abused us.”
The Crusaders (5-11) shot a blistering 59.1 percent from the floor and made 10 of 18 three-point looks. Butler wasn’t the only one lighting up the arc; freshman Judson Martindale canned three triples as part of a 21-point outburst. Matt Faw (16 points) and R.J. Johnson (14 points) joined them in double figures.
Butler led an energetic attack that overwhelmed the Terriers. BU forced just five Holy Cross turnovers in the entire contest. Jones took issue with the lack of energy on the defensive end.
“We just struggled to defend — got beat off the dribble on straight line drives, no rotations, no help,” he said.
On offense, things weren’t much better. Javante McCoy had a strong scoring performance on Senior day with 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting. But he also gave the ball away five times and racked up four fouls, including a few charges.
“He’s gotta make better decisions with the ball,” Jones said.
Walter Whyte added 14 point and eight boards for BU. The Terriers shot well as a team (51.9 FG%, 40.0 3P%), but timely miscues on offense coupled with the defensive lapses proved too much. Once Holy Cross built up a double-digit lead late in the first half, BU could never recover.
“I think mentally, we just gotta change out mindset and be ready to go,” Jones said. “Right now … we’re nowhere near where we’re capable of playing. Last three games, and we’re not even close.”
With one weekend remaining, the defending champions stand 5-9 and on the lower end of the now-10-team playoff field. Jones thinks that frustration is starting to mount with the lack of success. He’s encouraging everyone to play with less nerves and more focus, starting from the top down.
“We have veteran players,” Jones said. “Those guys have got to step up and set the tone and get it done, and right now, we’re not getting it done.”
Under the Patriot League’s revealed playoff format, BU currently slots in as the sixth seed. But the middle tier of the conference is entirely up for grabs. A big weekend series with 6-6 Army could end with the Terriers as high as fourth — or at the very bottom.
Saturday’s matchup is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. from West Point.